R.I.P. Sugar Maple

[wingdesigner]

Had to take down the sugar maple in our back yard two weekends ago. For our stamp-sized lot it shaded corner to corner with wonderful, dense, shade. Since it was here before me, I proceeded to border the entire yard and create an island bed of hostas, ferns, trillium, merrybells, bleeding heart, you name it. Well, now we have a full-sun back yard. I envision about 20 patio umbrellas to provide shade for the next 10 years until something else grows up. Meanwhile, we bake. And it's really bright in the bedroom windows now.

It had a girdling root, but seemed to be doing well in spite of that, until the last two years. It contracted a wilt and died last summer, but I was hoping some branches still survived. There was a tree company in the 'hood taking down a neighbour's ash tree, also dead, so they finished there and came here. Saved some $$ that way.

So now the search is on for a suitable, native, replacement tree. I have some sort of volunteer that could be transplanted, but it's another maple and I'm not sure I want that. Most everything else is too slow-growing except for walnut, and I'm not too keen on that, since it would kill everything else.

Anyway, just wanted to mourn the loss of a beautiful tree.

[cynthia_h]

Oh, Wing, I'm sorry about your tree. Maples are so beautiful, and it was the cornerstone of your entire planting scheme, the protector and shade-provider of the others.

I don't have a fireplace, so I don't know: can you burn the maple, maybe in the fall, as a ceremonial good-bye? Or is the wood better suited to carpentry?

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[valleytreeman]

A red oak. I don't know much about your area, but Northern Red Oak might be a suitable replacement. They are durable, moderately fast growing and have good fall color. In my mind it is one of the much underused trees in the landscape trade. Although they prefer a moist but well drained soil, they will tolerate drier sites. They do not tolerate wet feet though. The species is Quercus rubra. Of the oaks they are the fastest grower and easily will exceed the surar mapme in growth rate and assume about the same eventual size. Longevity is acouple hundred years.

[wingdesigner]

Thanks, Cynthia. Yer a peach, even if you are a West-Coastie...
LOL--the oak would be around long after the subdivision, I think... But I will consider it if I can get a good price on say, a 6-10' size. We have underground everything in the back yard, so can't have a monster rootball. It'll have to find it's own way. I'm also considering either a Frankliniana (sp?) or a Pawlonia, but I don't know if either are native or if they'll tolerate zone 4 temps. Technically I'm z-5, but last winter was an example, and not a rare one, of much colder, sustained temps. I've heard Pawlonias die back in the winter and get shrubby, which is not what I want.

[applestar]

Two trees I'm trying to see if I can fit into my garden somewhere are Hackberry and Tulip tree. I was searching for hardiness info on Hackberry and stumbled on Googlebook for Landscaping with Native Plants of Michigan By Lynn M. Steiner. Don't know if this'll work but here's the link:
https://books.google.com/books?id=pUAUxB7x-0YC&pg=PA171&lpg=PA171&dq=hackberry+zone&source=bl&ots=79Xd8BXIw_&sig=c3-_RTJcKCtYH013nRzIObMWVrQ&hl=en&ei=psXzSbzDGZDhtge_r8m6Dw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10

If I were to plant an oak, I want one that bears acorns that are reputed to be good to eat. For my clay soil, I think that would be swamp white oak.

[wingdesigner]

Both too large if happy. I live in one of those subs where everyone is on top of each other and a tree over 60' could easily wipe out a garage or the neighbourhood power supply. Since tulip tree is a relative of magnolia, I don't know if the leaves are as glossy and hard like magnolia, or if the flowers are as tough to get rid of. (Told you it was gonna be tough to find a replacement. Did I mention there are buried power lines as well as overhead, and the sewer line runs smack down the middle of the yard?)

No wonder I'm going bald...

[applestar]

Let me get this straight -- are you saying you want a spreading shade tree in the neighborhood of 40'?

--

Hey, look what I found with google search for "tree selector"

This one is at University of Florida with Rutgers Cooperative Extension and USDA Forest Service:
https://orb.at.ufl.edu/TREES/selection_detail.htm
Click on "Tree Selector" in the menu to the left.

This one is at U of Illinois Extension:
https://urbanext.illinois.edu/treeselector/search.cfm

Have fun!

[wingdesigner]

Yup, something like that. My sugar maple was about 50-60' (hard to tell from down here) by about 40', oval shaped. Perfectly blocked the early a.m. sun, too. Now "Ichabod" (as christened by the spousal unit) blocks zip. I hear a local fabric store is going out of business--wonder if they sell sailcloth?

BTW, my state DNR/DEQ and MSU lists are not helpful. I need to breed a native tree that is a cross between about 3 or 4 from the list for my "perfect" tree. I will check out your lists, though, AS, thanks.