Best trees for my yard
Kevin Asked
I’ve recently had the trees in my yard fall due to snow. I need to replace them. I would like to plant 2 small-medium trees (15-30 feet tops) to provide shade and elegance. I would prefer the root systems not be too expansive. I live in the Masterson Station area in Lexington. Any suggestions?
The Gardener’s Answer
Hi, Kevin: It looks like there are some larger trees in close proximity but not close enough to change the available sunlight. Assuming the space is full sun, and depending on your preference of flower time/color (or not) there are many choices that will fill your requests in terms of size. Here are a few to consider: Ivory Silk Tree Lilac which produces fragrant, creamy-white flowers late spring-early summer. Summer blooming Crape Myrtles such as ‘Natchez’ are sure to put on a colorful display and the interesting bark is a bonus. Serviceberry (ornamental and edible), American Smoketree and Eastern Redbuds are all native possibilities worth considering. Hybrid Magnolias’ ‘Elizabeth’ and ‘Butterflies’ produce yellow blooms in the early spring. If showy flowers are not a must, you might consider a Paperbark Maple or one of the smaller Japanese Maples. One last, but not least, suggestion is a Dogwood; hybrid, native or Kousa, you can’t go wrong. You really do have a lot of options which can be overwhelming (I won’t mention the other edible ones:)) I hope this gives you some ideas. Incorporating a couple of smaller, more ornamental trees to the landscape will be a nice addition.
