Which tree to choose in front of house

9 years ago

The village removed a tree in front of my house, because it was infested with Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). They teil me to pick a new tree, but as someone who failed to grow basil, I have no idea which one to choose. Could anyone help me out?

The tree will be planted on the west side of the house, about 15 yards away from the house. The house is 2 story- colonial. If it is too small, it will not provide enough shade, but if it is too large, it can be a danger with tornado when it gets old. My husband HATES the tree with a lot of falling leaves during fall, so it will be better if it doesn't.

The village tells me to choose 5 out of below list. Please help!

1. Triumph Elm
2. Accolade elm
3. Ginkgo 'Princeton Sentry'
4. Kentucky Coffeetree 'Espresso'
5. Kentucky Coffeetree 'Prairie Titan'
6. Continental Appeal Linden
7. Lincoln Linden
8. Tulip Tree
9. "Red Jewel" Crabapple

Cornelian Cherry Dogwood "Golden Glory"
"Rugged Charm" Tartarian maple
China Snow Peking Tree Lilac
Northern Catalpa
Baldcypress "Shawnee Brave"
European Hornbeam
Sweet Gum 'Slender Silhouette'
Ginkgo 'Magyar'
"Chicagoland" Hackberry
London Planetree "Exclamation"
Kastura
Fort McNair Red Horsechestnut
Jack Pear (Dwarf Ornamental Pear)
Ironwood
Japanese Tree Lilac
Eurpoean Beech "Rivers Purple"
Bur Oak (Illinois Prairie Tree)
Swamp White Oak

Featured Answer

OldDutch (Zone 4 MN)

8 years ago

If shade is required you will need a big tree, tornado or no tornado. Resistant elm is a very good choice, male gingko is another, as are the lindens. Personally I love the catalpa trees but they are messy and may get infested with the catalpa worms that some fishermen love. Still the hubby or you will have to clean up leaves from any of those listed, and many also seed out both of which will get into gutters and downspouts. For something different perhaps the bald cypress.

My choice is not listed here however, Shademaster Honey Locust, grows quickly, gets big, seedless, thornless, with leaves that fragment into tiny segments that run through the lawnmower into nothingness. The Honey locusts in general have deep rather than shallow roots, and provide dappled shade that allows grass to grow right up to the trunk. Wild types have massive and dangerous thorns and large messy seed pods that drop in autumn, but those have been bred out of a number of ornamental cultivars such as Shademaster. Sunburst Honey Locust, also seedless and thornless is one of the prettiest trees around as it comes into leaf, but is smaller topping out at around 40 feet. Imperial is another thornless variety in a bigger size but may produce seed pods, which drop in the autumn and can be a mess. Furthermore you have to pick them up because not only may they germinate, the seedlings are very apt to have quite a crop of thorns, reverting as it were. Better Shademaster than Imperial for size, for appearance best is the smaller Sunburst.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

pitimpinai
9 years ago
"My husband HATES the tree with a lot of falling leaves during fall, so it will be better if it doesn't."

