Hmm...

Clay soil tolerant
Fast Growing
Drought tolerant
Oval Shape

I can only think of Fraxinus and Populus, but I'd never recommend either of those.

Which requirment could you give up (ie moderate growth rate in lieu of fast)? In that case maybe you could go Linden if the beetles aren't too bad in your area.

Lacebark elm 'Bosque'?

American Linden would be a possibility. Especially Redmond.
The requirement I would sacrifice is the oval shape. I could go for something more conical.
The problem with American linden is some sources say it's very drought tolerant while other sources say it's not drought tolerant at all. I tend to believe the latter as this is basically a mesic tree. This would be going in a hot sunny spot. The other big big big problem is the bees and the Japanese beetles.

I've thought of some of the Lacebark elms but Bosque looks like it's going to be a little too wide. I'm suspicious of those because they're so new and most of the ones I see are more spreading and not so tall.

Try Tilia tomentosa and its cultivars. Better drought tolerance and rest. to japanese beetles.

Also check out Ulmus japonica x pumila 'Regal'.
Gets a little wider than you want (but thats going to take quite a while). It will be one of the narrower Ulmus hybrids rest. to DED.

Acer x freemanii 'armstrong'

Not certain of exactly how fast it grows, but being the freemanii hybrid it should do pretty well, and handle the dryness well. Should fit your size requirements perfectly. Some confusion as to whether is it is a hybrid or not. It may be that instead of being half and half, it may be 3/4 Red and 1/4 Silver. To me the photos of the leaves look about like what you would expect from this mix.

Arktrees

Might as well add Acer x freemanii 'celzam' aka Celebration Maple.

I have two of these, growing quite vigorously on a sloped, dry, hot, clay location.

I already have quite a few maples including a Freeman's maple. Looking for something a little different. Any other ideas?

Bradford Pear. Err no, let's not go there ;-)

How about Carpinus (hornbeam)?

Resin

âââ Can you think of any fast growing hornbeams with those dimensions?

Here is info on the Elm Regal (not much ornamental value).

Plant FactsMature Height 50 to 60 feet
Mature Spread 25 to 30 feet
Soil Type Widely Adaptable
Moisture Widely Adaptable
Mature Form Columnar
Growth Rate Fast
Sun Exposure Full Sun
Flower Color N/A
Fall Color Reddish/Purple
Foliage Color Green
Zones 4-7
The Regal Elm, Ulmus 'Regal', has large dark-green glossy leaves. It has an upright character, transplants well, and will tolerate a wide range of conditions. 'Regal' Elm develops a strong central leader with an upright or columnar growth habit when young, becoming more ovate with age. Its leaves are dark green in summer, and show no appreciable fall coloration. Because the leaves are rather sparsely borne, they cast a honeylocust-like light shade that makes possible the successful culture of turfgrass in the vicinity of the tree. ÂRegal is considered highly resistant to DED and verticillium wilt. ItÂs a good urban tree since it is highly resistant to Dutch elm disease. It has proved very tolerant of hot and arid conditions, exhibiting minimal leaf scorch. 'Regal' has an upright columnar form similar to 'Commelin', making it particularly suitable for street planting.

Maybe one of the Zelkova? I'm not real familiar with them, but there is a good chance one fo them would fit your needs.

"Can you think of any fast growing hornbeams with those dimensions?"

Carpinus betulus would do so no problem.

Resin

I actually have a Carpinus betulus and while appears to be growing faster than expected, I wouldn't exactly call it a fast grower. Was there a particular cultivar you had in mind? Most of the ones I come across are much more narrow growing than I am looking for this spot.

iforget,
You know in another thread you mentioned you wished you had a place for Cotinus obovatus, well it sounds like you do have a place after all. What you describe, clay/hot/dry is what they love. It would not be as tall as noted, but the width works well. We planted a small one early this spring, and it grew just over two feet this summer. I know where there are a couple around the area, and they all grow over two feet a year. One that I know about is in the local county extension office landscaping, that is well established, and looks to have shoots ~2.5' (about 2.5-3" caliper trunk), and is certainly growing in an oval (probable 13-14' or so). They definitely are not slow growing, unlike what the literature says. Don't know if you thought about this, but I wanted to make sure it crossed your thoughts. Would hate for you to have regrets because you had not thought of it.

