What are some good shade trees?

Question

I need a shade tree for my yard but im no botanist. It has to be able to take some pretty strong winds because we are on the lake erie coast. We take a good beating in the winter so it has to withstand cold and winds. I dont want a bunch of roots sticking up around my yard so deeper root system would be nice. And i dont want about of fruit or seeds or anything falling everywhere. I know they have to seed but i dont want those giant balls or anything. Helicopter seeds, i can handle, but no worse than that. Or if there is a seedless hybrid available. And it cant drop to many sticks and twigs. And the main idea is to shade my front yard and house, its not a big yard so the tree cant be massive but i dont want some punny thing. Just something that shades the whole yard and a two storie house.

Answer 1

I'm a fan of maple trees, myself.  The sugar maples will turn spectacular colors in fall, too.

Answer 2

I like Red Alder for your situation. It tolerates wind and adverse conditions well, grows quickly and benefits your yard and soil in many positive ways (attracts honey bees in the spring too.) It does have "catkins" but they're not a terrible problem since they tend to dry up on the plant and when they fall are shrunken and not too messy. It is a variety that is grown at the Lake Erie arboretum which means that it will probably grow well in your area.

Answer 3

Wow, that's a tall order :D

We live on the Oregon coast and have a row of birch trees that give a nice wind break in the winter and nice shade in the summer.  A home up the road has a row of poplars that I wish we had!! They are giant, and seem like they would be ideal for you.

The Arbor Foundation is awesome if your a tree lover or just want to improve your environment.  Plus, if you join you get 10 free trees!!

Answer 4

The Sweetgum tree, Liquidambar styraciflua, is my favorite tree, it is a rapid growing shade tree usually grown for its excellent fall color. It has an upright pyramidal growth habit in its youth and then becomes spreading, irregular and open as it ages. The star shaped lustrous dark green foliage turns a spectacular fall color, often a combination of green, yellow, orange, red and purple foliage, but sometimes solid crimson, burgundy or scarlet.

The Sweetgum tree usually does not flower or fruit for the first 15 to 20 years. But mine did after only five years, so if you prefer a no fruit form of Sweetgum, look for liquidambar styraciflua 'rotundiloba'. I like the fruit for the birds but some people prefer the fruitless kind.

The Sweetgum tree prefers full sun and can grow to 60 feet high and 40 feet wide, depending who you talk to, some say higher but mine has stayed within the 60' level. The Sweetgum tree has landscape value as a shade, specimen or focal point tree. Sweetgum trees are an excellent lawn, park, or street tree. Birds like the seeds it produces. The bark has a corky appearance. It has spectacular colors, is fast growing, and has great shade.I can't say enough about this tree, we liked it so much we bought a second one. The fast growth gives you shade in no time! I love fall because that is when my Sweetgum tree is a real show stopper! To read more about it and its great fall foliage clink on links below.

http://ontariotrees.com/mondaygarden/art...

http://home.howstuffworks.com/sweet-gum-...

Answer 5

I'm also a fan of maples.  There are different varieties that attain different sizes, too.  For instance, in my hometown in Michigan, there are red maples (the leaves are actually dark purple) that aren't as large as a standard hard maple.  A great resource to try is arborday.org--they have excellent descriptions of many, many trees.