Flowering trees okay?
 

Can I plant a flowering tree in my back yard? I was looking at African Tulip trees. They are beautiful, thrive in full sun, give shade, attract hummingbirds and butterflies and get about 25 to 40 feet tall. Is there a regulation governing trees in your back yard?

Don’t think there would be; just don’t plant them in the easements. We just bought a new home in Bradford and I know what trees that I won’t be planting - palm trees!

Always refer to your deed restrictions. Call Community Standards with questions. Answers on here may not be accurate.

VCDD Community Standards

Most homes down here are concerned with clogged gutters so very few have leaf guards, be careful where you plant them. I have a crepe myrtle that is now about 25 ft tall on one corner of my house I now have to have a downspout removed, cleaned, the drain pipe cleaned out and have the gutter guards installed in that corner, I never gave it a thought at the time it was planted.

I am not familiar with these trees, so looked it up. Based on what I read, prior to planting, you may want to check with the Dept. of Agriculture or a Master Gardener:

We now know that African tulip trees are invasive and damaging to ecosystems. They grow extremely fast; in Puerto Rico they can increase 2” in diameter per year, shooting up from the forest floor and outcompeting other plants for sunlight. They can be a notorious pasture pest, springing up when land is cleared and creating a field of tulip trees with little else. Prolific seeders, their papery oatmeal-like seeds blow in the wind for miles. But perhaps what makes these trees most invasive is their shade-tolerant seedlings.

Shade tolerance means a seedling can sprout in an intact, shaded forest, then invade and dominate the landscape. This contrasts with many other invasive species that depend on disturbances and light gaps to gain a foothold. African tulip invades either way.

I have a beautiful female holly in my backyard. In the winter it's loaded with berries. It is an evergreen so it doesn't shed leaves, no mess to clean up or destroy the lawn. Is just outside my lanai so I can see it from my living room. My thanks to whoever planted it.

I have several holly’s on my property ( less since I moved in) they do drop some leaves and when they dry out they are as sharpe as razor blades. IMO lees or very few is good when it come’s to holly family.

I also have a holly tree
 

When they will fill with berries the birds eat those, then crap 💩 all over my roof, my pavers in the backyard and the stench Is not pleasant, cannot cut it down, I power wash the pavers 3 times to get rid of the bird crap 💩 And since I won’t walk on the roof, have to hire a power washing company to spray my roof. Stay away from Holly Trees unless you want the same, I love to feed birds, however it is not good when you wake up to a sea of bird crap 💩 on your roof and pavers

Your last statement “I love to feed birds....”. Ever consider that to be your problem? We had bird feeders because we like to see them up close. When we dismantled the feeder, the bird ������ and the weed growth under and around the feeder diminished greatly.

What ever you do, get ARC approval in writing first (not just what you’re planting, but also where). Last thing you’ll want to do is to remove it or move it later.

Yes they appear to be beautiful.
Caution on planting any invasive species. My daughter in CT HAD the most GORGEOUS Mimosa tree. Another invasive species. She had the hardest time ridding her entire yard if this tree and it’s offshoots, never mind the neighbor complaints about off shoots. Mimosas are all over Lake Ella road in the wooded area’s, closest to 441.

I have two large holly trees, Cedar Waxwings come one day a year, for about 30-40 minutes, and strip it clean of berries, and are gone until next year. Whatever is crapping on your roof, I doubt it has anything to do with the holly trees.

Ditto on the holly tree with the Cedar Waxwings, a beautiful bird! Love when I see them swarm into the tree for berries.

You can call the University of Florida extension service to speak to Master gardeners for suggestions on best flowering trees to plant here. They have online zoom sessions to ask questions now. You can also go to any good nursery around here and ask for suggestions. You need to consider how far away from your house you should safely plant the tree and how sturdy it is or how deep or shallow rooted it is as we do have hurricanes here that could cause the tree or branches to fall. I have had good luck with crepe myrtles Holly trees and weeping bottlebrush here but sadly crepe myrtles are really ugly for the eight months of the year they are not in bloom as they lose all their leaves. During this virus your best option is probably speaking to people at local nurseries. There is a good nursery on route 301 North of route 466 on the left hand side as you're driving north. Very knowledgeable people there and good quality trees. Sorry that I can't think of the name of it but I think it might have the word farms in the name. Good luck.

I got a few Afican Tulip trees in my property in the Virgin Islands. The ones I have are over 60 ft. tall and the blooms are gorgeous.
They sit on an acre and not close to house. I don't like to have any trees, branches overhanging the roof.
Good luck with whatever you decide.