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Red Oak or Sugar Maple, actual shade unlike ornamental trees.
The problem with deciduous "shade" trees is they will eventually kill off any turf. No turf leads to invasive weed and/or other unwanted growth; AND erosion!
My dad had his drive lined with camellia hedges, very pretty in bloom and he didn't complain about any problems with it. I've seen them growing in western TN
I've also seen tea olive used extensively as roadside hedges in Memphis, flowers are non descript but the smell of them in bloom is heavenly. https://www.southernliving.com/garde...live-tree-care
Both are evergreen.
The problem with deciduous "shade" trees is they will eventually kill off any turf. No turf leads to invasive weed and/or other unwanted growth; AND erosion!
I have hundreds of trees on either side of my driveway, and no grass at all. I just pull up weeds and invasives when I see them, very easy to maintain.
I have crepe myrtles and I would not plant them along the house driveway.
Summer they are pretty but messy dropping dead flowers (they have multi-thousand flowers)
but mainly I wouldn't because in winter they are stick figures.
Luckily the first owner planted our several crepe myrtles on the side and rear so they are not a prominent feature.
What would I plant? Probably native holly trees which are pretty all year long and loved by birds, bees and humans.
Your native co-operative extension online can tell you which cultivars do well in your area and maybe they can (by calling) tell you if there is a native plant nursery you can get them from.
All deciduous trees are stick figures in the winter.
Evergreen?
Cryptomeria.
Lovely. Fast growing once established. Ancient plants.
Some varieties are mammoth. Some are smaller. Choose wisely and space them a bit, allowing for them to grow to maturity without overlapping. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptomeria
Wax myrtle are also nice.
Prune them and they will grow so tightly, you won't see the birds, etc, that live in them.
And, they are hardy.
Deciduous?
Crape myrtle.
Pick a variety that isn't dwarf, and isn't too huge. There are many choices.
Might do mostly crape myrtle, with a few cryptomeria for accent.
Thank you for all the great ideas and advice. I will send my sister this post link so she can read them all herself. I do not know what she'll plant. Her home is currently getting built right now on that property. She is planning out her landscaping, the driveway, and all the outbuildings. Her husband tells her to focus on the house first, but she is excited about finally having some acreage..lol.
We had crape myrtle trees on our driveway when I was a kid. It was a long gravel driveway for years, then we paved it. The crape myrtles look good on both and last for decades.
Now, i have planted crape myrtles every time we buy a place. (The only exception was one, maybe two condos where the poa controlled the landscape)
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