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From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Trees
Title: Replacement trees for southwest facing backyard in Austin, TX.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
First, lets get up to speed on oak wilt. Mr. Smarty Plants suggests reading the material from these three sources, Texas Oak Wilt Information Partnership, the Texas Forest Service, and the USDA , to become more knowledgable about oak wilt. The fact that the previous trees died from oak wilt may be problematic, depending on how long they have been gone, and if there is any living root material beneath the soil. If there are oaks nearby, or if there is an old stump with stump sprouts, living roots could still host the fungus.
According to the Texas Oak Wilt Information Partnership, the oak species least susceptible to oakwilt are: White oaks, including post oak (Q. stellata), bur oak (Q. macrocarpa), Mexican white oak (Q. polymorpha), white shin oak (Q. sinuata var. breviloba), Durand oak (Q. sinuata), Lacey oak (Q. laceyi), and chinkapin oak (Q. muehlenbergii), are resistant to the fungus and rarely die from oak wilt.
In terms of providing shading for windows while you are waiting for your trees to grow, have you considered vines? They are fast growing, some are evergreen while others are deciduous, and some have beautiful flowers. They could be a "temporary" fix for your windows. You would most likely need to provide trellises for them to grow on.
I'm including links to two answers from previously asked questions that concern fast growing trees and vines in Austin, TX.
Trimming a bur oak in Llano, TX
February 06, 2009 - We have a beautiful, large Burr Oak next to our house. This tree has many large lateral branches. I have trimmed dead branches, but no other trimming. It grows a lot of "suckers" during growing sea...
view the full question and answer
Plantings for beneath a red oak in Lubbock TX
February 23, 2012 - What would you recommend to plant in a two tiered raised bed facing west, totally blocked from the east, thus receiving only the afternoon sun? A 21 year old red oak sits in the middle of the upper ra...
view the full question and answer
Planting fruit and nut trees in Archer, FL.
January 26, 2012 - We're looking to plant a few fruit and nut trees in Archer, Florida. We've been thinking about figs, apples, peaches, oranges, plums, and whatever nuts grow best here (looks like almonds and pecan...
view the full question and answer
Heat tolerant arborvitae for Spring TX
September 20, 2012 - Is there an arborvitae that would be heat-tolerant to Spring, Texas (north of Houston) and amenable to neutral clay soil?
view the full question and answer
Trees native to Long Island, NY
November 06, 2010 - My question is: What are the main trees that were native to Long Island before all other trees began to be brought into Long Island?
view the full question and answer
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