Gabrielle12, It sounds like you have some fairly compacted and possibly clay soil. While many maples in the landscape tend to be shallow rooted, Most trees will tend to have surface roots if the soil is too dense for there to be oxygen below the surface, as roots require this. So it is probable that many trees would have similar problems. Since your space is limited, i would suggest a smaller under story type tree that is native to your area. Smaller tree normally means smaller root area and should help to minimize the driveway problem. Not familiar with your area so probably someone else can help with that.

corkball1, There are probably some Black Gums around Dallas, but only one I recall seeing was at the arboretum. Suspect it would have to be pampered some to do well in the alkaline leaning soils common here. Am going to have to go back and check out the arboretum tree this fall to see if it turns that wonderful red ... believe it's the champion tree for the DFW area. davidrt28, I actually believe Mexican Sugar Maple would probably grow pretty well in the soil here thanks to its alkaline tolerance. It's just that local reliability in zone 8a clay, form, and even actual parentage of SFAU's openly pollinated seedlings are still largely uncertain this early in the domestication process. Someone interested in this tree can read the fairly recent status provided on page 197 (PDF page 18) of this SNA conference Plant Breeding and Evaluation paper to decide if its attributes make it worth chasing one down at this stage. One of a few I would be willing to gamble with if we still had the space of a two acre suburban lot. With the work in progress and five more native distributions to consider, seems very likely that reliable selections/hybrids of good color and form will eventually be available through Dallas area nurseries.

Hi guys, I did not want to open another post, so I will ask here. i bought my shade tree today. I was going to get a Scarlet Oak, and even had it mail ordered BUT i went to the store and spotted a Pin Oak, 6 foot tall, beautiful red fall color, and priced for just 8 bucks, so felt like buying it. The only "problem" is that my beautiful Pin Oak has no leader, it is forked. It does not bother me statically, but I was wondering if it oils have any benefit long term to the tree if I cut one of the branches?

The only one on your list that will reach near 40' (in your lifetime) would be the Honeylocust. Fall color won't be that great on most honeylocust. Amur Chokecherry (like most Prunus) is short-lived in the Midwest and is a small tree to begin with. Both Ironwood and Carpinus are nice but will not approach 40' and will be slow growing. Tupelo would meet your size requirements but you would want to ensure an acidic pH and damp soil (also many cultivars are not fully hardy in zone 5). Paperbark Maple is another great tree but is quite slow growing. $1000 for a 10' tree is ridiculous unless the branching/top is very well-developed. Other options include: Crimson Sunset Maple (medium growth rate) Redpointe Maple (fast growth rate) Fall Fiesta Sugar Maple (fast growth rate) State Street Maple (medium to fast growth rate) Kentucky Coffeetree (starts out a little slow but grows quickly after established) Butterflies Magnolia (would be a little slower growing but unique) River Birch (fast growing) Swamp White Oak or Heritage Oak (may grow over 40' but will be quite a while) American Persimmon (will grow quickly after established and is unique) Most of these will be available from local retailers or wholesalers. Keep in mind mature sizes are always approximate. It all depends on the site, care, and other factors how quickly a tree will grow and when its growth rate will slow as it begins to enter maturity. No tree will grow to 40' and stop. I would hope you could get (3) 10' trees for $1,000.00. Good luck!