Anything you do is likely to draw more attention to the problem rather than hiding it. Why not let it be, and draw attention to other parts of the garden with nice plantings?

It would be helpful to know your USDA zone as well as the lighting situation where the tree is. Also maybe a wider shot of the area? Knowing none of that, azaleas like to be under trees, and while that's a pretty old-school landscape design, it might look better than the trunk. You could do three dwarf, white flower ones maybe? But also, I get having something like this just nag at you, but it really doesn't look that bad to me. Maybe try to live with it for a year and see if you move on to obsessing about other things? If you're like me there's always something new to obsess about.

Not a Pro.

Add a bench in front of it.

Back Porch & Backyard at Bench · More Info

You could plant something like a large Hosta at the base of the tree, though it will die back in winter.

Also adding, be careful considering vines, as they will climb the tree, but many will also strangle the tree or add weight that the tree will struggle to support.

Before planting anything at the base the landscape fabric would need to go.

I agree that planting anything in order to hide it is likely to make it worse. It's healing. Look elsewhere for a while

It's not that bad! It has an interesting stance.

If you don't like the bench shown above, there are sectional ones that wrap around the entire tree.

it appears to be the side away from the house.. how about you just ignore it ...

and in the meantime.. at the proper planting time.. you plant one or two other trees some distance away ,... from this one... so they will be well on their way.. when this one fails ...

big city name location ... and we can make suggestions ...

at link below.. note proper planting times ...if it cant be done soon ... fall might be a better planting time.. depending on how hot and dry your summers are ....

ken

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

Thank you to everyone! Sorry, I should have stated zone 4, Minnesota.

You are correct,

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

it is the side that is away from the house, the bad section faces the driveway & the road. That is the plan, to eventually plant another tree in this location. It really is in the perfect spot to shade our living room windows and as you can see in the above photo, it is in the center of the lawn between the driveway & the house. We are on a farm & the driveway gets used for large equipment, so planting a tree closer to the driveway is not a possibility. So we will live with it until it gets bad enough to be in danger of falling over & when that happens the stump will have to be chipped out & a replacement planted. Thank you for the planting link!

njmomma - I honestly hadn't thought of adding just a bench to cover that side! I'm thinking this will be my answer for the time being-thank you!!

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK - I will grab a shovel & for sure get this landscape fabric out! Thanks!

The most economical solution would be to replace tree now. If you are going to eventually do it anyway. With a scar like that it's compromised. The tree does look rather close to your home so be sure to pick out a new tree that won't cause a problem for your house if you plan to replant in same spot. I would plant it farther away if possible. Or a tree that won't get too big. Whatever the replacement is find out about root growth and canopy size for the mature tree.

Is the tree a flowering crab?? I have one of those and similar scars on mine from rabbits one winter chewing on bark. I'm in Minnesota too. We had a very harsh winter one year and the local rabbits ate anything they could, even some yews. They almost killed off three of my trees. I now encircle sensitive trees the rabbits might get to every winter with chicken wire.....oh, I just remembered you said it was a sucker.

I had one flowering crab that didn't make it so I cut it down. Then it sent up a sucker and I let it grow, trimmed it etc. A few years later we got crab apples. Apparently the flowering crab was grafted on to heartier root stock of a tree. For a crab apple they aren't too bad..but mostly go to deer or if someone wants to make apple butter.

i had that happen to a maple that I let grow from a sucker near the stump. As the old wood rotted the 'rot' moved up into the living tree at the base. It will never be a 'nice tree' prone to toppling during a wind storm and rot moving up into the heartwood.

Just an FYI but even flowering crabs produce fruit. May not be very large or very tasty (mostly used for cider or with jellies and in applesauce) but they still produce them and are usually a very distinctive ornamental feature.

I think it's an interesting part of the tree, and it's just healing, and healing well from an old wound. I would put a small island of mulch and Ostrich ferns around it to make it look nice, and to avoid more contact with maybe a riding lawn mower?

' There seems to be a low threshold of tolerance for anything not cosmetically perfect in the tree world. '

For me it's a good excuse to plant another tree. :-)

Otherwise, I agree, it's not a critical emergency or anything.

Too bad the injured side is exposed to viewing from the road. :o)

The tree looks like a Royal Red (or Crimson King) Norway maple. These trees are very borderline for zone 4 Minnesota. They get trunk cankers and winter damage easily due to our climate here. Growth is often much slower and even sometimes stunted-looking in comparison to the green leaf Norway cultivars like Emerald Lustre. At least half of the red leaf older Norway maple cultivars around the Twin Cities have this kind of gnarly, large trunk wound. Rot will get it eventually.

OK, I've tried posting my photos as a group numerous times and it doesn't go through, so I'll try one photo at a time. I was wanting to take you on a 'tour' of pots around my misshapen maple tree trunk. It is what I've come up with without much expense. I had the pots, divided the plants, a little grass removal & edging and some new mulch. When the plants fill out, I think they will do a great job of camouflaging this bad tree trunk. Thank you all for your comments & suggestions!

" It really is in the perfect spot to shade our living room windows "

If you cut this tree down, you will never again have a tree in the perfect spot to shade your living room.

The tree is at lease 20 years old probably more. The first 10 years after planting it probably produced very little shade on the windows. If you cut it, can you do with out shade for the next 10 to 15 years?

To me a more logical path would be to plant trees to replace it in the next 20 years. When the new trees start to interfere with this one then cut this one down. Two or three strategically planted trees around this could provide the shade you need when this one must be cut or falls down. From your pictures it seems you have plenty of room for those replacements,

Thanks for the update.

tj

Very creative solution to the problem! Thanks!

I agree, keeping the tree until you can get another one or two growing for replacements is a good idea but the tree looks pretty weak and could go over in the next wind storm.

Nicely done. My wife would definitely approve. New decorative pots with plants in them seem to be showing up around my yard weekly.

BTW, didn't mention earlier but I think it might be Eutypella canker: https://extension.umn.edu/plant-diseases/eutypella-canker