Fast growing shade tree (Austin, West: luxury, closing, cost)

[cBach]

Why has nobody mentioned pecan trees? They provide shade in the summer, lose their leaves in the winter so the OP still gets sun, and after about 10 years you'll be very adept at making pecan pie

[twange]

What a great thread! I just bought a house a couple of weeks ago and need to remove a huge, very dead cedar elm and a rapidly dying Arizona Ash I had three arborists come out for consultations and all of them agreed that ash trees were short -term solutions (relatively speaking of course). I have four of them on my property and they'll all probably die within the next 15 years. I do have two small burr oaks (about 4 ft high) that will look great once they mature.

Love this site:

Texas Tree Selector

[RowdysMom]

I have a chinquapin oak and a red oak. They are both 12 years old and both are very big and very beautiful. But the (almost) 4 year old Monterrey oak is my favorite. However, if the OP wants a tree that loses it's leaves in the winter to allow the west sun to hit the house, then the Monterrey oak is not the right tree as it does not lose it's leaves till March when the new leaves push off the old leaves.

[Trainwreck20]

Oh, and if I am making the whole thing up, I set it up well in advance

//www.city-data.com/forum/austi...ml#post8662885

Quick measurement from about 2 feet above the ground shows the circumference is about 22 inches. Since C = PI*D, that is about a 7" diameter.

I eye-balled the height a little more critically, and it is probably 22-24 feet to the top.

[kiacook]

What a great thread! I just bought a house a couple of weeks ago and need to remove a huge, very dead cedar elm and a rapidly dying Arizona As

Just dying of old age or anything in particular?

I think my neighbor has an ash tree. It is HUGE and very beautiful, but its roots go all through my front yard and it doesn't even shade my house in the afternoon . I think I will go for something that might grow in under it so that it doesn't compete for resources.

[Trainwreck20]

Why has nobody mentioned pecan trees?

I have heard that the pecan trees are pretty slow growing, although I have never really had a young one around to check on. Also, to get good pecans, they take quite a bit of care and a LOT of water. I can attest to the fact that they do drop all sorts of little tiny twigs almost constantly .

[Austinitegirl]

Originally Posted by cBach

Why has nobody mentioned pecan trees? They provide shade in the summer, lose their leaves in the winter so the OP still gets sun, and after about 10 years you'll be very adept at making pecan pie

Ew.

Because they drop those stupid pecan shells all over the frickin' yard, and they attract roaches. Really big, cowboy-hat, chaps-wearin', spit-tobacco-in-your-face Texas cockroaches.

When I was in high school - our back yard had 2 huge pecan trees. They were great for shade, but you couldn't walk out into the backyard with anything less than rebar-walkin' construction boots on your feet, lest you happen to step on one of the 20 BAJILLION cracked/broken pecan shells on the ground, which are sharp enough to practically sever your tendons.

They are good shade trees though, which is a good thing, because the intense shade kills any nearby grass... which is also a good thing, because running over those pecan shells with a lawnmower instantly turns them into Chinese throwing stars, and your entire backyard into a Jackie Chan movie.

And call me a tree snob, but I don't think Pecan trees are particularly attractive either.

Or perhaps I just have an irrational hatred of pecan trees rivaled only by my irrational hatred of sweater vests... not sure.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by RowdysMom

However, if the OP wants a tree that loses it's leaves in the winter to allow the west sun to hit the house, then the Monterrey oak is not the right tree as it does not lose it's leaves till March when the new leaves push off the old leaves.

Good point...the more I think about it, the more I DON'T want the sun hitting the house even during the winter. Remember, it routinely hits 90 for a few days in Feb and March around here. I'm liking the idea of shade year-round...I'll turn on a light if I need to.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by Austinitegirl

Ew.

Because they drop those stupid pecan shells all over the frickin' yard, and they attract roaches. Really big, cowboy-hat, chaps-wearin', spit-tobacco-in-your-face Texas cockroaches.

When I was in high school - our back yard had 2 huge pecan trees. They were great for shade, but you couldn't walk out into the backyard with anything less than rebar-walkin' construction boots on your feet, lest you happen to step on one of the 20 BAJILLION cracked/broken pecan shells on the ground, which are sharp enough to practically sever your tendons.

They are good shade trees though, which is a good thing, because the intense shade kills any nearby grass... which is also a good thing, because running over those pecan shells with a lawnmower instantly turns them into Chinese throwing stars, and your entire backyard into a Jackie Chan movie.

And call me a tree snob, but I don't think Pecan trees are particularly attractive either.

Or perhaps I just have an irrational hatred of pecan trees rivaled only by my irrational hatred of sweater vests... not sure.

The Pecan Growers Association be lookin' you UP!

[cBach]

Originally Posted by Austinitegirl

Ew.

Because they drop those stupid pecan shells all over the frickin' yard, and they attract roaches. Really big, cowboy-hat, chaps-wearin', spit-tobacco-in-your-face Texas cockroaches.

When I was in high school - our back yard had 2 huge pecan trees. They were great for shade, but you couldn't walk out into the backyard with anything less than rebar-walkin' construction boots on your feet, lest you happen to step on one of the 20 BAJILLION cracked/broken pecan shells on the ground, which are sharp enough to practically sever your tendons.

They are good shade trees though, which is a good thing, because the intense shade kills any nearby grass... which is also a good thing, because running over those pecan shells with a lawnmower instantly turns them into Chinese throwing stars, and your entire backyard into a Jackie Chan movie.

And call me a tree snob, but I don't think Pecan trees are particularly attractive either.

Or perhaps I just have an irrational hatred of pecan trees rivaled only by my irrational hatred of sweater vests... not sure.

I just remember growing up picking all those pecans for the elderly lady next door that would bake up some yummy pecan pies. If I had a pecan tree, I'd be harvesting those pecans nonstop. Pecans are quite expensive at the grocery store and I rather like them in salads, pies, to snack on, etc...

I kind of like the look of pecan trees and to me there is something about them that is very Texan. But I didn't consider the ouch factor of stepping on half broken pecans with your bare feet (ouch!).