Big Old Shade Tree - what is your favorite species?

Streetcar · May 15, 2018

tcreeley said:
Fastest growing (your lifetime!) here in Maine are spruce, honey locust, silver maple, chinese elm, and wild black cherry. Much depends on your soil and how cold it gets. Our trees have to survive zone 3 if you want them around for a lifetime or two.
My favorite shade trees were the sugar maples we had as a kid, but then they were well over a 100 yokears old!
- as for invasive - each state has their forbidden list. Outside of that list, I wouldn't worry about it.

- Once found a red rosa rugosa growing on the midst of our woods. Obviously an invasive plant there by its lonesome in the shade.
I dug it up and moved it to the front yard!
Pesky birds. Just like with all of the apple trees they plant and the horses harvest. Pesky invasives!

There are many plants and animals that are invasive, but to get listed by the state as invasive, it has to cause some serious problems

goeduck · May 15, 2018

hslogger said:
Being up on the Washington Coastal area, of course big leaf maple would just grow like crazy. Brittle in the end, but fast growing. Get a native one.
Other suggestion is Black Locust. Slower to get established, long living tree. Talk to one of your local arborists or certified nurseryman.

The area I live is known for the Big Leaf Maples and I know them as firewood. One article that I read classified them as hardwoods, but they are really fairly soft and I really do not want a snappy tree near the house. But maybe some other variety of Maple. I do like the Maple look. Just not BLM. Plus they are very common here. I am not familiar with Black Locust in this area.

goeduck · May 15, 2018

Oldoak said:
:thumbsup:

Although you will be waiting for quite some time for them to grow big enough to provide the shade you are looking for. But as each year passes the growth rate accelerates. Oaks stand the test of time better than Maples and provide entertainment from all the different species of wildlife that feed on their acorns.

I know from experience. We planted Oak saplings many years ago and they are now 35'-40' tall.

I do not really expect to see shade from the tree in my lifetime. I just think the house, and most any house that has the space, would look good with a big old shade tree. The previous owner planted a few flowering cherrries and they ended up being diseased but spawned a boatload of rootstock shoot 12-18 diam trees that will are now in the firewood pile for heat the winter after next. That and some big leaf maples I took out are the reason I now have space for a shade tree. I drove past a park today that had some 100+ year old oaks and they were nice looking.

dalola · May 15, 2018

fishheadbob said:
Sycamore. Fast growing, plenty of shade, doesn't go looking for water or sewer lines, and the roots stay invisible below the ground.

I have a love/hate relationship with my yard full of sycamores (we live along a river). Beautiful, stately trees, provide dense shade, and are very tough.

But..

They are dirty, dirty, dirty. Alway dropping something....bark, seed pods that get EVERYWHERE, early leaf drop in summer then again in late fall...and btw, those big leathery leaves will kill your grass if you don't chop them up.

Awesome trees far away from your house! But I would not want them any closer than they are. The biggest is about 100' tall, 4' diameter trunk, she's a big girl!

jk96 · May 15, 2018

These are autumn blaze maples. We planted these 10 years ago and just recently moved them. Fast growing and great color. Only complaint is that the leaves drop faster than some other maples after they turn.

2017-10-04_07-37-45

2017-10-04_07-38-08

Jstpssng · May 15, 2018

jk96 said:
These are autumn blaze maples. We planted these 10 years ago and just recently moved them. Fast growing and great color. Only complaint is that the leaves drop faster than some other maples after they turn.

2017-10-04_07-37-45

2017-10-04_07-38-08

Nice spade. Is that yours?

Otto Syracuse · May 15, 2018

Oaks are generally slow growing, but a Pin Oak will grow quicker than a red or white oak, has strong branches and a nice shape. The leaves stay on much longer than most other trees, so clean up will be late in the season. But we love sitting under ours, lots of great shade.

PS: we have quite a few Sugar Maples, very pretty tree but tall and straight, not much in the way of shade. Also, the seed pods are a pain, and the branches are weaker than most other trees. Lots of clean up every spring or after a strong wind storm.

jk96 · May 15, 2018

Jstpssng said:
Nice spade. Is that yours?

I feel like it should be after what we paid to move these. Lol. I needed them moved further from our building for a remodel project. Planted as 4' trees 10 years ago. Most now are around 10" trunks and 25+ feet tall. The spade they used was a 90" spade. We moved 7 maples and 12 cedars last fall. All but 1 of the cedars made it so far.