In the thread Copped my fix downtown today, Eric Schamell posted about getting excited to find a young elm growing near his yard. I commented that I don’t think elms are the best yard tree. That got me to thinking about what IS a good yard tree. I’m sure they all have advantages and disadvantages. I looking to make some changes around my place (hopefully next year) and trying to figure out what to plant. So what are some good candidates based on things like, growth rate, shade, messiness, disease, appearance…..etc? I’m leaning toward river birch, white paper birch, aspens, or some sort of maple. Give me some thoughts
I put two honey locust in my front yard to cut the late sun off... they started last year actually working well. Took a few years... but well worth it. Honey Locust are fairly quick growing....
I've been planting oaks and some Norway Spruce being mindful of the shade the spruce cast in Winter. Sassafras grow fairly quick and well shaped in an open spot. I had one red oak coming up in the lawn I used to run over with the lawn mower year after year. I stopped running it over and figured some day I could string a hammock between it and another oak tree just about the right distance away. That tree is about the right size for a hammock now. The guy across the street likes Norway maples because nothing grows under them when they get big enough. Just what he wants - no lawn, no underbrush. I've used pine trees as a temporary and quick means to help keep some weeds down and have less lawn to cut. They'll grow in bare gravel with a little water in the Summer in their youth. I've seen birch used as an accent tree near a front door with floodlights aimed up into it in the Winter. Sure beats the shopworn bradford pear that usually needs to get cut down after 20 or so years.
I was going to suggest honey locust as well. None planted here as our yard is surrounded by woods, but i see them growing all over in yards and commercial businesses now that i know what they are thanks to FHC. River birch is a fast grower too.
Don’t think I know what a honey locust looks like, I’ll have to do some research. I’ll be 54 next month so fast growing is more important to me than longevity.
I planted hybrid poplar first, then some eastern white pine, lastly red oak...the poplar are 18 years old or so, and at least 60' tall, the white pine are probably 15 years old an 20-25' tall, the red oaks are more like 12 years old and up to 20' tall. These 30 trees combined with the existing trees here have turned the property into a wooded lot...not quite "in the woods" yet, but getting there. The poplar are getting a little messy with dropping sticks now that they are getting some age on 'em...the pine just "self mulch" under themselves, kinda nice actually....so far the oaks aren't too bad, but they aren't making a bunch of acorns yet though either...
Yea, look it up. If you look at the left tree. It’s main trunk died, sprouted off the main after like the second year. It provides just as much shade as the right one, and as tall too... we looked at maples because of the fall colors. But the small leaves, pretty wind resistance, and fast growing won us over.
Im not sure what this was (i cut it May 2020 from a yard) but the growth rings are quite far apart. I guessed it was a variety of HL, but not 100% sure. Here's the related thread Found Myself Another Honey!
That's why I have some HL in my stacks...boss got sick of the small HL leaves plugging up his koi pond fountain strainer and wanted them gone.
If you can grow Red Maple in your location it is a fast grower and excellent shade tree. I like the ‘October Glory’ cultivar for good structure and fall color. It’s hard to beat a Sugar Maple for fall color, but it won’t grow as fast as Red.
For privacy and quick growth rate, I like Leeland Cypress, my parents had them lined up both sides of the long but narrow lot at their last home in VA. Subject to bag worms tho, so have to be vigilant on that. These are internet pics but greatly approximate what they started with, and then about the 10 year mark... I actually had to study the pics because they match the layout and appearance so closely of my parent’s former residence.
One of the best yard trees I’ve ever had was a sycamore. It was a 30” tree when I moved there. In 10 years time I only picked up a handful of limbs. Sucker limbs grew off the stump and had to be trimmed but I enjoyed that tree.
I would go with maple.. here of course, you get an autumn blaze; hybrid strength and roots of sugar color of red.. add water regularly and they grow 2 feet plus a year..
I like American elm. Our neighborhood managed to save most of them back in the 90s, and they make for great tree tunnels when planted on both sides. Burr oaks are awesome, but who knows if they’ll survive the wilt. Our city has been planting maples like crazy for the past 20 years. If/when they get some sort of disease it won’t be pretty.
Best tree to give privacy year round in my area, meaning little water and evergreen would be a spartan juniper or something similar in the juniper family. Best deciduous tree would be an Arizona Ash, they get to size quick and need little pruning or water once established.