Arktrees

ArkTrees,
As you might imagine I did consider American Smoketree but I was under the impression it is simply too small of a tree for where it is going. I also read a discouraging evaluation from the NCSU urban tree evaluations. They say it grows to 20x30' and performed poorly on difficult sites.

some type of conifer, maybe? scots pine, stone pine or another evergreen.

About the only conifer that I think of that is promising is Bald Cypress. But because it's a dry spot, that wouldn't be my first choice.

I wonder about Juniperus virginiana. It isn't oval shaped or a speed demon, but it is very adaptable.

iforgot,
As I originally indicated, they do not grow tall, but you indicated that could be sacrificed. I have to say I'm VERY surprised by the rating NC State gave them. It says nothing on how they were conducted, so I can only assume that there was some planting problem. Problems with Cotinus obovatus are they are sensitive to too much water where they develop disease, and so if where they planted them (like a landscape island that does drain but gets very dry over time), then they would do poorly. Perhaps they used bare root, which also tends to do poorly, container grown plants perform much better. But in a location that tends to be hot/dry then they should do fine. Their native habitat is atop limestone bluffs (very often southward facing) where there is little poor soil that is often clay and almost always restricted root space. Basically they live where almost nothing else can. As stated before, they like it hot/dry. Not trying to talk you into it, just trying to make sure you have a full understanding.

Arktrees

The oval shape was negotiable... not the height.
I've had this problem for a while. I haven't come out yet and said that my house is 50' tall because I don't want to seem like I'm bragging because the house is by no means a luxury estate. But with the basement, attic and two stories it's a very tall house. At least on one side.
Picking trees to shade a house (for cooling) is simple when its a one or two story house. When it's as tall as this one, it's hard to find something that will grow tall enough to provide adequate shade but stay narrow enough so that it has ample room to grow. With southern exposure and a lot of windows, a tree is long overdue. I've thought of growing something that is clearly too big (like an oak) with the hopes that with its proximity to the house it will just grow more narrow, like trees in a forest. This post was a last ditch effort to try to find something that really has ample room to grow just 12' away from the house.

Now that you know the situation, an evergreen really isn't wanted. Especially a pine, not that close to the house. Also if it tops out at 20-30', it will forever block the view out of the windows on the 2nd or 3rd floors. Again, not that this is some chateau overlooking the alps or anything but as you can imagine we'd like to see something other that leaves when we look out the window.

And I think I know what's coming next; "Why don't you just plant a bigger tree farther away." And I'm contemplating doing that but it will sort of render the backyard useless for certain activities.
And you're probably thinking; "Why not plant a columnar tree" and the reason that wont work is because they are simply too narrow to do the job. They'll just end up blocking the view out the windows. (Also the reason Hornbeam isn't going to work)

I think something like a mockernut hickory would be perfect but they really aren't available.

Doesn't sound like brag at all to me, just giving the relevant info is all. I had suspected it was something like this, but I misunderstood as to what is optional. Sounds like you only real choices are something that is not columnar and without penetrating roots. I would think about an elm perhaps. Growing up there was a very large one shading most of our house that was no more than 15' away that never presented any problem. Would certainly grow fast and provide good shade. Also the Bald Cypress are planted locally in landscape islands in parking lots. They can certainly deal with wet or dry. Also if I remember correctly you are in Zone 7. Something else came up in a thread last week that may help you. Check the link below. Be sure to check out all the links with the pictures. Don't know if it will be right for you, but it does apparently grow VERY fast.

Here is a link that might be useful: Nanjing Beauty

Aren't there some alders (Alnus) that grow rapidly and are tolerant of various conditions? A. cordata?

