I live in the 'burbs, in a neighborhood with lots of mature trees.
This rather limits what fruit I can grow, as there is little "full
sun", and a lot of the shade comes from my neighbors' trees. But a
developer has purchased the lot next door. He has already removed the
house and most of the scruffy plants, and he plans to remove all the
trees (or maybe all but two) and regrade the lot to make it "level", a
bit below the grade of my property. (Houses on level lots sell at a
premium.) While I am pained to see the lovely old oaks coming down, it
is also an opportunity. I am considering removing an old yew hedge and
replanting with something that fruits (and will also provided some
privacy) and I'm wondering if Jan/Joel/Joy might work.
The location will still not have full sun, as I don't plan to remove
the trees on my side of the line. The neighbor is roughly to the west
of me, maybe a little north and west. My trees are right there, but
tall, with no low branches, so there is some light from the other
sides. There is presumably also competition from the oak roots.
So I'm wondering how well bush cherries would do in the spot, and also
if they will provide a reasonable screen in the winter. I'm sure
currants would do okay, but they don't make as much of a hedge as I
would like, and (possibly because of viruses or other disease) mine
look pretty scraggly by mid-summer, so they would be defoliated for
more of the year than I'd like in a hedge. (My currants fruit well
despite whatever ails them, and get bigger each year. So whatever it
is, it's not too serious.) Any advice? Other possibilities? Or, I
could just leave the yew in place.
Thanks,
Ginda
eastern MA, zone 6
watching Ivan out my windows today. He's lost the bite, but he still
carries a lot of rain!