I’d like to open today’s post by repeating our favorite question when we have a renovation/remodeling conundrum – either when a mistake is made or when something turns out not like you want it to. It goes like this: “What are the options and how much will they cost?” We have found it to be the quickest way to solve any construction problem. One of those “conundrums” was our purchased trees. There were a few areas where we had planned on larger, more statement trees but once they were planted in the ground we did the fairly annoying/bratty thing of asking why they were so small. The obvious answer was that our team was trying to stick to a budget and bigger plants are more expensive. After exploring how long it would take them to get to the desired size, we realized it would be 5-10 years. OOF. If this house weren’t a show house for brands, essentially, we would wait – despite our own desires. But this house needs to get shot a lot and soon, and while we can wait for the smaller plants to grow into shrubs, we “need” these big anchor pieces to be larger.
The Kitchen Patio Dogwood
Near the kitchen patio, we wanted a large dogwood to help bridge the gap between the two structures – the covered walkway and the kitchen. Yardzen put it in their renders and while we knew that their renders were based on mature heights, when we saw the tree that was planted we felt we couldn’t wait the maybe 10 years before it got to full maturity (different dogwoods grow at different rates and I forget which one this is but it’s the slow one).
See? She was small and leafless so you could barely even see it. A quiet statement for sure:) We were able to move her to the side of the house which fits perfectly, don’t worry. Meanwhile, I went to a nursery called Big Trees Today where, as you can imagine, they have much BIGGER trees still growing in the ground at a much more mature height. To top it off, they are full service – they dig up, transport, install, and guarantee their trees for a year. Of course, this comes with a much higher price tag. The dogwood that we planted was probably $180 or so and transport/carrying of it is usually double or triple the cost of the plant (I believe that’s a common formula from landscapers). So let’s say that size tree cost us between $400- $500. The Big Trees Today cherry tree that we picked out was $2k (including planting/guaranteeing). It’s obviously a luxury to do this, but what you are buying is time. Our 5′ Dogwood wouldn’t reach this 15′ height for 10 years. So how much was it worth it to us per year to have it at that height now? When you think about it like that it becomes easier to justify (I also do this with skincare or expensive athleisure – break it down by how many days a year you’ll use it and you’ll find that at 50 cents a day it’s worth it! It’s a really dangerous mindset, TBH).
This is the cherry tree from Big Trees Today right after it was planted (fruitless, the Japanese version I think!), around 15′ feet tall (I believe). That was in April, and here she is now!
We couldn’t be happier.
Our Statement Oregon Native Red Oak
In the backyard, to break up all the grass, we had planned this gorgeous Oregon red oak – a native Tree that Cali (Studio-Campo) was so excited about. At maturity, it would look like this. With a swing!
But when we got it it was about 12′ (which sounds tall but compared to the scale of the backyard it was small).
It’s the tall one near our broken-down garages (and this is in a pot, so it would be about 20″ lower than that once in the ground). We considered nixing this one altogether and returning this tree and honestly, we probably could have, but we really wanted some shade in the summer (eventually) and I really wanted to break up the lawn from being so flat. So we looked to Big Trees Today for an alternative. I’m not sure y’all know, but I REALLY LIKE TREES.
It was definitely taller, but when leafless still not that statement. We also switched from an Oregon red oak to a white oak because it was much less. At first, the salesperson sent us a 25′ Oregon red oak for $10k and we almost bailed on the whole thing. This guy was $2k 🙂
Here it is now:
It’s super pretty. Still on the smaller side but better scaled for the house. Imagine if it were 1/2 that size! Lessons are being learned, folks. Also, I do not care for that perfect circle around the tree but they said that they wouldn’t guarantee the tree unless you let it breathe, like so. But yes, I want to go sprinkle wildflower seeds in that perfect circle asap! If you are wondering why we stopped the grass there it’s because that was the plan two years ago, but as more and more of the construction ruined some bushes that were over there we now are considering extending it. We just didn’t plan for irrigation over there so it’s a thing. We might wait until fall to plant some, so winter will establish their roots, and then try to hand water anything over there next summer. Don’t quote me on that, though. Just thinking out loud about how we don’t like where the grass cuts off as of now and we are working with Native Northwest on solutions.
Two More Trees
Before we went to the Big Trees Today nursery, we realized there were two more areas where we could really use an anchor tree that we hadn’t planned for – on the side of the house by the kitchen and in a corner by the pack porch. We all agreed that Japanese maples would thrive well in both areas, add a lot of seasonal color, much-needed height, and shape while the rest of the shrubs grow in. So before I went to BTT I had two of those on my list.
Cole, the salesperson, helped me decide on the white variety of Japanese maples and he convinced me that Beni Mako was the way to go – I think for the color of the bark when not in bloom as well as the leaves when in bloom. These are about 8′ tall and 6′ wide and cost $1800 (again, including delivery and installation + their guarantee). I’ve bought Japanese maples many times before and they are always around $500 and much smaller, so honestly this didn’t feel overpriced. These things were already 7-10 years old so you are paying for the growing time where someone else has taken care of the plant. They grow very very slowly so they’ll get bigger, but over many years.
Here this one was in April right before spring really sprung in Portland. Below you can see how she is looking now.
Was It Worth It?
I think YES. Imagine if those two trees weren’t there – I think the architecture and scale of the house really needed some larger trees to soften everything. They provide immediate impact and help the whole property look less newly constructed.
It’s also strangely easier than I thought. While you obviously have to have the budget for it, we were impressed with their speedy service and you don’t have to have a landscape contractor hired if you are in need of a big statement tree that you feel like you can’t do yourself. Big thanks to Dan’l and the Native Northwest team for dealing with our impatience. It’s not my best personality trait, believe me (I’m sure you do). But for the sake of my job and photography, I think that these splurges were worth it – at least that’s what I’m telling myself!!!
Big Trees Today didn’t do any press trade or anything, FYI. I simply like them and how dedicated they are to growing beautiful trees. 🙂
*Design by Emily Henderson (me!), Studio Campo, and Native Northwest
**Pretty Progress Photos by Kaitlin Green
THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED HERE.
