Shade tree in front yard

14 years ago

Hi all,

We have just built a new house in an established neighborhood, and unfortunately the developer had to remove many of the large shade trees that were on the property (they would not have survived). I was working with the local arborist, and we had planned to plant a sugar maple in the front yard as part of the neighborhood tree program, but there were concerns that it may have been too large for the space (about a 50x50 yard) which has some underground power lines about 15 feet from the planting site.

I liked the idea of having the sugar maple, as the color (lighter green and fall interest) matched our house and it would give us some nice shade eventually in the front lawn (which is in the sun most of the day). I'm now looking for alternatives.

I though to plant a Norway Maple because of the foliage, size and spread, until I discovered it was invasive, created a very dense shade, and had a problematic root system.

Overall, we are looking for a decidious tree that will grow 40-50 feet with a 25-30 foot spread, giving us some nice dappled shade but that preferably won't have a crazy root system that will make it impossible to keep grass growing or will interfere with the house/car port (25 feet away) nor be invasive. Ideally I'd love something edible - been trying to replace all ornamental-only trees with edibles. I've got a juneberry and a serviceberry currently planted at the extreme corners of the lot, with a bare-root paw paw I planted this spring (which never leafed out) toward on one of the other corners. This tree would be planted right in the middle of the yard.

Some of the things we've ruled out are anything that has spines or spiny fruit. I would love to have something with either a light green or burgundy colored leaves - just as it would give us a nice contrast to our "very" blue house.

Thanks in advance - looking forward to some thoughts.

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Comments (11)

Iris GW
14 years ago
Not as tall as you'd like, but 'Forest Pansy' redbud would have a nice spread and burgundy leaves.

River birch has been popular (Betula nigra) for form and growth (quick) but I am not sure how the root system behaves so please research that aspect of it.

For fruit, you might consider red mulberry (Morus rubra) - it was commonly found in Virginia when colonists arrived and was used by native americans.
lisanti07028
14 years ago
I have a red mulberry in my yard, and I love it, but so do the birds, with resultant purple bird poop EVERYWHERE. I don't mind it in my back yard, but if you've got sidewalks, it might be an issue.
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As a few others have said, all of the trees you mentioned are considered small trees and not shade trees. To be a shade tree you really need to go to 50'-60'. That said, Lag. Natchez is a great tree but is kind of slow. In the lawn it will grow faster because of the water. Prunus c. Krauters Vesuvius is listed at 18' in Sunset. Great purple leaves all season, no fall color. Let me throw in another specimen, Magnolia souliangiana. Grows to 25'. Sunset says it's a good lawn tree. Good spring purple flowers, not much fall color. I would give up on shade if you want to keep your lawn and other plants looking good. If you do want shade my favorite tree is Acer freemanii Autumn Blaze or A. f. October Glory.Both grow fast to 60'. Nyssa sylvatica or Tupelo grows 30'-50'. Moderately slow, WONDERFUL fall leaves. I hope this helps you clarify your needs. By the way, if you do plant a tree I'd suggest about 10'-12' in a line between the door and the window to the left of the door. Help your tree out by removing about a 5'-6' circle of grass, then mulch. This keeps weed eaters away from the base of the tree. Good Luck.
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You might call the Georgia Forestry Service and ask for their little booklet on Trees. Among my favorites are nyssa (Black Gum) for wonderful red fall color and Hickory for yellow fall color. Pecan is a good choice -- in a few years you will have nuts as a bonus for yourself and the squirrels. Also look at understory trees like Dogwood, Redbud, Camellia sasanqua and Sassafras. Don't forget about needled evergreens like junipers and cypress. Nell
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The Royal Poinciana, Is a beautiful tree, but hardly big enough to shade a largish house. I went to Yahoo images. I think that if I was in zone 10 I would plant one, but, if I had the room I would still choose a Live oak for shade. Maybe put the Flame tree on the western side. Maybe SW side. I know I am Live oak obsessed and living in the North east, where they don't grow. I'm trying to grow the most hardy Live oak there is here. I will be looking up on the internet about tropical trees because of this post, it's an interesting subject. I stayed with a friend for a week in the Florida keys (Big Pine Key) when she had been living there, but, I didn't see any trees that made me stop and say "wow, what a nice tree". The Norfolk Island pines were nice, and there were trees with giant long brown seed pods, that had leaves like Honey Locust trees, and large seed pods that were brown and about 2 ft long. I only got to see other peoples yards when we went shopping, and once when she showed me some of the island. I did see a few trees behind some of the stores that were nice looking, but, who knows what they were. We went to a botanical garden, I THINK it was on Key west. I loved the Madrone tree and Ironwood trees. The Ironwood looks like a Beech tree on hormones. I just realized that Irishrich, is the original poster, I thought that it was the original poster that nixed the Live oak tree idea. It was actually Dave in Nova. Irishrich Live oaks are popular because they grow wide and are great shade trees in the south. You may have enough room for more than one shade tree, but, Live oaks can get to shade 80 feet eventually. I would sow several Live oak acorns where you want a tree and keep the faster growing tree. I would go in late August to Sept and look for acorns. If you aren't sure about what a Live oak is google it and you will likely see lots of them around your area. I would guess you know what they are, though. Then you have your whole back yard to plant a fancy tree like a Royal Poinciana. I have about 2 acres, so I think a half acre in your front yard may be enough for you to plant a Live oak and another tree also, then a couple (maybe, depending on your back yard size) other trees. No disrespect Dave in Nova, but the OP may like a Live oak tree. Later guys
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jcalhoun
14 years ago
Look into the American persimmon. The fruits are very sweet and tasty when ripe and wildlife love them.

Unfortunately, like most fruit trees they can be messy.
Joshua Zelenka
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the follow ups. Local nursery also warned against the Mulberry for that same reason. I think I'm looking at a Black Gum, fruitless Sweet Gum, Thornless/Seedless Honey Locust and the Sugar Maple again. Any thoughts on these particularly?
Iris GW
14 years ago
Black gum is very nice - they have cultivars now with improved fall color (I saw a screaming red one last fall).
kaliaman
14 years ago
persimmon is dioecious meaning that male and female flowers are on separate plants. if you want fruit must have both male and female for cross pollination and fertilization to occur, if you want no fruit get a male tree.
kaliaman
14 years ago
check with your local landscape nurseries for ideas and cultivars that do well in your area
mistascott
14 years ago
Some to consider:

River birch (betula nigra) is a nice native tree with apricot colored bark in its early years that tolerates heat and humidity well.

Pecan trees are nice, but probably get too large for what you describe --worth a look, though.

Willow Oak matches your size description. A nice tree overall.

Hackberry -- very tough trees
jimbobfeeny
14 years ago
I absolutely love Sugar maple, it's my favorite tree. Nothing else has as nice fall color. It does have shallow roots, though - grass will definitely be thin under it.
jimbobfeeny
14 years ago
You could try Chalk bark maple, Acer Leucoderme, which is supposed to be a nice, smaller, sugar maple type tree. It matures at 20 feet high by 25 feet spread - Supposedly better for small lots and urban areas - You could also look into smaller sugar maple selections.
marvin-2007
14 years ago
Two trees jump out, river birch and elm, not princeton but the drake elm. Trees like water. I have a 4 year old river birch as big as a basket ball 50 feet tall. Lots of water!

Shade tree in front yard

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Iris GW

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Shade tree in front yard

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