Well seems those kind of folks have more money than brains. When I look at a house I like to see it for what it could be, not for what it IS right at that moment. I guess most people don't garden though either and just want the landscaping to be what they want cause they don't want to do anything to it. Plus most yards anymore are the size of a postage stamp.

I am always amazed at the new trend to build houses that push the set-back limits - barely enough room to walk between them. I'm on acreage and couldn't imagine being that close to my neighbors. I'm still planting visual barrier plants. And don't even get me going on those blasted mercury vapor lamps that the PUD pushes... I'm all for the dark night idea.

That was one of the things with getting our forever Home in Va. Why people want to live on top of each other I cant
understand . We have 3.5 cleared acres and no neighbor's next to us a hotel across the road But, right next to a
semi-busy highway. While we are getting accustomed to the noise. I am looking for a bunch of evergreens to keep noise down . It has gotten a lot louder since the trees lost their leaves



What are you looking for Deb ??

@Frillylily I am the same way. I look at property with "What I can do". The problem is many do not have vision.

@Bonehead you expressed my feelings. The postage stamp property really push the need to have a landscape that gives you some privacy. When I went looking for my house I did not consider anything under 2 acres.

My old house sold quick and the comment most often heard was it was private. I used a lot of garden space planting privacy. Twelve months a year you could sit on the patio look out all the windows and not see neighbors. Of course I ended up with a lot of shade but I did not have to look neighbors.

I bought my last house in part because the front yard was taken up by a 350 year old live oak. The house was new, but even without landscaping, it looked like it belonged because of the tree. When I sold the house, the people that bought it wanted to take the tree out. Fortunately the city wouldn't let them, but they're killing it slowly by planting a lawn under it. Coast Live Oaks will eventually rot with summer water.
I now live on just under 12 acres and have planted probably over 70 trees over probably 3 acres of it. Mostly ornamental, but also several fruit trees too. I moved here so that I wouldn't be limited with space to plant all the trees I'd longed for in a small suburban lot.
There are trees for any landscape.. big, small, narrow.. I could talk trees all day!

Having fun reading all the threads.

I live on 3.5 acres and surrounded by woods.

I don't like tree mess
Hate hate blowin and raking and cleaning gutters and picking up nut mess and sprouts
Dislike the fear when a storm blows with all these trees towering over me...watching the tops sway thru skylights. 😳

I love the birds and other critters the trees bring and house and protect and feed.
I love the shade in the summer and am grateful for the sun that shines thru leafless limbs in the winter

I like the privacy the trees offer
And I've even planted a few ornamentals.
Guess I am sitting on the fence ( made from trees )

Arico said:Well perhaps, but that is exactly what the TS meant, they add value on paper while I think they absolutely don't, not here anyway.

You breath Oxygen do you not? You are a much healthy person with trees around. A little work for upkeep may good to build self character as well. Birds seems to love them as well as squirrels. Bugs too, but are not Natural things such as trees, birds, & bugs in trees. Make the Earth that we live in all the more a beautiful place to live in? Asphalt, concrete, gravel, bare dirt, grass everywhere being mowed are more Man given things....

Arico said:The value of something is all in the eyes of the beholder, more so for these sort of things ;) Personally I only think large mature trees look good in larger gardens or parks.

We grow up, we get older.....out with the old...in with the young. Trees work like we do as humans in this aspect. A un-managed forest will do this on its own naturally. Even in a park setting where trees are kept there is usually a managed budget set forth for the upkeep of the trees. Have to remove those, may have to plant those in replacement. So many variables in life....& Nature.....we can only do our best sometimes in Horticultural Sustaining.