I've gotten planning-board permission to remove a pretty large laurel oak in my yard that's surrounded by a bromeliad bed, mostly neoregelias, heavy on red and/or striped leaves.  If you're interested in landscape plants (very few have variety names), p.m. me.  

Location's in Vero Beach.

The oak would be OK if it weren't 4 feet from the house and causing some serious problems.  I'll be replacing it with a live oak if there's enough room there's two other laurel oaks nearby, and lives don't do well next to laurels).  Other possibilities are are a really big crape myrtle or even an American elm, grown from Martin County seed.  The elm would be fun.

Edited: 05/29/2012 at 04:00 PM by ww

Good article! I can attest to this line:

"preserving a single live oak can add as much as $30,000 to the value of a house, Putz said. Furthermore, having a live oak nearby is good protection against hurricane damage."

I don't think I've met Dr Putz (he goes by "Jack").  He's a wonderful biologist.  I can provide links to more Putz-think on the virtues of live oaks.  And I copied all of that material for my permit application to remove the laurel oak.

I was a big fan of live oaks before reading the work of Putz and his students.  Now I'm an even bigger fan.  So the front yard will get a live oak if there seems to be adequate space.  A young live oak in the back yard is probably too close to a laurel.

Here's part of the bromeliad bed:

 

 

Edited: 02/01/2012 at 07:05 PM by ww

Here's a big Aechmea mariae-reginae (lower right) that should arrive at its new home in a few days.  Plants on the left (some with pink flowers) are Aechmea fasciculata.  They're available, as are some of the reddish ones at the top right.

That Aechmea mariae-reginae finally reached its great new home, really late.  It should be looking great again later this summer.  I'm growing a few new sun-loving bromeliads now.

Here's the replacement tree being installed today:

Here comes the truck.

The root ball, conveniently hanging in mid air, was carefully trimmed to removed circling roots.  University of Florida pruning expert Edward Gilman thinks this is crucial to developing a good root system.

And here's the installed tree.  The site of the old tree and bromeliad bed has been taken by red-orange Aechmea blanchetiana bromeliads and other sun-lovers.  I need to build a link from the oak to the bed, and will probably sow it with flowers for this summer.

 

 

Edited: 05/29/2012 at 04:34 PM by ww