I don't really like zelkovas too much at all. They are so prone to breakage that the one I had in my yard as about 3" cal planted by the builder lost all but one branch so I replaced it with something else. The folks across the street from me have one and they have two or 3 of them along their street all look like you know what, missing branches, dieback and not doing well. And lastly I am looking at one out the window as we speak and it looks horrible. As if to say "someone put me out of my misery".
They take a really long time to start looking like trees. American Elm grows fast and looks like a tree from day one.

The zelkova fall color is very nice but that doesn't do much good if there are no branches or foliage.

Zelkova is ultra-overplanted and not a very attractive form in my opinion even when it does have branches and leaves it has a strange flat topped appearance ugh,... not for me.

Well, I'm a shameless elm fan...

Am also having to stake my 'Valley Forge' and I guess I'll have to keep at it another couple of years.

Here are some pics of my four year old Princeton Elm. We had 65 mile an hour winds night before last.

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The second pic of the trunk size is taken about waiste high. The last pic was taken with some wind blowing the top over a little bit more than is representative of its non-windblown form.

So far, I am very happy with it. A limb that was sagging some earlier this year has picked itself up nicely. It would probably be much fuller this year if I hadn't elected to remove one limb that was about a third of its size over concerns about poor branching right at the bottom of the branches.

See now that is a handsome tree.

rcnaylor,

How large was the tree when yo0u planted it, and have you had to do anything to keep it growing upright?

Alex

Thanks Quirky.

I bought it mail order and it came in a tube. So, it wasn't too big. A whip maybe 4 feet tall.

As I recall the seller advised to use the tube to keep it from getting sun burned the first year. Of course, that probably helped it grow straight for that time. I left the tube around it for about a year and half. I used some wire fencing around that to keep my dang beagle from chewing it up that first couple of years. But it has been on its own without any staking since then.

As I mentioned on the board earlier, in the spring one branch got to drooping some earlier this spring after a heavy rain and some wind when it was growing so fast. I took a thin bicycle tube and made a little sling for it. It still drooped out towards the end for a while but has been firming back out the last few weeks and is pretty much indistinghuishable from the other branches now. Otherwise I have just done a little pruning to try to help it have good form. No staking or tying.

I assume you planted your whip 4 years ago. Now it looks to be 2.5-3" caliper. That is nuts. Is that fast enough for ya?

Woo hoo! What a nice-looking tree - sure hope my VF can look like that in another two or three years.

Great looking tree. Where did you purchase this tree? I planted 2 6 ft. Valley Forge Elms shipped from Botany Shop (www.botanyshop.com) 5 weeks ago and right they sure are wild and scraggly looking. I'm hoping that after a couple of years they will look more like your tree.

here is a pic of a 2" princeton
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here is 4"
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here is 5"
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here i 6"
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compare to
3" village green zelkova
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6" village green zelkova
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I think if you were looking for fine texture + dark green leaves zelkova is worth looking at. Personally I think they are homely trees in maturity.

The american elm is a medium to coarse texture and lighter green foliage.

American elm may have more noticeable surface root problem for sidewalks than zelkova.

You guys got me curious. I'd forgotten the exact details so I checked some of the paperwork I had on the Princeton elm.

I ordered it on March 25, 2003. So I probably got it in early April and planted it then.

I bought it from Riveredge Farms. The order says it was a: "2 1/2' to 4' Princeton Elm".

The cost then was $51.45.

I live is zone 6b. Have used nothing but organic fertilzer on it except my entire yard gets 1 lb quick release nitrogen fertilizer after the first hard freeze each fall.

Hope some find that info helpful.

Thanks rcnaylor. I'm looking forward to planting two of these in the fall.