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

You did not say how long your Birch trees have been growing on the property. If they are well established, you most likely are not considering how wide spreading birch root systems are. If you are putting a hose on the tree, that would not provide the needed water as quickly as the trees need. It would rather be creating a situation where the area around the hose, or where ever gravity draws the water, is watered enough to become deep watered, but the trees wide spreading roots could still remain dry. Additionally very few of the roots will benefit from the deeper soil moisture. Birch roots grow to the depth of the first foot or two of the soil, and they can spread across areas as wide as two, three, or more times farther than the birch's canopy spreads. It would be better to use a sprinkler system that is designed to broadcast the water; not only around the base of the trees, but also around the extended surface area where the trees roots may have spread. Another thing you might need to adjust is how soon you take note that the trees need watering. Do you watch and water at the very first signs of stress the trees show; or do you only jump into action, trying to respond when you see yellow leaves on the tree with some being shed? If you can respond to your trees need for help, before their damage results in the trees going into a kind of shock, then they should bounce back much more quickly.

i dont know why you started a new post ... note that all the names here.. are the same as there ... here is a link to the prior post ... for those interested ... no big deal .... http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/4494870/manhattan-euonymus-espalier-advice?n=8 anyway .... your novice-ness is showing thru ... your fixating on variables that you have no ability to deal with ... a birch tree... should be planted out on about a half acre with nothing else around ... so what ... its irrelevant.. since your yard doesnt look like a half acre .. lol .. yes.. it has aggressive surface roots... so what ... just learn how to read soil moisture.. and lake sure you maintain proper water ... no one can tell you how.. since we will never be in your garden ... as to your espalier ... whatever.. plant it.. prune it.. and have fun with it ... you being a bit retentive on worrying about it ... just do .. thats how most of us learned.. win or lose .. btw.. you learn more with every plant you kill .. in fact.. many people say you arent a true green thumb.. until you have killed every plant.. 3 times ... just do it .. i would install a separate trellis simply because i would not want a wood fence to stay dampish with the plant on it ... new or old fence ... so a trellis avoids your fence replacement worry ... you know.. grapes.. which is a vine.. are grown on wires... wonder it you can do that here ... for this summer.. i might try some morning glory or something ... just by tying a string up high.. and train the swirling vine on it ... i see you replied while i was typing ... wood is wood.. none of it last forever ... but understand that this year temporary trellis .... can be redone next year .... in tree time... there really is no final decision made this season.. other than getting it in the ground ... planting guide below ken https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

Birches generally are pioneer trees seen popping up in nature where there is good light exposure. Also you have planted a tree of some size that becomes a significant landscape feature in time. Birches grow in a wide range of soil moisture regimes. But how your planting reacts to the wetness there will depend on what the details are. If it will be sitting under water for extended periods it may not like that. Finally bronze birch borer is a problem for this species in much of the US. Have you checked to see if it occurs in your area?* We finally got it here, where European birch has been a quite common landscape feature - both planted and naturalized - for years. And now it appears the majority of specimens in places I go are being spoiled, with large sections of their tops being bored out and dying. *For best results from discussions here indicate the geographic locations of plants being asked about