I'm growing nanjing beauty and it does seem to fit what you're looking for. I've seen 30 feet tall at Dallas arboretum and it has oval shape. Not too wide. However at botany garden shop, they seem to sell upright and weepy of nb. Upright ones look much better than weepy ones so call and request upright ones where the branches are uniformly ascending. The weepy ones look weird and doesn't seem to grow uniformly. I asked them why two such different looking ones and they didn't really give any good explaination. I've ordered 24 inches size and all were upright. The 8 inches were a mixture of both so I dunno. I guess call and order 5 24 inches size plants and plant the best looking one and sell rest to whoever wants them. You'll break even. The one at my mothers house grew 7 feet in first year. The one at Dallas arboretum grew from 5-7ft in 2004 and now is 30 ft. Nice "winter" color as well.

What do you think about dawn redwood? It looks like some planted close to buildings stay pretty narrow. Then again I've seen them grow to 60' wide.

I'll look into the alders and see what I can find. Thanks for that suggestion too.

Alnus cordata is certainly a good idea, very vigorous, and very healthy even on dreadful soils including hard-compacted clay (best tree I know for coping with this!), but may eventually get too large (up to 30 metres tall). It also doesn't know the meaning of "autumn colour", the leaves drop green turning blackish-brown, though it is very late to drop its leaves (around here, in early to mid December - still solid green at the moment). Some people also have allergy problems with alder pollen in sping (all alders, not just A. cordata).

Resin

Just my opinion...but Alders seem better suited for naturalizing applications. Not that attractive shape wise...I would never put one next to my house.

Also, Dawn Redwoods are not the best choice for hot, dry locations.

Besides size, your first consideration should be drought tolerance.

Does a Northern Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) do anything for you? If you can tolerate the pods dropping (they do provide winter interest) this plant meets ALL of your requirments...well, not sure about the bees. They never bothered me when there up in the tree for a short few weeks.

Or how about Celtis occidentalis 'Chicagoland'? Narrower than the species.

I personally still like the Hybrid Elm choice.

Alnus cordata does actually have a good shape, though I'd agree most other alders aren't so good. It is also (again unlike most alders) drought tolerant and good on hot sites.

Catalpa - very nice tree, but (at least in cultivation in Britain) tends to be about 3 times as broad as it is tall, not exactly oval, more of a squat bun shape.

Resin

Resin, natbe your thinking Catalpa bignonioides (Southern Catalpa)?

Catalpa speciosa (Northern Catalpa) is consistently 50' x 30'. Defintely an oval shape...I do see some that get irregular with age.

Consider Catalpa speciosa 'Pulverulenta' if you can find it.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Hi Whaas - they're both broad and low here, though C. speciosa not quite as broad as C. bignonioides. It's probably something to do with their not being well adapted to the climate here.

Resin

Sure enough, my sources say that catalpa fits the size requirements. There's a couple near here that are small and have been small for some time. I've seen some farther north that are huge. It's really a little rough around the edges for my tastes but if there were nothing else to plant then I'd consider it.

I'm not surprised about alders causing allergy problems for some people. Birches (Same family) do too. Looks like Forest Farm has Italian Alders. How fast do they grow? Do they grow anywhere near as fast as river birches?

The problem with this particular site is that during the spring and early summer, the sun reflects off the windows at such an angle that the blinding reflection shines right on the ground and sweeps across the ground as the sun moves across the sky.

Its so bad that it actually kills the grass in some places where the reflection hits.

Regarding the Italian Alder, this from Dirr's illustrated encyclopedia: "In landscape status, the Italian Alder most assuredly plays second fiddle to its close relative Alnus glutinosa, European Alder. Ornamentally, however, this species is superior. The lustrous dark green, 2- to 4-in.-long leaves are attractive throughout the seasons. In early spring, the yellowish brown, pendulous catkins sway in the soft breeze. The large (1 in. long), egg-shaped fruit look like small pine cones. Habit is pyramidal to pyramidal-oval, and after the leaves fall, a clean, finely branched winter silhouette is evident. An excellent choice near water, but it is also at home in drier soils. Withstands infertile, high pH soils. Deserves a longer look by American gardeners."

