I got my DED resistant elms from the "Elm Research Institute." They are on the web. Their elms are called "liberty" elms--they have several different cultivars/clones. I got three, hoping for one with a high arching vase form. Too ealy to tell, but after three years one of them looks like it will really, really "soar." The other looks good also. The third was killed by a plague of Japanese beetles that I was a little late recognizing as a threat that first year. --Spruce

I see these entries are a few years old but I believe applicable to my situation. We bought at a nursery and planted a 4 ' tall Drake Elm and planted in our back yard in Spring of 2015. It grew like a weed. In 2017 a relative "helped " us and pruned many trees, bushes on our one acre. I cried about my Elm. Strange thing, each limb that was pruned sprouted 2-3 new limbs. Well, it survived and is now (June 2020) about 40 ' tall at tallest branch. Now it needs some lower branches pruned from the trunk so the riding lawn mower can go by/under to cut the grass, and also produce an area to place chairs to sit in its shade. I see branches inside it that are growing straight up and I am assuming it will not hurt the tree to prune those. It is a very beautiful tree and I wish we had space to plant more. The birds love it ! Thank you for all your responses here. I have learned new things. The nurseryman where we bought it retired and is not available for advice. Blessings! Louise H.

Actually, I've heard stories of the ficus root systems lifting concrete driveways here in Phoenix. I intensely dislike those trees, for a number of reasons: First and foremost, they're water hogs. And if they don't get the water they want, that's when you get the wandering roots. Second, they are frost sensitive - many people ended up with dead or misshapen trees when we had the one cold night around New Years two years ago (and a particular nursery that promotes them heavily does not extend their warranty for frost). An established tree is not going to die, but you can count on having to cover it for any frost warnings for the first two winters. Third, their canopy is very dense- almost nothing will survive under it that needs sunlight - most grass will not. Fourth - these are *big* trees. Visit ASU's campus if you haven't seen a full grown one - they're right beside the ped bridge on University. They have a canopy that is 60-80' across. It'll take a few years for them to reach that size, but that's a lot of pruning that will have to be done to keep it in control, unless you have a fairly large yard. I wouldn't put it next to a pool, not only for the roots, but because it drops berry-sized fruits. Any 'evergreen' tree means that it doesn't drop all of its leaves at once, but will continue to drop them throughout the year. The Chinese Elm is an attractive tree, typically with a weeping form and interesting bark (some cultivars are called 'Lacebark Elms'). GT is right - I have no idea how it got the name evergreen. You also have to be careful about over-watering them, we lost one that was on a sprinkler watered lawn, it broke in a monsoon. These also get really tall, but not with the spread of the Ficus. Seriously, if I had a pool, I'd probably put a shade structure (pergola, patio, whatever) rather than a tree, but I know just about everyone does. Okay, enough for one night!

Thanks so much for your responses. I'm so sorry to hear about your problems with anthracnose, gulley. I did google it as you suggested, and thankfully I don't see any symptoms on my tree. However, I don't know which variety of Ulmus parvifolia I have, so it's definitely something I will keep in mind for the future. So far my tree still has about 50% of its leaves. We've had wind gusts of 70 mph over the past couple of days, and theyr'e still hanging on, so I guesss that's a good sign! I didn't realize there were so many varieties of Chinese Elm, which would probably explain why different trees in my neighborhood seem to have vastly different leaf drop patterns. As with every plant, I will have to wait until it's been in my garden for a year to know what to expect. Debra, thank you so much for posting the pictures, your trees are gorgeous, and a great reminder of why I chose my tree in the first place. Happy gardening everyone. Provence