How is this related to fruit and orchards? Did you post in the wrong forum by mistake? I'll take a shot at it anyway.

What made you think it didn't get seeds? The tree is supposed to make seeds.

Acer rubrum 'Autumn Flame' is a cultivar. Generally cultivars don't come true from seed. You will get Acer rubrum, but not a true Acer rubrum 'Autumn Flame'. Characteristics may be similar or different than the parent.

BTW, in just a few years, this tree is going to get very large. It's a fast grower and gets 45'-50' high and 40'-50' wide. You may want to look at this situation before it becomes a problem. You have a very pretty tree, but I am afraid it probably isn't the best tree for that location.

I don't know whether or not it is suppossed to be a sterile cultivar, but obviously yours isn't. No big deal. If you were to plant the seeds, I'm sure you'd get a very nice tree. I don't think I've ever seen an ugly Red Maple.

I don't see anything wrong with your placement. Red Maple isn't as bad about surface roots like Silver or Norway maples. And, it's not so close to your house that it should be a major problem. My maple is planted about the same distance from my house, and I wouldn't be without it -- it keeps my house so much cooler in summer, and in winter still lets the sun in. Yes, it is a little work to clean the leaves out of the gutters in the fall, but it's a small price to pay. You can always prune the branchs if they start to rub the siding or roof, etc, but I don't think that will be a problem, Red Maples are more of an upright grower than a spreader.

It's hillarious for someone from Michigan like me to see maples and palms in the same yard. Freaky!

Yes I meant to put this post in the Tree's Forum. I post my fruit trees here and just came to the wrong forum. I thought I had read that this tree was seedless in my research I did before I bought this tree. I will do some research and see what I find out. There was a full grown Modesto Ash tree here. They get pretty big also. The Ash tree lifted up and broke up all the cement. I had to replace it all. Sidewalk as well. And here I am doing it all over again. I want a big tree here again like when I was a kid. I just hope the surface roots are not as bad as the Modesto Ash was. And yes I know the Palm and the Maples don't go together but I'm trying over here. I'm sure not a pro at this stuff. Thank God for GardenWeb. The Palm has been there since I was a kid. And I think it looks kinda good next to the house. But than I wanted my Yard to have color and be like a park. So I planted an Autumn Flame Maple in the front. And a Suger Gum (Liquid Amber) on the corner. And the Kentucky Blue Grass.
Now what do I change the Modest Ash on the side of the house for? Any suggestions? Thanks for help all. Dave

Denninmi, the problem with the placement is that the tree will cover his yard, his neighbors yard, the street, etc. When the tree grows completely across the road, it's going to grow into power lines (assuming they are present on that side of the lot). The power company is going to have to come and chop half the tree away. The tree is going to cover the house and possibly cause roof problems. Then there is the neighbors that may not want a tree looming over their lot. Acer rubrum is a great tree, but not for a small lot. There are better choices for a small lot.

Arockerdude, our posts hit about the same time. I just wanted to make sure you knew it was going to get big. Your yard and house look so neat and tidy, it's hard for me to imagine a really big tree there. Maybe the picture makes the area look smaller than it is. If you've had a large tree there before, then you know what you're dealing with.

It must be nice being able to grow large palms like that! If it keeps warming up, maybe I'll be able to do that soon. I've been looking for an up side to global warming. Our average winter low has increased by just over 10 degrees in the last couple of decades.

Those seeds are so annoying. My neighbors have huge maples and i have to hand clean my gutters every spring.

I like the palms in the background...

For the side of the house I suggest Valley Oak - Quercus lobata. It is the fastest growing of the native CA oaks, and should do fine in a watered yard. It will get large, which is what you want, right?

Hey,

For those of you having issues with cleaning gutters, I got some of these things.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/56/145815370_3941158d5a.jpg
Just a link to a picture. They were like a buck and a quarter for three foot sections. Under the shingle and snap on the gutter, and I love em. Haven't gotten so much as a leaf in my gutters since. Nice thing is that I can spray right thru em with the garden hose and rinse out all the tiny junk that does get thru. Easy to install m'self, and the only real problem is that they didn't come off very easy once snapped onto the edge of the gutter. I like them a lot.

Not sellin, just sayin'
dave

I wonder if you had Autumn Flame confused with Autumn Blaze? The later is a hybrid of red and silver maples, and is said to be mostly sterile. However, even these "mostly sterile" hybrids will produce seeds in some years.

Thanks for the help there kiwinut.
I see I made a mistake again. This is an Autumn Blaze. It has the Silver under the leafs and the Red stems. I researched it a lot before I bought it. It was in Arborist Magazine. Sorry about the name mix up.
ladyslppr Yes I have thought about the might White Oak ( Valley Oak) on the side. My neighbor across the street has a 45 year old one that I have watched grow. He has those rain gutter covers on his gutters and they save him a ton of work. brandon7. I hear you Brother on (Everything) you are saying. I get the tree don't fit thing from lots of people. I should have put a 25 foot wide tree there. But believe me. It won't fit in. In this neighborhood. This neighborhood is loaded with giant trees that don't fit. Sidewalks underneath them all lifting up. But we love all the shade they make. It gets 106 here in the Summer. I also love how the big trees attract all the birds. Luckily for me. In the front. The wires are on the other side of the street. Now on the other side of the house. I have wires. So PGE Has been tearing up that Modesto Ash for as long as I can remember. I don't know what tree will work over there. I thought about maybe one of those Aritocrat fruit less Pears. Because they are really colorful in the Fall. And grow more upright. But the wood is brittle and they split quite often. Or maybe one of those Crab Apple Trees that don't get the Apples. Can't remember what they are called. They get a lot of blooms in the Spring. And seem to do very well around here. As far as the tidy yard go's... Well it's going to be a lot of work again. But I miss my big tree. I'm actually a little concerned that this one well grow more up than out. I liked the way the old Ash tree went up over the house. Than you get the birds right outside the window. And nice shade and Greenery. As far as the neighbors go. They are far away.

Here is a pick of the side. That is a Modesto Ash tree. It was wacked right across the center of the tree. Parallel to the ground. It was 47 years old and stood 65 foot tall. And was just to big at that point. It look ok when it has leaves. But not so good with out leaves. It gets sick with Fungus right after it get its leaves. Another consideration for the side is a Ray Ash Tree. They are supposed to be more disease resistant and are very similar to the Modesto Ash. Either way Oak, Ray Ash or any of those big trees are going to get big V's trimmed out of the side of them by PGE. Maybe I should go for a taller less wide tree. Sugargum, Pine, Ceder, Redwood. What do you all think??? Thanks Dave
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