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

oh come on, are there really men out there who care? Just kidding. My husband could care less if we even have a counter top. We just got our granite today. we have been using the raw plywood that thankfully our cabinet maker put on for us. I don't know why he makes them like that, but he does. I ended up going with the cold springs granite, which is very much like delicatus on my perimeter cabs and I did the absolute black on my island. I love the contrast! it is beautiful. my kitchen is not finished yet, and please excuse the granite dust from today. we have to adjust the feet on the stove to raiseit up to the height of the granite, and I am not finished painting, but you can see how they look together. maybe you could compromise with two granites?

Back in the days when i was posty -ing.I used to sit on hot days(not for too long )under a very large river red gum. One day I came round the corner and it was gone. I nearly cried.The man whose house and garden it had once been part of gave me a letter opener that he made out of the bits of the tree that he salvaged.It had sadly started to drop boughs and was considered dangerous.Whenthey cut it down it actually was quite diseased inside.I still think of that majestic giant when ever I am at my desk.I love my big trees up at the farm and would never cut one.I only ever harvest the fallen timber.

I would get rid of it. Trying to restore a declining/struggling tree in this type of situation is more often than not a losing battle, and it is rarely worth the effort. And sweetgums don't have the most attractive structure to begin with IMO. So if you are talking about one that is already struggling and losing branches, it likely will never be a beauty. Throw in the fact that it is a probably a wild tree in a less-than-ideal location for the seeds, and I cannot imagine justifying $$ on arborist consulting and rehab work. People on this board will often recommend calling in an arborist for various issues, but bear in mind that they are not cheap consultants, and they are pretty limited in what they can do for bigger shade trees. If you are bringing out someone to cut down the redbud, the incremental cost for removing this tree and planting a more suitable one will be minimal. If you really like the tree, you can always just wait a year and gauge whether it is continuing to decline or bouncing back, before spending any $$ on it. Just another opinion for you...