Well, looks like U rubra can be multiplied on U americana stocks, so perhaps the reverse will apply. I'll try it anyway and report back. The old tree blew down in January, but the scions still look pretty good.

Beng: Sadly, as previous posters have indicated, there is NO preventative or treatment for EY. There may be some pesticides available to control the vector (white banded elm leaf hopper?) but as the tree matures, I would think that would become increasingly prohibitive. D.C. elms and they are planting quuite a number of them, could be in jeapardy since EY is supposed to be spreading in that direction. The legacy elms at Penn State are about to be subjected to an onslaught, as well. Alden Townsend, who conducted the elm innoculation studies for the National Arboretum, posted a disclaimer on the web shortly after the release of Valley Forge and New Harmony stating that all american elm selections involved in his study did show susceptibility to EY in the lab. I would be curious to see if in fact Princeton did show resistance, although I would probably not plant in area where EY was known to exist. I don't believe EY as as widespread and systemic as ded and tends to be spotty. I hope this isn't a major outbreak.

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!

I personally haven’t suffered from them myself (thank heavens), but I want to do all I can to avoid attracting them to our property (since they probably wouldn’t be otherwise, with no elms on our end of town and living in a semi-isolated desert community). Just last year, my brother’s family in another state had to deal with these bugs for the first time, without knowing what they were then, invading their home by the hundreds, with plenty of old Siberian elms in their neighborhood. From what I heard about the experience, it was very unpleasant. These resources might also explain better than I can how distressing they can be to homeowners (especially in our region): http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/07/elm-seed-bug-overwhelms-idaho/ http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2788&context=extension_curall I thought one source I read (but couldn’t find again) stated that, besides the stench they leave, that once they establish themselves in a house the first time, they will keep returning to that same location, by “marking their territory” somehow? Regardless, we have been happy to live fairly bug-free lives (besides the occasional spider) in our location, and though planting an elm has sounded appealing and very possible before (especially some of those DED-resistant American Elms!), I don’t think it would be worth the annoyance.