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I need an interesting fairly fast growing tree suggestion

Ride_my_trumpet

12 years ago

I have a slice of my lot along the driveway that borders my neighbor's yard. About 30' wide between my drive and the property border. Nowhere near the house. No powerlines. Completely barren of trees.

Once upon a time a giant evergreen of some sort lived there before the gods of nature knocked it over.

I want something interesting, different, with a good looking bark and foliage.

Height is really no issue, but girth of 25' is desired.

Until I have the utilities tell me otherwise I'm assuming water and gas may run through the area.

Till now the top runner was a Dawn Redwood, but I'm hearing that the roots may play havoc on the driveway and the spread is quite a bit more than 25'.

Wifey likes the leaves of the honey locust. I've liked the looks of a river birch (though our neighbor lost his in the same storm that claimed our big evergreen and I'm led to believe they are prone to being soft). But we are open to any and all sorts of unique and interesting trees.

We have at this time a fully matured sugar gum, 2 fully matured black oaks, a six foot tall shirazz japanese maple, 2 mature bradford pears, a mature plum and peach, dogwood with white flowers, a few evergreens as tall as the home, and some sort of unidentifiable tree that we call the weed because it is a proficient runner that has offspring that annoy us to no end, but the tree itself is wonderful. So any suggestion outside of these, and I'm not keen on evergreens. Easy right?

Thoughts? Suggestions? All appreciated! :)

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Comments (11)

Iris GW
12 years ago
Where are you located?
Ride_my_trumpet
Original Author
12 years ago
I'm in KY, U.S.A., zone 6. Guess I shoulda known to put that in the original post :)
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pineresin
12 years ago
Tulip Tree?

Resin
Iris GW
12 years ago
Yes, tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera) is good, very fast. Other fast trees include Scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea) and Pin Oak (Quercus palustris).

I wonder if your "weed" tree is Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima). You might look up a picture of that.
victor5
12 years ago
Many of the Magnolias would suit your needs there and most of them are great looking trees even after they bloom. I would try Elizabeth, White StarDust, or perhaps even a Saucer Magnolia.
weeper_11
12 years ago
Won't the oaks and the tulip tree really outgrow that spot? 25' diameter isn't very big(unless you were talking minimum).
kayelle2u
12 years ago
Chocolate Mimosa... just like the original mimosa, but in a burgundy red color... is awesome
ademink
12 years ago
Might not get quite big enough but 'Twisty Baby' locust rocks.
hogmanay
12 years ago
just about any type of birch i'm familiar with goes after water aggressively, and their roots can damage anything you happen to like nearby. (correct me on that if I'm wrong)

tulip trees are big awesome trees, yes

if bald cypress grows well there, perhaps a well-behaved cultivar would be nice for that spot, or even a "nanjing beauty" tree, a hybrid of north american trees, created in china. (I'm partial to bald cypress (2) and nanjing (5) )
kayelle2u
12 years ago
This is the first year pic of my chocolate mimosa, it more than tripled it's size, very fast grower.

{{gwi:379012}}
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
12 years ago
mimosa flowers when little else in the midwest is. I saw a chocolate one at a new botanical garden east of KC. Really good looking. I understand why ppl like it.

Just check and see if it is listed as an invasive species in your area. Missouri is getting covered by them. Replacing our native dogwoods along highways. Local pests and diseases have not adopted to mimosas. Plant with care.

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