I'm assuming maples don't drop a lot of junk other than in the fall? ===>>> you almost made me cry on that one .. i was laughing so hard .... seed drop in spring.. the dam-ned helicopters ... is a curse worthy of an 8th plague.. not to mention the 8 or 10 billion seedlings ... i suppose it might matter what kind of maple.. but all the generic ones i have dealt with are problematic at best .... maybe if you find a sterile one .... then you said: This patch of yard gets sun from about 10 am to 7pm and it so hot and dry that I have a hard time getting grass to live through the summer. again.. based on those i have dealt with ... most maple will not support vigorous grass under them .... and the pic below shows why.. they are extremely shallow rooted ... and in 20 years or so.. you will be bouncing over those roots with the lawn mower ... it is an understatement to say I HATE MAPLES ... lol.. like most peeps here will testify .. can i have an amen.. lol ... but that is because i garden under trees ... and maples and a few others are the bane of growing just about anything ... now.. whether or not these things will happen in your lifetime.. is the key ... as most of my problems are from mature trees that were on the property when i moved in .... whether you will be there is 20 to 40 years.. when the real problems start .... well that is for you to answer ... my fallback.. in the choice of trees... is ALWAYS oak ... once they get going.. they can grow 3 to 5 feet per year... just under what a maple can do .... and frankly.. no matter what tree you opt for.. there will be a downside ... acorns.. helicopters.. fruit.. nuts .... barren soil underneath .. etc .... so it will all come down to simply your best choice... as i doubt you will ever find the 'perfect' tree ... IMHO ... the key to clay is simply the planting procedure.. allowing them to get established.. and once they do. they are fully capable of putting their roots where they want them ... for the most part ... good luck ken

I simply love the overall look of 'Heritage' River Birch trees. The 'Dura Heats' are reported to withstand planting areas that drain better and that may encounter more drying out in the hottest parts of summer, when rains are less apt to occur. Personally though, the 'Dura Heat' birches seem to display a little more yellow than I would prefer to see in a birch tree's bark. The leaves also do not seem to be as nicely shaped or colored as the Heritage Birch tree's leaves. Bottom line; I guess whichever birch cultivar you plant needs to the cultivar that is more compatable with the soil conditons and climate that the tree will encounter in its intended planting site. Still personally I prefer the Heritage Birch tree cultivar over most others. There are even prettier cultivars than Heritage Birch, but any those others that happen to tolerate my USDA zone area seem to be more prone to Birch borers or even other pests, which feed off the leaves of such birch trees.

What gets me about river birch-and keep in mind I really do like this tree-is that DOT landscapers must have been reading a list of "native plants" for Wisconsin and then, armed with all that knowledge, proceeded to install them willy-nilly here in the limey, eastern part of that state. In short, they have absolutely no chance of amounting to anything. Throw in all the salt that gets used up here-we must be the leaders in that category-and what you end up with is a mass of witches brooms on the trunk of a tree with almost no leaves whatsoever. And they keep on planting these dogs! Meanwhile, the birch species that actually is native to this part of the state-B. papyrifera-gets avoided like the plague because back in the 70's some landscapers who didn't understand that tree's cultural needs had trouble with some. Not saying they would do well along the highway either, but at least the designer wouldn't immediately get a failing mark for doing something totally stupid. Mind you, in modern-day Wisconsin, those are probably not state employees, but some private landscaper with a close relationship with the governor or one of his friends. Crony capitalism is alive and well! +oM

accept the tree for what it is.. or get rid of it ... thats about all your options ... well .. i suppose you could also do some root pruning ... cutting out A FEW offending roots ... key word: few .... in tree time.. the tree will react with a fury.. and perhaps make more roots that irritate you even more ... a tree is said to be twice as large underground.. as above.. and i dont see how removing a FEW roots is going to do major harm.. its not like peeps who dig a trench near a tree and cut off half its root mass .... if you get carried away ... the tree might die in a decade or two .... problem solved.. lol ... but im wondering how big this tree is.. and how close to the house it is ... since its inside the edging ... perhaps it should go ... before it swallows the house??? ... its a very common landscaping mistake.. to plant trees with great potential.. too close to the house ... get us a pic.. if you want opinion on that ... trees are entirely replaceable .. mother earth net zero .. perhaps if it is too close.. its time to plant a replacement clump.. out in the lawn ... so when its time for these to go.. you will already have a new plan ... ken