Which Tree to plant?????

[Mighty Oak]

I am planing to plant a tree this Fall and I really don't know which tree would be the best one for my backyard, I have a Oak , Washington Hawthorn , Wild Black Cherry , 2 Crabapple tree and have try a White Dogwood tree without any success to get it to grow, so I am looking at a Yellow Birch Tree to take it place. I really like the Dogwood tree but I have a heavy clay soil, which one to be the nicest of the two trees?

I would like to know what tree would be the longest live tree?

I am not looking for a dense shaded tree but one that has a nice looking shad so my grass will grow. I will be looking forward in hearing from you on this.

 

[ATH]

If you want a dogwood in clay, I'd consider kousa dogwood before flowering dogwood.

 

[pdqdl]

There is so much to consider besides just the other trees in the area and the soil type. Think of good answers to these questions, then maybe we can give you better advice:

Why do you want another tree?

What traits are you looking for in the tree that you want? (traits to consider: flowering tree, shade tree, unusual appearance, temperature tolerance, final height, rate of growth, fall foliage color,...)

Describe the exact setting that you are going to locate the tree in: nearby to other trees, drainage, nearby structures, power lines, etc.

Really, it just doesn't make sense to recommend any tree without knowing the goals of the person doing the planting and the conditions it will be growing in.

 

[Mighty Oak]

There is so much to consider besides just the other trees in the area and the soil type. Think of good answers to these questions, then maybe we can give you better advice:

Why do you want another tree?I would like to have another tree in my back yard to keep the house cool in the Summer time and to attract birds to my backyard.

What traits are you looking for in the tree that you want? (traits to consider: flowering tree, shade tree, unusual appearance, temperature tolerance, final height, rate of growth, fall foliage color,...)I would like to have the tree to ether have flowers for berries, seeds that birds like, and shelter for the birds. I also would like a light to medium shade.I live in Ohio so I would want a tree that is native to Ohio's temperature. Final height would be in the 70 feet range, and a HARD WOOD tree with a medium rate of growth nothing fast. An the Fall Color needs to be beautiful be it yellow, red, oragan.

Describe the exact setting that you are going to locate the tree in: nearby to other trees, drainage, nearby structures, power lines, etc. Right now I have 2 Crabapple trees, 1 Washington Hawthorn, Oak, and am getting a Wild Black Cherry, yes there is power lines lines in the back of my backyard but the trees are not by them. I have a clay soil so I need a tree that will take to clay.The tree would be about 25 feet away from my house.

Really, it just doesn't make sense to recommend any tree without knowing the goals of the person doing the planting and the conditions it will be growing in.

I am not sure if I answered all your question but I hope you understand now or have a better picture of what I want out of the tree. I am looking at a Yellow Birch tree but have not made my mind up yet this is why I am coming to experts like yourself to gave me some answers.

 

[brnchbrkr]

I would like to know what tree would be the longest live tree?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginkgo

GINKGO

[edit] Prehistory
Fossils recognisably related to modern Ginkgo date back to the Permian, some 270 million years ago. The genus diversified and spread throughout Laurasia during the middle Jurassic and Cretaceous, but became much rarer thereafter. By the Paleocene, Ginkgo adiantoides was the only Ginkgo species extant in the Northern Hemisphere with a markedly different (but not well-documented) form persisting in the Southern Hemisphere. At the end of the Pliocene, Ginkgo fossils disappeared from the fossil record everywhere apart from a small area of central China where the modern species survived. It is in fact doubtful whether the Northern Hemisphere fossil species of Ginkgo can be reliably distinguished. Given the slow pace of evolution in the genus, there may have been only two in total, what is today called G. biloba (including G. adiantoides), and G. gardneri from the Paleocene of Scotland.


http://images.google.com/images?hl=...pell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=ginkgo&spell=1

 

[pdqdl]

I have some thoughts on this that might work for you, maybe not. Here is a good location to scout out plants; it lets you set the parameters, and it pulls lots of options out of it's extensive database:

http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Search.asp

Here are my thoughts:


I would like to have another tree in my back yard to keep the house cool in the Summer time and to attract birds to my backyard. OK: a shade tree, first and foremost.

I would like to have the tree to ether have flowers for berries, seeds that birds like, and shelter for the birds. I also would like a light to medium shade.I live in Ohio so I would want a tree that is native to Ohio's temperature. Final height would be in the 70 feet range, and a HARD WOOD tree with a medium rate of growth nothing fast. An the Fall Color needs to be beautiful be it yellow, red, oragan. Hmm...That makes it tough. Most of the flowering trees have poor color in the fall. The first tree to jump to mind for me is a black locust. Fabulous, fragrant flowers in the late spring, they are extremely hardy and make an excellent light shade tree of the size you are seeking. Yellow fall color, but not really much to look at. They will grow almost anywhere, as they are usually considered a weed tree. Why? Because they are a very messy tree (as are most locusts), dropping small branches and seeds all the time. They have short, stiff little thorns that are a real pain when they are juvenile trees, hardly noticeable when mature. And they are invasive: all those little seeds become seedlings unless you pick them up. Mature, they are hard to beat for a huge, storm resistant shade tree. When in flower, they are like having a 70' lilac tree outside the house. Flowers everywhere, massive fragrance exuded into the breeze. You might be able to find an improved variety at a nursery, but I have never seen one. You can find wild ones almost anywhere.

Read carefully what MoBot has to say about them: http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=C143

Right now I have 2 Crabapple trees, 1 Washington Hawthorn, Oak, and am getting a Wild Black Cherry, yes there is power lines lines in the back of my backyard but the trees are not by them. I have a clay soil so I need a tree that will take to clay.The tree would be about 25 feet away from my house. Hawthorns and crabapples are understory trees, they will work nicely near a shade tree. Don't plant a shade tree any closer than 25' from the oak, especially if that is a variety of white oak.

I am not sure if I answered all your question but I hope you understand now or have a better picture of what I want out of the tree. I am looking at a Yellow Birch tree but have not made my mind up yet this is why I am coming to experts like yourself to gave me some answers. I am not that familar with a yellow birch, so I would only be repeating what I look up. Try the plant finder listed above, it should give you much better options than I could suggest.

Mobot suggested these trees on the search that I did:

Your Plant Search Results

Please Note: The following plants all meet your search criteria. This list is not necessarily a list of recommended plants to grow, however. Please read about each plant. Some may be invasive in your area or may have undesirable characteristics such as above average insect or disease problems.

Search limited to: Trees, Over 30 feet tall, 15-30 feet spread, Shade tree, Flowering tree, Have good fall color

Scientific Name Common Name Height (ft.) Zone
Aesculus flava yellow buckeye 50-75 4-8
Liriodendron tulipifera tulip tree 60-90 4-9
Magnolia acuminata cucumber tree 40-70 3-8
Prunus serotina black cherry 50-80 3-9
Sorbus alnifolia mountain ash 40-50 3-7