Having lost two trees on the west side of the house, from the storms that killed them, having them cut down, and digging out their stumps, we now have a mostly exposed West Side of the house. So it seems reasonable to plant a new tree (or trees) to replace them. We want something that will be big enough to shade the side of the house, but not so tall as to shade the solar panels on the roof. Plus we want a resilient, native tree that can tolerate the cold of winter and the heat of summer. A Lacey Oak seems to fit our needs.
Lacey Oaks will grow to 25 to 35 feet tall. It is drought-tolerant, oak wilt-resistant and can grow in poor soil.
We found one at Lawns (Leander Area Wholesale Nursery Supply) Tree Farm in Leander. Ours was a one-year-old 1-gallon container, for $10.
First we needed to pick a spot. We tried to put it midway between the last remaining Elm, at the front corner of the house, and the big oak tree in the back -- about 30 feet from both.
We dug a hole, much too deep and wide, then filled it back in until it was the right depth for the little tree. Planted the tree, and filled the hole back in with the dirt we dug out.
Then we bought a bag (one cubic foot) of top soil to spread around the tree, and covered that with a bag (two cubic foot) of hardwood mulch.
The tree is currently about 15 inches tall.
