St. Louisan Seeking Tree Suggestion

12 years ago

I'm trying to decide on a tree to plant in my yard, and I need suggestions. If you have time and inclination to offer, I'd be grateful. I'll list the knowns and the needs and say that I'm looking at a katsura and an autumn brilliance serviceberry, but I'd love other suggestions (or reasons to avoid those two).

- Tree will be in full, direct sun

- Yard is flat, drains well

- Want something between 15 and 30 feet

- Prefer smaller (more vertically than horizontally spread) canopies

- Prefer less dense coverage

- Quicker growth ideal, but not required

- Looking for visual appeal to break monotony of front of house as much as or more than shade

I'm a novice, so that's all I know to say in terms of a wish-list. Thanks for any and all suggestions or questions!

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Comments (4)

Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
12 years ago
Hello Hancocktree.

To throw in another choice how about Paperbark maple? (Acer griseum sp?)

What part of town ya in? Get down to MOBOT much? I'm up far north in the County.
arktrees
12 years ago
As in the other thread for KC.

Paperbark Maple - Acer griseum
Triflorum/Rough Bark Maple - Acer triflorum
Korean Maple - Acer pseudosieboldianum takesimense (seed grown if you can find it, it's rather rare)
Various other Maples - Acer sp.
Various Serviceberry - Amelanchier sp.
Musclewood - Carpinus caroliniana
Various Redbuds - Cercis canadensis
-Might look for Rising Sun Redbud, new and unique cultivar.
Various columnar Ginkgo's - Ginkgo biloba
Various Hollies - Ilex sp.
Various Magnolia's
Various Crabapples - Malus sp.
Various Cherries/Plums - Prunus sp.

Footnote: Many people will say the Maples are slow growing, but that has not been the case for me in Northwest Arkansas. They are all in full sun. I have gotten up to 3'/year for all three that I have listed.

Arktrees
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
what do you want to do in your yard.. besides watch a single tree grow ... for the next few decades???

if you want to garden under it .. you need to stay away from any acer.. maple ... and a few others ...

if all you want is a tree and a lawn ... you have more options ..

you left out the size of your yard .. and why you limit the trees scope .... are power lines an issue..

no tree.. technically ever stops growing at some magical height ... they may slow down.. but they dont stop ... so when you say 15 to 30 .. its all about how fast it gets to 15 and how fast it passes 30 ...

and therein lies the problem.. with you wanting a tree to quickly get to size and then stop ... i hope you can see.. that that wont work ...

why dont you give us some idea of what gap you are filling in the yard.. other than breaking the monotony of the house ... that's vague.. to me ...

welcome to GW ... being new.. we dont know your abilities with gardening.. i favor small transplants that get established sooner .. and are easier for newbies to plant and care for PROPERLY ... planting trees is not just dig a hole and throw it in ... but we can cover that later ...

and finally.. a pic of the front of the house will help us understand whats going on.. check the link below ...

more info please ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link
hancocktree
Original Author
12 years ago
Toronado, we have considered the Paperbark maple; we really enjoy the way that it looks. We used to live next to MOBOT but haven't been to look specifically at trees, which we will soon, for sure!

Arktrees, thank you so much for the list! I can't wait to do some more research on those.

Ken, thanks for the thoughtful reply. A few notes:

"what do you want to do in your yard.. besides watch a single tree grow ... for the next few decades???"

This tree is purely for curb appeal, to provide a visual anchor to a flat-front of the house. Which means we don't have big plans for gardening under it. Just a tree and a lawn is all.

"you left out the size of your yard .. and why you limit the trees scope .... are power lines an issue.."

Power lines are no issue, but we've got about 25 feet between the front of the house and the sidewalk and about 5 feet between the corner of the house where we want the tree and the neighbor's yard.

"no tree.. technically ever stops growing at some magical height ... they may slow down.. but they dont stop ... so when you say 15 to 30 .. its all about how fast it gets to 15 and how fast it passes 30 ..."

Yes, that makes sense. I guess I'm just trying to rule out massive oaks and trees that typically don't top 10 feet.

"and therein lies the problem.. with you wanting a tree to quickly get to size and then stop ... i hope you can see.. that that wont work ..."

Of course not. I definitely don't expect anything like that.

"why dont you give us some idea of what gap you are filling in the yard.. other than breaking the monotony of the house ... that's vague.. to me ..."

It's a two-story house. From the curb, there's a porch on the right 1/3 of the front, and the left 2/3 is completely flat from the ground to the point at the roof. We just want to have a tree to distract from the immensity and monotony of the flat front.

"welcome to GW ... being new.. we dont know your abilities with gardening.. i favor small transplants that get established sooner .. and are easier for newbies to plant and care for PROPERLY ... planting trees is not just dig a hole and throw it in ... but we can cover that later ..."

Totally understand. By no means am I experienced, but I've read enough to know that I'd do better with beginner fare. But if it's a tree I like enough, it's worth it to me to find a local expert who's willing to help with the transplant and offer good directions for future care.

"and finally.. a pic of the front of the house will help us understand whats going on.. check the link below ..."

I understand that that would help, but I'm not comfortable putting public information like that on the internet. Hopefully what I've described is a good start, and thank you for your willingness to help!

St. Louisan Seeking Tree Suggestion

Comments (4)

Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis

arktrees

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St. Louisan Seeking Tree Suggestion

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Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis

arktrees

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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