If I had to choose 1 and only 1 tree in zone 6 it would be sugar maples, and no cultivars, just a random mix of seedlings. You get the beautiful full array of fall colors, strong wooded trees that don't have much litter besides leaves, and they would indeed eventually spread their canopy over your driveway. Of course they get huge and we really need pics to know what will fit and look nice along your drive.

If your driveway has some length to it I would go with a long lived mix of sugar maple, gingko, and scarlet oak with flowering redbud, and the most disease resistant dogwoods and crabapples I could locate.

John

ps - we need pics and dimensions to get some better suggestions for you

Izzy, especially if the soil by your driveway is medium to excessive moisture may I go out of the box and suggest Metasequoia?

They grow FAST.

Limbed up they grow polite. Do not leave the lower branches on or else the trunk expands.

Not my pictures:

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Metasequoia does grow in drier areas but I don't think as fast.

i would NEVER.. plant one type of anything..

and i would go with trees that flower in sequence ...

starting with a pair of redbud .. then some crabapples [which are usually in 3 colors red,white, and pink] .. might throw in a pair of conifers half way down ...

then there are saucer magniolia ... flowering chestnut [O'neills] ... and maybe tulip poplar ....

then you might get some heritage oaks in there.. for the centuries.. for some fall red ... [and way down the drive.. about 100 feet from the house and gardens.. perhaps one of the pinkish maples.. lol .. that IS.. far enough away for me to recommend a maple.. rotflmbo]

you didnt mention how long your drive was.. nor your budget.. if you buy samll.. this would not be that much of an investment.. but you would need to plan on being there a decade or two.. for it to all pop ...

as you can see ... the list could become endless ...

how about a pic of the site.. and...

WELCOME TO GW .. and the tree forum in particular ...

ken
ps: let me guess.. your driveway is the standard 25 feet.. lol ....

I have been told that Cleveland pear, are a much better than Bradford pear. They look quite similar

One thing, I watch a semi truck trying to deliver new cabinets to a house that was being remodel at the end of the beautiful lane lined with white flowering trees. The lane was off of a narrow country road, with slight ditches on both side. It took the truck drive about 15 minutes just to get the trailer from the road and lined up with the drive way.(We did not stay to see if he could get up the drive) So Unless you are absolutely sure that you will Never have a large truck needing to get up your driveway, make sure that it is wide enough even if it means sacrificing some of the arch.

I like the seedling maples idea, but I would include seedling red maples as well. A few years ago I started about a dozen seeds from a really stunning red maple. The variety among the seedlings was surprising to me, all of them beautiful.

You might also consider interplanting flowering trees with larger shade trees. You would then have the flowering trees to look at while the shade trees grow.

Alex

"Cleveland pear, are a much better than Bradford pear."

Don't do it. Likely invasive, not sterile. Smells like my kid's diaper.

Ken's point about not planting all of the same thing is excellent.

Sorry for the delay! Thanks for all the replies! Here is some pictures. I stepped off my driveway and its about 200ft. I have a Cleveland Pear at the white fence that is barely seen in the picture it starts my driveway. I have I believe an oak to the right of the driveway then at the top of the driveway i have a XX? it has some tent worms in it already! And at the very top right is a Dogwood. I planted a Crape Myrtle at the very top left last year, the kids knocked it down this winter but im sure it didnt hurt it. I planted 2 maples in the open area to the left (if your looking at the house)last year. They are set back far enough away from the driveway to allow room for another tree.

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I would plant nothing to block that view! Now that I live where it is flat, with huge trees everywhere, I realize that I took my views for granted in Ohio and Minnesota, where I lived previously.

LOL Im with you Salicaceae! I didnt realize how pretty it was until you pointed it out!

Is a septic tank or leach field located near where some of these will be planted? This is a big issue, especially for some big maple trees.

I'd like to follow-up what Ken said - "i would NEVER.. plant one type of anything.. " This isn't just about aesthetics. Consider the devastation Dutch Elm Disease wrecked on the American Elm Trees that were heavily favored in some cities. Then be mindful that some diseases may spread via roots. While some diseases such as Oak Wilt and Sudden Oak Death, or Verticillium Wilt, don't seem to cause the mass casualties of Dutch Elm Disease, there is always that chance. Emerald Ash Borer destroys a lot of Ash Trees. American Chestnut is rare now due to Chestnut Blight.

The impact could be greater if you plant all species of the same cultivar (e.g.: October Glory Red Maple, rather than a mix of Red Maples). This could lead to what amounts to a big interconnected row of clones, and anything that can kill one healthy one, can kill every one.

Got an aesthetics question for the group. Would you do a big random mix, or consider symmetric rows of species (in which case you might want the same cultivar for a pair)? For example, each side having a matching row sequence of:

1.) October Glory Red Maple.
2.) Red Oak (northern or southern).
3.) Sugar Maple.
4.) Yellow Poplar.
5.) Swamp White Oak (or similar).
6.) Red Sunset Red Maple.
7.) Shumard Oak (similar to Red Oak).
8.) Sugar Maple (a different Cultivar).
9.) Ginkgo (warning: likely slower growing!).
10.) Scarlet Oak.

I'm just giving some species to consider, not knowing what does best in your area. But when you do a mix, consider this:

1.) They don't grow at the same rate. That ginkgo might sit 2 years without visible growth getting established, then grow maybe 2 feet per year for awhile. During that 2 years, the October Glory might growth 4 or 5 feet, the Red Oak 3 or 4 feet, etc...

2.) If Fall color's a big deal, be mindful what the effect will be. Our red and sugar maples with turn prior to the oaks; the ginkgo will turn vivid yellow, then drop its leaves very quickly.

3.) Some oaks, like Shumard Oak, tend to hold onto their dead leaves through much of the winter.

4.) Some trees get larger than others. A Yellow Poplar will grow pretty fast, from what I understand, and can get very tall. In time it'll dwarf even a big red maple, I imagine.

5.) Young Ginkgos look like malformed hat racks to me until they get larger & bushier (and be mindful you get male Ginkgos so they don't produce stinking fruit someday, and avoid narrow columnar cultivars).

Richard.