Hi All! Second year in this home. We want to improve the comfort and attractiveness of our backyard and add value to our new neighborhood. I'm looking for suggestions/recommendations for a medium-size tough, durable, disease & insect resistant tree with a moderate growth rate (hey, I'm 65 and would like to have at least a little shade before I'm dead!).

Metro area is Omaha, NE.

The backyard area is on the east side of the house. It gets sun from 11:00am until sunset in midsummer. It's a hot area in the afternoon! Our neighbor's beautiful 60-80 foot trees provide high shade in the morning hours (yes, that is an 80 foot pecan tree you see in the pic!) In the winter the wind blows in strongly from the northwest and the new tree will be subjected to these strong winter winds as well as summer storms. This past year there were a number of big old trees in the neighborhood that crashed or lost large branches due to high winds.

Our neighbor behind us (see pics) has redbuds, white pines, limber pines, spruce, Japanese lilac, honey locust, pecan, and white oak trees that are doing well although they recently had to remove one of their honey locust trees. Arbs are struggling.

Soil is clay and drainage is about a 4 (10 being wonderfully draining and 1 being awful). I'm adding organic materials as I go through each section, but it's slow-going. Please note there are the power lines and a fence 16 feet to the east of where I want to plant the tree in question.

Last year in the backyard I planted 3 B&B redbuds (1 died). This year I added a serviceberry single stem Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry; Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Autumn Brilliance' (container grown), an Ivory Silk Japanese lilac (Syringa reticulata) B&B, and a Pinus flexilis 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid' pine (container grown). Last fall I had 3 multi-stem serviceberries (B&B) planted in the FRONT yard and 2 died. I also had a B&B Vanderwolf planted in the FRONT and it is doing great.

I greatly appreciate suggestions for a new "focal" tree. Thanks!! Kath

The proposed planting area is the open area between the redbud and the Vanderwolf. Look at the neighbor's 80+ foot pecan tree!!!

323 living room · More Info

Proposed tree site-different view. Note overhead electrical. The "stump" in the neighbors yard was a Scotch Pine.

323 living room · More Info

16 feet to the east is the fence (and electrical). The Vanderwolf is 17 feet to the northeast.