thank you all for the welcomes and support. And yes, Bradford Pears are very popular ans pretty. but very weak in my opinion. Like I said, mine was one of the few that hadn't already had some previous storm damage if not completely ruined. I can say though that another one in the neighborhood came down that same night and it hit both their house and Jeep! My advice for anyone that likes these trees is to NEVER plant one anywhere near your home or where you park your cars!!!

I have a Japanese Snowbell about 5 feet from the corner of my house in my backyard next to a patio. It is now about 15 feet tall maybe 8-10 feet wide. The branches are starting to touch the windows of my house, I am hoping it does not become a problem in a few more years. It does have a pretty shape to it. BUT...personally, I do not like the smell when it is blooming (rotting/moldy smell) but luckily only blooms for a short time late May, early June. Bees also like it while it is blooming, but they don't bother us. In hind site, I would have planted a crape Myrtle there instead and put the Japanese Snowbell somewhere else in yard. It is an interesting specimen!

My previous house had wetlands behind it, which were beautiful and full of life (I miss them). Someone planted a row of Silver maples and Red maples along the edge of the wetlands, probably for wind break. They were at least 50 years old and large. Anyway, one evening a storm blew through and an incredible wind came through the yard. It was either a mini-twister or a down draft or something, the wind was easily hurricane force. After it passed, I went out to check if anything had blown around. I looked into the back yard and saw the sillouhette of a very large "shrub" that had appeared in the yard. At first I thought it was a large branch, but then I looked up at the silhouette of the maples - and oddly, there was a gap in the canopy where the largest tree used to be. It dawned on me that the tree had blown over. Did it ever! This tree was HUGE. 50-odd year old Silver maple, with 5 large trunks. The biggest tree on the property! Completely blown over, the canopy fell about 10 feet short of the deck and smashed a small fruit orchard to smithereens. There was a 20 foot rootball sticking up out of the swamp. My boyfriend at the time cut up the canopy. I had a tree guy chip the brush and cut the trunks, and watched the rootball flop back over into the swamp. I was so bummed to lose this tree and that my lovely fruit trees were ruined. There were a couple beautiful Yellow delicious apple trees and they were full of fruit that year. With all the apples strewn about, it was like trying to walk on marbles to cut up the brush. The upside was, that the gap in the treeline opened up a gorgeous vista of the wetlands. I've got plenty of pictures, but they are all on print, no digital.

I'm going to echo everyone else's opinion of the tree off center and to the left of the house. I'm not even sure I would put a tree there - you have such a lovely backdrop of tall trees I might just enlarge the beds and plant more shrubs and flowers. If you still decide on the tree, my advice is to do your research carefully before you actually select a tree. In a zone 5 climate you have to consider things like ability to stand up to heavy snow on the branches and resistance to ice storms. The suggestions above, though all lovely, I'm not sure whether they would suit your needs. Also, you should take into consideration that the faster a tree grows, the more likely it is to have weak and brittle wood, which may be a hazard in a cold climate like yours (not so much in mine, where trees are more likely to die from drought...). Not to discourage you at all, I love trees myself and have more than my plot supports, but I advise you to research hardiness zones, etc., before you commit yourself. You may also wish to post a question to the Trees forum here at gardenweb, there are very knowledgeable people there. If you're set on a birch, take a look at the Himalayan birch - Betula utilis 'Jacquemontii' - which should be hardy to your zone. I'm trying to grow one in my garden (from seed that was sent to me). Keeping my fingers crossed that it will thrive here, as it's my favorite birch. Hope this helps. Eduarda Here is a link that might be useful: Himalayan birch