Big Old Shade Tree - what is your favorite species?

[fishheadbob]

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

 

[smstonypoint]

Cleveland was bred from Bradford

Run away! Run as fast as you can and hope that your neighbors do too.

Steve

 

[nybirdman]

Maple for sure.I have a few white oaks that some-one had planted maybe a 100 years ago.I have another in the front yard that was about 1-1/2" in diameter and six feet tall 35 years ago;now it is 25'tall and maybe 7" in diameter,so really slow growing.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Soft maple trees provide excellent shade. We had a huge one in our front yard growing up. Yes there are leaves in the fall, and the helicopter seeds to come down too but it is still a great tree to spend many a lazy afternoon under. These soft maples are not to be confused with the hard maples that give maple syrup.

Hate soft maples, much prefer hard maple. Soft drop limbs like crazy

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Maybe if you’re planting shade for your unborn grandchildren. Otherwise look elsewhere.

My oaks have grown fast. They do take moisture from the ground.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

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.

Black locust are not great for shade. And they runner new shoots all over your yard. I have some preexisting ones in my yard.
Great for fence posts.

 

[Jstpssng]

Over here I have a maple - Crimson King.

That's another invasive which was just banned here. Those little "helicopters" go everywhere, and the next thing that you know they're the dominant trees.

Maple than oak until the nuts start falling...ouch.

Rush-The Trees (Lyrics) - YouTube

 

[tcreeley]

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 years 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!

 

[Jstpssng]

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 years 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!

Earthworms are also invasive; until we brought them over from Europe, they had been extinct for 10,000 years.

Norway Maple in it's various configurations is becoming a problem; taking over sites and out competing native trees. I was calling it an invasive at training sessions long before it made the list; now it's on the list of banned plants.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

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

Leaves as big as pie plates! My neighbor's Sycamore provides me plenty of mulch!