Since the sun is at it's brightest around noon, does that mean that a tree should be planted towards the south side of the house? If so then what if your front lawn also sits towards the south. Would i need to shift all my vegetables and flowering plants towards the east? What kind of tree would do best and what kind of shadow would you get from the tree around noon?
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What region of the world, somewhat specifically, do you live in?– RobCommented Mar 20, 2019 at 21:21
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@rob_ central asia– Hamid SabirCommented Mar 20, 2019 at 21:27
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A tree can only shade one side of anything you want to be in shade. There are many many alternatives to a tree for shading. A tree will take at least 5 years to provide any real shade. Alternatives that makes sense are architectural screens (like a fence section) planted with serious vines, such as hops. Golden hops. Awnings! We need to know your location, your zone, how large your property is, possibly a bare bones sketch of what you have going on then we can give suggestions for trees (should be multistemmed grove tree of some sort planted in a grouping of 3 or 5 perhaps)? More info?– stormyCommented Mar 20, 2019 at 23:37
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Central Asia? My geography is horrid! Very sad condition! Exactly what country? What trees are in your neighborhood that you LIKE?– stormyCommented Mar 20, 2019 at 23:39
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1Just picking and planting trees is not a solution. There is so very much more to consider and I am sure that Hamid is looking for information so that he doesn't have to redo his landscape later. The house itself doesn't need 'shade'. That is the duty of insulation. The windows need shade (curtains), out of door rooms near the home need to be shaded and the foliage creates a 'ceiling' for the patio or other out of doors room. Takes a minimum of 5 years to get a tree large enough to create shade. The bigger the tree the longer it will take to achieve shade. Small vase shaped patio trees?– stormyCommented Mar 22, 2019 at 23:23
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2 Answers
Around noon, you will only get shade directly beneath the tree - as the sun moves west, then the east side will start to get shade,which will increase as the afternoon wears on. The closer the tree to whatever is growing nearby, the more shade, but it will extend in length as the hours tick on. But you can't plant a large tree too close to your vegetables - it will compete for moisture and nutrients to the detriment of your vegetable garden,so it needs to be a distance away, and the larger/taller the mature height of the tree, the farther away it needs to be. Also bear in mind that a tree with a broad crown will cast more shade sideways as well as in length than,say, a cone shaped conifer will. Whether its deciduous or not may not matter - depends how strong the sun is likely to be during the winter months, and what you'll be growing at that time of year - if the uv levels are significantly lower during the winter months, then having a deciduous tree will be fine.
I'm a bit confused, because at one point I thought you mentioned shading a pergola rather than your vegetable garden...
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@bamboo_ finally an answer. Thanks alot. So if im planting south, tree needs to be closer with part of the canopy probably over the house as the shadow shrinks to just the base of the tree but if im planting east or west, i can get away by planting a bit further. About the pergola, i edited it out. I felt the lack of answers meant that i was complicating things by putting 2 scenarios in one. Commented Mar 22, 2019 at 20:42
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However, i do have a south facing pergola with perenials and veggies around. I also have a few towards the east side of the house and they seem to do a lot better with afternoon shade. However the east side is alot smaller in size and wont fully allow space for all my veggies to grow. Also, it has gotten a lot hotter over the years. A tree in the right spot might help in bringing down the electricity bill. Commented Mar 22, 2019 at 20:44
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1In terms of structures like houses, large trees should be planted an absolute minimum of 40 feet away, so the roots don't interfere with the foundations.– BambooCommented Mar 22, 2019 at 21:32
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"Directly beneath" — that depends strongly on one's latitude.– ReidCommented Mar 25, 2019 at 18:52
I thought I'd add a few more thoughts, Hamid. Make sure you plant this tree far enough away from the house that allows for proper root growth and height. I'd make a scale mock up. Use a book for your house, a wine bottle with flowers for the tree and a light bulb as the sun. Keep the 'tree' and a 'side' of your home in scale.
Deciduous tree would be best for the most shade. And if you had winters it would allow for the sun to warm your house. Windows should have awnings for the best protection from the sun's direct heat.
Here is another idea that could provide shade for your house right away. Make a lattice of 2X2s, lapjointed, , attach it to the side of your home with a block to have the panel stand out away from your siding 10". Frame the panels (s) with 2X4s with metal like the use on trusses to strengthen the corners (back side of panels). On one side or both sides depending on the size of the panel (s), install hinges to be able to maintain your siding, paint, cleaning. Grow vines. Best to chose just one species. Paint the lattice either the color of your house or allow to dove grey using a UV enhancing wood stain. Or make it look the same as your pergola. Make as many as you like to look all the same. Or have a good carpenter make them for you. 6 to 8" grid squares/rectangles.
While your vines and trees are growing the lattice still provides shade, the shade pattern of the lattice looks wonderful giving your home more...interest. Also a hinged lattice makes it easy to clean and maintain whatever vine you chose. These panels could become a shutter system over your windows instead of awnings or they would look nice in conjunction with awnings.
My suggestion would be hops, Golden Hops. Fastest growing vine I know. I have no idea where you live. But this is a lighter vine that is gorgeous with huge bright green to yellow gold leaves. Also easy to chop down to the ground, pull out all the debris and start over. Just an idea. This vine would cover your panels the first season you plant them. You would have to prune them to keep them from covering the entire wall or your entire house. Just an idea. Leaves are 6 to 8" wide! But this might be too fast growing? Hops flowers are like little Japanese rice paper lanterns, beautiful.
If the heat is too intense for plants, young plants, your trees, cover them with white Reemay, a light fabric like material, white to reflect the heat allowing light to get to the leaves.
