The leaves in the pic look like hackberry leaves actually. Could be elm. The two are related Maybe siberian elm or one of the other elms that you are seeing out and about. Needless to say, princeton elm is an improved variety with disease resistance. The ones planted in DC around the whitehouse look as good as they do in the pictures.

Your standard for comparison should be apples to apples on a residential property.

Poorly-cared for trees as an example notwithstanding, the 'Princeton' is more resistant to ELB and should look better than the parent. None of the literature AFAIK says 'scraggly'.

HTH.

Dan

Keep in mind that the Princeton elm was selected as a variety long before Dutch Elm Disease was in the US. It was selected in part because of its nice form.

Alex

Princeton elm, while somewhat resistant to Dutch elm disease, can and does get Dutch elm disease. It is resistant, not immune.

i personally dont put much faith in claims of elm cultivars ability to outrace disease ...

WHY ARE YOU TENDING TO FALL BACK TO ELM... when you already lost elm???

oaks love MI .... think oak ....

ken

Ken, would you like to see a monoculture of oaks in michigan some day?

not really

what i want to see is happy homeowners.. planting trees that will entertain said homeowner for the next couple hundred years.. should they live so long ...

given space for one single tree in suburbia ... why fool around with a bunch of inappropriate trees???

ken

Unfortunately oaks are in the crosshairs of a few diseases (SOD, OW, etc), themselves. A few years from now, they (at least a number of oak species) may be in trouble, just like the American Elm. Avoid monocultures and the temptation to think that any one genus is immune to massive destruction.

Looks like elm leaves, but could be different species or seedlings can be highly variable. As others have said, it was selected for its form, so seems worthwhile to grow.

Thanks everyone for the replies. It is possible some of the trees I'm seeing are hackberry or something else. Since the Princeton is so highly recommended, IÂll most likely give it a shot. I have a number of oaks already (White, Northern Red, Burr, Turkey, and others) and am interested to see how an elm does in my clay soil. Thanks again.

Ray, That is not a Princeton Elm. It is an American Elm, but the the growth habit in your photo reminds me of the Valley Forge American Elm or just a plain seedling.

The Princeton Elm has been around since the 1920's. It was originally chosen for its form and weather hardiness. Mother Nature gave it DED resistance. All American Elms can get DED, just like you and I encounter germs and viruses on a daily basis. Some people get sick and others die. The Princeton can get DED, but does not show the effects and basically lives through the fungus attack.

The USDA did studies on many American Elms and found a handful that are resistant to DED. They did not choose them for form or shape, but only how they rated and faired against the DED fungus.

The Princeton has lived in zones 2b to 9 with clients I have. The Tree has to be on its own roots, not a bud or graft so whatch out for that and ask your Garden Center or Grower specifically.

The Pictures of the Princeton Elms at the White House are our trees and are very good representative of what a Princeton will look like.

I agree with many, a mono culture of trees is bad. Look at the EAB and the Ash tree. look at DED on elms. Look at SOD on Oaks and the list will continue and expand.

I hope this has helped and feel free to email me with questions you all may have. Thanks!

jared@sharptoptree.com

How would you propose Mother Nature alter her species diversity to be resistant to an invasive pathogen?

And the Princeton elm is technically an Ulmus americana 'Princeton'. As to whether this poor tree in the OP is representative of anything is an exercise left to the reader.

Dan