What is a low maintenance, pretty/colourful tree to plant in the front of a 25 feet wide toronto lot? ?

Question

My wish is that it be : fast-growing to sooner provide shade for a driveway, have the kind of leaf cover that gives dappled sunlight, need minimal leaf-raking, needs to eventually look porportional to a very tall 3 storey house, and hopefully have something of note such as flowers in spring or turn pretty colours in the fall.

Answer 1

magnolias grow fast, but if you want somethingreally fast the bestis a foxglove tree. it has large leaves and is not like a similar plant name foxglove plant.

the foxglove tree can grow to 10 feet in one growing season

Answer 2

try a bradferpear im not sure about the spelling, but it has bigish leaves and it blossoms in the late spring early summer.

We ahve one in the backyard and it loses its leaves but your going to ahve to rake leaves if the tree blossoms...

if you want you can get a crate mertle they arent trees but they can grow reallyyyyyyyyy tall if you let them and they grow quite fast. they blossom and provide shade..i think this will be the best for your situation because it doesnt shed its leaves because its like an evergreen bush in a way, its not a tree...

we have two in our front yard and they grow really fast.

Answer 3

Crape Myrtle - Advantages: grows fast, long lasting blooms, can be pruned to control growth or not if you want it taller.  Low maintenance.  Leaf litter not much problem.

Disadvantage:  Suckers abound.

Bradford Pear - Advantages: Fast growing, great shape, white flowers in spring (some people complain of the flower scent. I don't notice it)

Disadvantage: After 12-15 years they easily split apart by wind or just age.  Try Serviceberry as an alternate.  Same advantages (without the smell) and much stronger than Bradford Pear.

Answer 4

flowering dogwood

Answer 5

Wow, tall order you have there.  Maybe a birch tree would serve your purpose.