Looks like I have mistaken cordata for glutinosa.

After looking into this tree a little more its height and width can be quite varible. In optimal situations it can grow 50x40 and in less than optimal situations it may only get 30x20.

"Italian Alders. How fast do they grow?"

Not far short of a metre a year when young. They slow down a bit when they reach 15-20m tall, but still fairly steady up to around 25m.

Resin

When I first read the original post, I had the same thought as Resin that a Bradford Pear would be perfect for this site :-)

What about this new cultivar of London Planetree called Exclamation. I think it has all of the characteristics that you are looking for. I've enclosed a link to an information sheet on it . The info sheet also includes pictures.

Here is a link that might be useful: Exclamation Planetree

If Canker Stain isn't a problem in your area (or if this cutivar shows better resistance) I would put in a vote for this Exclamation Planetree due its tolerance of poor soils and vigours growth, yet fairly long lived if kept healthy.

Oh Dang it!
I was so excited! Planetrees are my favorite tree of all time. I was sold on the Exclamation but then scrolled down to the size. 45' wide is too wide. I'm looking to plant this puppy 13 feet away from the house.
Tease!

"I'm looking to plant this puppy 13 feet away from the house"

Too close for any but very small trees, particularly on clay soils!

River Birch might be OK, as birches have a good reputation for not causing damage to foundations. But even that could get too large for safety in the longer term.

Resin

There are many homes in New England with very large trees planted right next to the house and they don't have any problems with damage to the foundation or the home itself. Cleaning the gutters, however, presents a problem. Plus, the people who have oaks next to the house have to deal with the machine gun sounds of acorns hitting the roof each fall.

I think you are still OK with the Exclamation planetree. Most references list the mature width of the tree to be 25 ft which would be perfect for a tree 13 ft from the house. It's possible though that this width is erroneous given that it is a new cultivar and it's mature size is nothing more than a guess right now.

Even if it made contact with your house, the rubbing action would keep the branches trimmed off. Have seen it many times, plus there is always the option of some mild annual pruning. As for planting too close, these things are planted in landscape islands that was allot more constricted than next to your house, and don't cause problems. I personally think you would be fine.

Arktrees

Tree Oracle, I noticed in that post RE the hybrid planetrees that you said you ordered an exclamation from Advanced Tree Technology. How big was it? Was it bare root? How much did it cost? I don't see any prices on their site. I see they are in the Ft Wayne area. This is unfortunate because I usually get up to Indy once a year but Fort Wayne is really far out of the way to go for a tree. Not that it would be the . but pretty far to go.

I ordered two of the Exclamation planetrees from Advanced Tree Technology. The total of the order including shipping was $64.50. The trees were roughly 4-5 ft tall. They were not bare root. They are shipped in a plastic wrapping that is in the shape of a pot. The trees were essentially potted with a good amount of soil around them and best of all the soil in each "pot" was still quite moist. I expected the trees to be dormant given the time of year that I ordered them but each still had a decent amount of green leaves. They were beginning to go dormant though because each had a few brown leaves as well. Neither tree was root bound when I took the plastic "pot" off to plant them. However, each had a nice root system that looked very healthy. I took some pics of the shipment and I've included them to give you a better idea of how the trees look.

BTW, Advanced Tree has some errors on their website. If you poke around, you will find Bloodgood listed a few times as the Planetree that they sell. I talked with a company representative over the phone and she said that they used to sell Bloodgood but they switched over to Exclamation exclusively. This was confirmed by each tree having a tag from Chicagoland Grows that discovered and markets this cultivar. Advanced Tree Technology hasn't updated parts of the website yet to reflect this change. You can't see the prices of anything on their website unless you click on the "Order online" link. You can also request a catalog that has all of the prices.

Here is the box that I received:

Here are the two trees in the box:

Here are the two trees out of the box:

Here is a closeup of the leaves:

Nice looking trees.
Heck of a deal too.

I'll put that on my short list but I'm uneasy about new introductions for this planting.