Huh?
xiangirl zone 4/5 Nebraska
9 years ago
Don't choose Linden or Crabapple because they have a lot of falling stuff--not just leaves. I doubt if he wants little apples in the lawn unless you pick them and use them/eat them. The Bur Oak makes acorns and drops them.
You might just have to look them up on the internet and read about them. An oak tree would grow slowly, but last many years. Elms grow quickly so if you want shade, an elm is a good choice. Tulip tree grows quickly, too.
Heidi
Related Discussions
please help choose a tree for front porch
Q
Comments (1)
What part of central VA are you? That will deteremine if I recommend spruce for you or not, however you may do alright with Alberta spruce here. Also, does it have to be a conifer, or will any evergreen do, broadleaf included? 'Capitata' Yews can be kept smaller and they are slow growers.
...See More
Which 3 small mango trees to choose?
Q
Comments (30)
@mango_kush yes we have problems with fruit flies here also, but they don't attack the Ruby Supreme guava. They do attack other guava varieties with a strong guava smell. I have even picked rotten guavas off the ground and inspected them for maggots and found none just sugar ants. The soursop has been that height for over 3 years now. When it reaches the height of the house the cold weather kills that wood. All I ever do is trim any dead wood when it goes dormant. This soursop is a Filipino variety. I planted it about 2 feet from the house on purpose so that it could survive the cold weather since its extremely sensitive to cold temperatures. @pulglvr1 you can try contacting the company that makes the product using the link below. When I first saw the product I knew that it was perfect for protecting plants and this past winter definitely proved that to me. Be aware that just covering your plants using this product alone may not enough. You must also provide a sustainable heat source such as a light bulb of sufficient wattage. I did lay this bubble blanket along the ground to the window sill on the west side of the house to protect sugar apple and pineapple plants. From the picture you can see that all the plants below the bubble wrap survived without any damage even though I did not use a heat source. The bubble blanket was able to trap the heat from the ground and the cinder blocks to keep the plants alive. If you look closely you can see that 3 of the pineapple plants have fruited. In front of the wood fence at the far end of the house are the rolls of the bubble wrap ready for duty this coming winter. Here is a link that might be useful: Astro Cooler
...See More
Which tree would you choose?
Q
Comments (9)
I agree with Sam that 18' is far better than 12' for planting a tree (other than a small ornamental crab or similar) from the house so you don't have to worry about size. Everything on the list is too large for 12' from the house. Place them so that they don't block views you want visible such as the front door - they should frame the house not block it totally from view. I would avoid Chinese or Lacebark Elm due to seeding issues, and I just don't find them particularly attractive - don't have the graceful form of the American elms, and little fall color. I pass by several on my walk to work and they just leave me cold. I would happily grow any of the others that are hardy here. Look up the ultimate height and width of all the others on a reliable website such as the Missouri Botanical Garden's plant finder and write down on your list so you can compare. Do a web image search for autumn color of each. If you like to walk barefoot, you want to avoid the sweet gum, but it is a really nice looking tree IMO, especially the fall color. Favorites on the list: ginkgo - disease free, beautiful form once past its teenage years, stunning clear yellow fall color, and my favorite leaf shape of all time. Plus it tends to drop all its leaves within a day or two (where I work there's a pool every autumn as a fundraiser as to the day the ginkgo will drop its leaves) so cleanup is easy, unlike many trees that require repeated leaf gatherings since they drop leaves over weeks. red maple - early and lovely red spring color and stunning fall color if you choose a tree that is selected for fall color. Or the Freeman maples are red x silver maple crosses. European hornbeam (though I'd prefer the American one) medium-small, tidy, yellow fall color and cool seed pods on the tree Little leaf linden - tidy, medium size, great tree for pollinators, fun looking seeds. Red oak or scarlet oak - choose one with good fall color. Turns later than many others, so extends the color season. Are you allowed to choose sugar maple?
...See More
Help needed choosing a shade tree near the house
Q
Comments (12)
even if you had the roots ground out.. you may have a hard time digging new holes for trees... in exactly the same spot ... you dont mention how large you are starting with ... and how big a hole you will need ... you might have to do some exploratory digging to find where you can actually dig the two holes ..this will invlve removing the sod ... so it can be put back if need be .... are your sewer lines newer sealed pvc.. or older clay and oakum pipes.. if sealed sealed ... tree roots are not an issue ... https://duckduckgo.com/?q=tree+clogged+sewer+pipes+pipes.&t=ffcm&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images many trees advertised as FAST GROWING .... you dont want near your house .. no poplars.. willows.. etc ... in tree time .. we talk of decades ... regardless of what you plant.. it will be at least a decade.. before you start getting shade on the house .... as to the foundation... trees usually do not CAUSE problems... but they can take advantage of pre exisiting problems .... and of course.. if you gas and water pipes arent sealed.. well.. you have bigger problems than replacing a tree or two ... lol ... but again.. roots cant break into sealed pipes ... and your last question ... basically.. no tree stops growing at some magical height ... even a medium sized tree ... most have annual growth rates .. and they will grow at that rate.. forever .. or until they look like your old trees ... its a catch 22 ... because you want them to grow fast for shade.. but you want them to stay to medium height ... your local county extension office might provide you with a list of trees for your area ... i see they are related to rutgers.. and i must insist on pointing out.. that i hope MI beats them in the big ten tourney ... lol ... good luck ken https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Northern+NJ+extension+office&t=ffcm&ia=web
...See More
bellarosa
9 years ago
What about a saucer magnolia? Mine is huge with beautiful iridescent pale pink flowers. In the Fall, the leaves turn a beautiful golden color. It blooms in the Spring for a few weeks, and in the Fall, depending on the weather, there's some slight rebloom. It does shed it leaves in the Fall, but it's a deciduous tree-they all do.

As for crabapples, I love them and have over 8 trees on my property. Favorites include: Adams (red), David (white), Louise (pink/weeping variety), malus sergeanti (white;8-10'), Prairiefire(pink). I've chosen varieties that are disease resistant and have very small fruit. I've never had problems with them. The scent of the flowers is amazing and stunning. Would highly recommend.
Kirstin Zone 5a NW Chicago
9 years ago
KY Coffeetree is a lovely tree, it gets large enough to be a nice shade tree. It is a rugged native tree with no real pest problems. It's leaves fall quite early, so you can get them cleaned up and gone with little problem.
Accolade Elm is a lovely elm that is resistant to Dutch Elm Disease. Not much exciting in the way of fall color, but not particularly messy either.
Gingko is a popular choice these days. Make sure they select males--the female trees drop super-stinky fruits. Their leaves fall off at the first hard frost, so pretty much a one-time cleanup.

Take a look at those three--of the larger trees, I'd recommend them highly.
Steppskie (5a/b IN)
8 years ago
My favorite tree is the ginkgo tree.
Interesting leaves, brilliant yellow fall color; and the leaves drop quickly when they do, so a one-time clean-up is all that is required.
Plus, the Princeton Sentry is columnar even when mature, so it will not overwhelm the space.
It is also a male clone, so it does not drop smelly fruit.
Their skeletons in winter are also intriguing.
gardeninglife
8 years ago
A dogwood would be a good idea because it wont get as tall and be such a huge hazard like a tulip. It is also very bueatiful when it flowers too.

Which tree to choose in front of house

OldDutch (Zone 4 MN)

Comments (7)

pitimpinai

xiangirl zone 4/5 Nebraska

Related Discussions

bellarosa

Kirstin Zone 5a NW Chicago

Steppskie (5a/b IN)

gardeninglife

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US