Depends on elm-yellows being present, as the DED-resistant Amer elms seem to have zero resistance to that, as I found out.

I highly recommend Allee Chinese elm myself (I have one) -- resistant to both DED & elm-yellows.

Hmmm... Elm yellows has been found in the state of Ohio. Allee Chinese elm would be a good fit but I do worry about the cold weather tolerance. Zone 5 is only to -20 and the past two winters this area has seen -10 and -15. I just worry that it will be lost over a decade.

There's a new pure Ulmus americana called 'St Croix', which was found growing in the small town of Afton, MN, surrounded by DED-infected trees. The U of Minnesota did extensive testing and found it to have a high level of disease resistance. Bailey Nursery (major wholesale nursery operation) now has it in production, so you might be able to find it locally. Here's a bit of info on it.

I emailed Bailey Nursery asking for more information on the St Croix over the winter. I never got a response and wasn't sure if there would be any benefit over the other American Elms.

NHBabs I just saw your response, it's posted ahead of beng-12 but I didn't see it until a few minutes ago. Anyway, they have lacebark elms in zone 4b/5a of decent size?

Another option is Zelkova serrata 'Green Vase' but I haven't been terribly impressed by what I've seen. Maybe once they've matured and started to fill out.

Does anyone have a decent picture of a mature American elm they've grown?

I heartily endorse 'Accolade' if one would seek a disease-resistant elm. These things are shaping up to be just plain gorgeous in our region. Our oldest are probably in the ground for 15-20 years now, and if I have any complaint, it's the relative lack of brilliant fall color, unlike the giant golden mushroom that was AM. elm in the fall. That said, they are very impressive trees at this point. 'Accolade' is simply hard to beat IMO.

Maack, just saw that 'St. Croix' cultivar recently. Could be a very favorable development for us here to the north of say, those regions from which earlier disease-resistant Am. elms were derived.

Allee is hardy here and would be fine in OH, but I'd recommend spring planting for this variety to give it time to root in before winter.

I prefer to do spring or fall planting in general. It's just sometimes hard to find what you want during those times.

So Allee and accolade for the front yard and maybe an American Elm for the back. Thanks everyone!

Anyone have some pictures of either of these two?

Anyone?

Accolade was SMA's Tree of the Year in 2012: http://www.urban-forestry.com/assets/documents/accoladeelm.pdf

Allee was SMA's Tree of the Year in 2003. Nice pics of Allee on this webpage, from central IL (click on the photos to enlarge): https://www.iwu.edu/treemap/HTMLTreePages2011/AlleeElm.html

Thanks for the links!

NWalton, The Ulmus parvifolia I see at on my way to work are in 5b on the NH seacoast. I'm in a cold pocket inland, and haven't seen any in my immediate area, though that probably means that they aren't readily available here, not necessarily that they aren't hardy.

I also see Zelkova serrata, though I don't know the cultivar, at work (UNH in Durham, NH), including some that have been there at least 20 years. I find the mature ones to be really nice looking trees with pretty but subtle fall color, a nice shape, and healthy looking foliage all season.

My Allee II Chinese elm after 10 yrs:

NHBabs thanks for the info. If us Yankees (my wife and I) ever move south I have no hesitation with Allee.

Coastal temps in the north have less dramatic swings. I know hydrangeas thrive in those climates and I wonder if it helps create a bubble to help the Allee. We had zone 5a hardy bushes die two years ago with a bitter cold snap. After that I realized that Zones are a good relative indicator of climate but if I am planning for a tree to live decades what are the chances of it dying?

One hour north I'm by the lake and it would be perfect an hour south in the inner belt of Columbus I have no doubts.

Beng12 that does have a nice fall color to it.

How do the Allee hold up in wind storms? This year we have had five days of gusts over 50mph and one day of 70mph.

No problem w/wind as the wood is very flexible, like most elms.

There are differing opinions, but some authorities consider lacebark elms (as a species) to be relatively susceptible to storm damage. Not sure how Allee compares to the species as a whole in this regard, but I assume it is less susceptible than the average lacebark elm. The generally slower growth in the north vs the south may also help reduce susceptibility. https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/HORT/HORT-7/HORT-7_pdf.pdf

Regarding hardiness, we had no dieback here after 2 very cold winters (2013/14 & 2014/15). I've heard/read that vigorous growth can be nipped by late/early freezes in spring/fall, but haven't observed that here. Our Allee's do leaf out quite late in the spring.

I have 3 of the elms you mention (Accolade, Jefferson and Princeton) and they are all good choices. We have some Accolades across the state of Michigan, and they seem to do very well even in spots where they are not cared for. Just a very nice dark green and fast growing. If you are considering Accolade, I would also take a look at the Triumph elm too. I've seen both original parent trees and think the triumph has a more classic look although it's similar to Princeton, but with the additional disease resistance. There are huge regional differences that impact how they look in your climate zone.

I have planted several Princeton elms over the past 5 years and they are exciting to watch grow. It's insane how quickly they gain caliper and height, but a lot of what I have read indicates they are prone to breakage due to upright included branches.

The Jefferson elm is a mysterious one. They are very hard to locate. I mail ordered what I thought was a Jefferson Elm, only to find out there was a mix up and it was a Princeton. This was from one of the only resellers of the Jefferson so I'm sure there are many out there who have a tree that is different than what they thought they had ordered. (Picture on this website is definitely incorrect and is of a Princeton elms ....http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=265902&isprofile=0&letter=U)

I drove a couple of hours to Ohio to pick up a Jefferson elm. North Branch Nursery had them and a few other varieties. You should check them out if you are close. The Jefferson seems promising and has some unique characteristics such as better branch angles, leafs out about a week sooner as well as having a different genetic makeup than other elms. ... not sure if this really mean much :) Also, it would be less common and unique!

Here is one of the few pics I was able to find of a "young" Jefferson elm being planted @ the Whitehouse.

Check out this study for some info from your state where Triumph and Accolade both do very well.

https://bspm.agsci.colostate.edu/files/2013/03/Ohio-Elm-Trial-March-1-2016.pdf

Good luck!

Question for all elm fanciers: How does 'Accolade' color up in the fall in your locales? That's the only knock I've got against the tree-a somewhat subdued fall coloration. Anyone have any different experience with this cultivar in the fall?

Zone 5a, Michigan - my Accolade was planted in May 2012 during a very hot summer and was pretty large (4.5 inches), it has taken some time to recover. The first year, the color was a nice yellow and lasted for quite some time, so I was initially quite impressed. In the following Fall's 2013, 2014 and 2015 the color has not been so good, but I had issues with early leaf drop due to stress. I will update later this year as I think it is finally well established and really starting to grow!

Thanks longtee. Next!

Longtee81 I appreciate your comments. ;-) The Jefferson elm is a hard one to locate but my local garden shop ordered and received 3 of them last year. They were 2" calipers and I saw them this year and am blown away how large they've gotten. I'm also surprised they still have so many. How can you tell at a young age whether it's Jefferson or Princeton?

My understanding is Jefferson is triploid and will not produce viable seed. I don't know if that's a benefit or not.

While at our garden in town (Kingwood) I realized that they have multiple lacebark elm trees. They all have some protection being on the east side of all structures, but it's definitely a reassuring sign.

So if my wife lets me cut down our nonbearing pear, I think I might try the Allee in the front. With Jefferson being available, I will probably plant that cultivar to the side of the swing set in the backyard for shade.