"JohnR66" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for a medium large shade tree for my back yard. I am in SW
Ohio and prefer a tree that doesn't make a mess (other than the leaves)
and is trouble free to grow. My back yard is devoid of vegitation, so this
tree would get full sunlight. The back yard is 75 x 60 feet and the tree
would be near the middle. I would like to start from a seed. I looked on a
tree website and there is a vast amount of possiblilities that I'd like to
narrow down. I know I can't have trees that can be attacked by EAB and
oaks seem to have problems of their own. What do you suggest?
Thanks, John

That is a question best answered by your local agriculture experts. Call
your local college ag department or nurseries and they can guide you as to
what works best in your area and soil types.

Why from seed? Yes, it can be done but it will be years before you have
anything of shade benefit. Many of the shade trees grow only a foot or two
in a year.

You may want to consider the location also. It is common practice in some
farm areas to plant evergreen on the west side as a wind break and the shade
trees on the east and south for shade int he summer yet get full sun in
winter. A good sized tree can reduce the need for air conditioning
considerably.

Another advantage of buying a small tree is that you can somewhat determine
how good the condition is and not waste five years on something that is
going to be a problems with split trunk, etc. Put some thought into this
for both type and location and it will also increase the value of your
house.

Do a little reading on characteristics at places like this
http://www.naturehills.com/catalog/T...ood_Trees.aspx