Try 'Fire Dragon' shantung maple from Metro Maples. Doesn't get very large and apparently likes dry sandy soil the best. Intense red fall color. Orange-reddish new leaves. One of best wind and ice resistant tree. Seems very strong tree to me. I had hard time trying to break 1 inch thick branch in half. Don't add organic matter directly the soil please. It's best to leave compost and mulch at the top and let it filter down like mother nature does for billion of years...

Not trying to rain on your parade, but you might want to double check with your power company - here the company OWNS a right-of-way surrounding the wires, for 15' in all directions. If the line is 25' high, that would give you only 10' for a plant to grow in, strictly speaking. Here, the tree trimmers contracted to the power companies come through about every 2-4 years, and take out everything that is encroaching or might encroach into the ROW, and can be pretty brutal to the trees.

While a tree might look better, you might want to put in a tallish shrub or two instead - it won't get topped or hacked at. And if you will be moving in 4-6 years, you can plant what you like, and let the next owner deal with it and the power co., as needed [(:-)].

If you have room to plant off to the side by 20' or more, then planting a small tree (or a fastigate one) there SHOULD give enough clearance to the wires and the ROW. I would say that the magnolia may be borderline hardy for you, but any of the others ought to work. I have clay, and am still learning what will and won't work for me, so can't really help with other selections.

If the area is really windy, especially in winter, then I would try for a selection that is hardy to at least one zone colder than you are, two zones would be very sure.

Don't improve the soil in the planting hole. Doing so encourages the tree roots not to want to move out of that hole. As far as your tree choices: Blue Beech (Carpinus caroliniana) is a great small tree, but it's not for very dry areas; Redbud would work as would the RIGHT Magnolia--there are a great many of them and some are much taller than others. A smokeBUSH would work, but I think Cotinus obovatus would get larger than you want.

Viburnum prunifolium --Black Haw--would work and is a handsome small tree, often multistemmed, with pretty good fall color as well.

I think Cotinus obovatus would be a great choice. It may eventually exceed 25', but will take its time getting there. The "smoke" may not be as ornamental as the non-native smokebush, but I IMHO is still quite nice. Interesting foliage (reminds me of a beaver tail) that can be stunning in fall. I've got one in very dry soil that seems to have not noticed the recent drought conditions we've experienced the last two summers.

You say the soil is "sandy," but you don't mention moisture conditions. A small tree that has done very well for me in sandy soil (reasonably moist) and full sun is Korean Maple (A. pseudosieboldianum). This is a refined little tree with incredible fall color. Unlikely that it would exceed 20'.

Nohandle, I am glad to hear that your power company and the contracted tree trimming companies are good - here, I know several people over the past few years who have come home to find butchered trees, or felled trees, growing in the power companies' ROWs, so thought I would mention it. Until it happens to you or someone in the neighborhood, it isn't something that crosses your mind.

Sounds like your dry, sandy soil will be the primary limiting factor. A magnolia would probably not be a very good choice in dry soil. American smoketree will tolerate dry soil, but keep in mind that in time it will have a tendency to send up suckers from the root system (may not be a problem if it is surrounded by lawn); it may also be hard to find. Redbud will probably be OK, although it prefers less sandy soil and higher pH. A crabapple would be fine, and there are many varieties to choose from  look for one grown "own root" to avoid suckering from the rootstock. Blue beech is probably OK, but may need extra watering during establishment. Shantung maple is a nice tree, but you probably wonÂt be able to find ÂFire Dragon locally, and even finding the straight species is difficult. If you ask your local nurseries for it, they will probably suggest ÂNorwegian Sunset or ÂPacific Sunset which are both Norway x shantung hybrids  these may be too large at maturity for your location. I agree with basic that Korean maple is a beautiful tree, but it wonÂt be very happy in dry soil. You may want to consider one of the tree lilacs  ÂIvory SilkÂ, ÂChina SnowÂ, or ÂBeijing Gold  I think ÂChina Snow has the best bark color of the 3  they will also need extra watering during establishment. Serviceberry does reasonably well in sandy soil, and a few varieties are available in "tree form" (single stem).

If you are interested in a "Fire Dragon" shantung maple you can order one for a short time from Metro Maples.

Here is a link that might be useful: Metro Maples

Yes like ltruett says, you can order it from Metro Maples and they will deliver it to you. You probably have a few more weeks before it's over till next winter. It grows fast at first. The largest I've seen in a picture is 35 feet tall and wide after 100 years at the Morris Arboretum, PA so you probably won't have to worry about its size in your lifetime.

There are some online websites that you can order straight shantung maple trees but the fall color is typically yellow.

I think even a regular shantung maple look better than norway x shantung hybrid anyway.

Thanks to everyone that replied, I've learned some things I didn't know.
arbordave...great post, special thanks to you...and you're not far from me, which makes your input even more valuable.
But I would like to add a few details in response to a couple questions above and in case they alter any of your suggestions.
I'm in SW Ontario, Canada, so we typically get regular rain, but the summers can have some prolonged hot and dry spells in any given year...especially last year.
From a simple jar test I would say my soil is at least 50% sand, more in some places, and is about 30% silt and has very little clay. My front yard is likely the sandiest area and the very front where this tree will be is likely the hottest. However, the pH is higher than you would expect due to a limestone base...slightly alkaline.

Although I would love to find the smoketree, I doubt it's possible, so I was leaning toward a Redbud, but I'm kind of also stuck on a crabapple.

Anyways, thanks again.

Redbuds are native here and grow in the acid soils and also on those that are over limestone. They're very adaptable. They also grow in the woods or in full sun on shaley banks.

I'm rather a fan of Crabapples myself and since quite a few of them stay on the short side (20 feet or under)they make a good choice for small areas. My favorite so far is Royal Raindrops. A purple cutleaf Crabapple with pink flowers and orange fall foliage. It has very good disease resistance and is not a messy tree. I've been told that EMLA 111 rootstock (fairly common) may be superior to own root for it's tendency to not sucker. There are plenty of Redbuds around here, and while they are nice, they aren't very long lived - 15 years or so. I'm not a Maple fan, but it's a personal predjudice. Regardless of the type of Maple they all have those hideous helicopter seeds which always seem to find their way into my garden to sprout or into my guttering to clog.