The tulip and redbud i am most familiar with.

Redbuds make ppl smile. They do seed a little bit but even when my wife plucks one she says "aw look a redbud".

The tulip is one of my favorites. Flowers are under rated IMO. Fall color seems to vary from tree to tree but my neighbor has a real winner he got for free from a line of trees. They do get BIG in st louis. Which in my view is a plus.

multi stem redbuds????... perhaps.. redtwig dogwood????

ken

Multi stemmed, such as the following:

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I've always referred to the redbud as the Eastern Redbud. When I asked the Nursery about this, he was a bit perplexed as to why people calling them "Eastern" redbuds. He claimed that the only Redbud that he was familiar with, was the "American" Redbud.

Is there a difference?

Geez, folks. There are several varieties of redbud in the US; the two that I am familiar with are C. canadensis (Eastern redbud) and C. reniformis (Oklahoma or Texas redbud). Got 'em both, love 'em.
Chokecherries are OK except that they sucker at the base like rabbits in heat.
Tulip tree is fast growing and has beautiful flowers, unusual foliage and even interesting seed clusters.
Spring Snow crab is fruitless, a plus, but subject to apple scab, a big minus.
LOVE Autumn Brilliance serviceberry, have two. Spring bloom, edible fruit (robins nail it when it hits "sugar"), super fall color.
Neutral on Jap tree lilac - is it subject to ash/lilac borer?
Red oak - great, strong tree - hope you like squirrels.
Autumn Blaze maple - probably will have the usurping root system of silver maple, but nice fall color.
River birch - had seven of them. Another tree that has pretty bark, sheds like crazy during hot spells, usurping, fibrous root system.
Paperbark maple and Kwanzan cherry - pretty features but no experience with growing them...
Crabapples - pick disease resistant varieties that have fruit that "raisins" on the tree to avoid mess. Great spring bloom!
hortster

Japanese Lilac is an ornamental and is not planted provide shade to adult humans. Otherwise, I cannot offer comments as I don't know anything about the property, and I try not to comment on things without context.

Dan

Tulip trees get huge, so I hope that you have a large property. There was one planted outside my former third floor office, and I loved seeing those blossoms at eye level, though they were hard to see from the ground. So I'd recommend that you plant it where it will be visible from an upstairs window.

Cancel the chokecherry - what you've heard is true - they are relatively short-lived, susceptible to black knot disease, and will produce suckers.

Spring Snow crabapple is very hardy (and fruitless), but like hortster noted it is susceptible to scab. Also tends to sucker, depending on rootstock.

Constellation dogwood should be fruitless - is it possible the trees were mislabeled? I've grown this variety and it is upright in form and relatively vigorous. Has nice flower display and fall color.

You are correct that Japanese Tree Lilac is relatively slow growing but is also generally trouble free. "Ivory Silk" (the most commonly available) is a nice variety.

I do plan on cancelling the chokecherry. Its too bad, because it is a good looking tree. I like the idea that it starts out green and turns purple. Any other trees that you would recommend that have the same color?

I'll have to double check the Constellation Dogwood... perhaps it was mislabeled. Would this tree make a good shade tree for the west side of a patio?

They're currently out of stock of the "Ivory Silk", so I'm sticking with the plain Lilac tree.

I do like the Serviceberry. I'm a bit concerned that the "tree form" of it will sucker. Is this a valid concern? I've heard that the Chokecherry suckers bad because it's naturally a clump form. Is this the case with the Serviceberry? I'm more interested in the tree from.

I'm really interested in a Catalpa, but I've heard the seed pods are messy and poisonous. I would really love the Kentucky Coffee tree... but I have the same concerns regarding the seed pods. The Worplesdon Sweetgum looked nice, except for the spiney balls it bears. I looked at the Mt.St. Helens Plum, but it was all eaten up by beetles. They have a great Autumn Gold Ginkgo, but I don't know if I have the patience for it.

Another tree they have in stock (which I know nothing about) is the Katsura Tree.

Thanks for the advice!

Catalpa is neat. Unique branching structure i find appealing.

I wouldn't worry about the Catalpa too much. I grew up in a rural area and they were everywhere, including a very very large one that shaded our house. I never had an urge to eat anything from it. Don't think any of our dogs did either. Don't ever remember the seed pots being an issue. Biggest problem with them is the caterpillar that from the Catalpa Sphinx moth can defoliate some trees some years. Don't think I ever saw a tree killed by them though. IMHO, they are a under utilized tree.

Arktrees

I guess I'm not too concerned that my kids will pick them up and eat them as they're getting older. I'm more concerned with the dog randomly picking them up and eating that as I don't have much control over what they eat when outside.

I guess I'm not too concerned that my kids will pick them up and eat them as they're getting older. I'm more concerned with the dog randomly picking them up and eating that as I don't have much control over what they eat when outside.

Yes, I do get sucker growth from my serviceberry, but not enough to complain about (nothing like chokecherry!) They are young and the sun now hits the ground at the base. I have a feeling the suckering will lessen as they produce more shade. The larger specimens of multi-trunk serviceberry that I have seen didn't seem to sucker much, if at all.
Anyway, I have a hand shears!
hortster

When you say Chokecherry are you talking about Prunus maackii?

I drove by the one I planted 6 years ago and it has no suckers and looks fantastic. This particular plant isn't as susceptible to black knot as other cherry trees.

If you have an area with decent moisture Katsura is a gorgeous tree.

So my vote is for the Katsura and Ginkgo...screw patience just get it if it looks nice.

Serviceberry is quite finicky but can be quite rewarding. It is after all part of the rose family.

Your Tulip tree could struggle a bit with its fall transplant in zone 5a.

I would get the Dogwood (flowers and fall color) or the Redbud (flowers and fall color) over the lilac. The Lilac is cool for about 2 weeks...then the flowers brown up and look ugly. Ugly fall color. The only cultivar I like is 'Summer Snow' since the flowers "lightly" brown up.

Actually you should tell us more about the soil type, moisture levels and exposure for the three locations you are looking at. It sounds like you want shade on the west side (typically a hot dry location) but beyond that knowing your goals is a bonus.

Chokecherry suckers all over the place. I also find it a somewhat weedy-looking tree.

I love my serviceberry (same as the one you listed), but it has terrible rust--quince apple. Look around your neighborhood for juniper shrubs, because juniper and serviceberry pass the rust back and forth. If you see juniper nearby, you might want to skip the serviceberry.

I love cercis candensis, and it seems to be relatively trouble free.