Scott, Pam brought up some excellent points in her response to you
(patience, tree selection/
characteristics, location)

Given the specs you quoted for planting, you will have fewer choices of
selections. Trees need to room to spread unobstructedly as they
naturally develop. Also, as it sounds, you need trees that are more
upright than spreading. In this scenario, I would suggest:

1. Betula nigra, River Birch. (2 of them) (20' X 40')
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/o...etulanigra.htm
The link says the tree is short lived and they go to about 40 years of
age. They are pleasingly fast growing and a pair would give you a nice
balance in the small area you are trying to populate. The three trunked
ones are nice.

2. Platanus mexicana Mexican Sycamore (1 of them)
http://frontpage.auburn.edu/cosam/ab...cationID=3D127
http://www.auburn.edu/arboretum/tree...sycamore2.jpg=

*Note* the image in the link is an P. occidentalis which is an American
Sycamore. The Mexican Sycamore is not quite as wide and not as tall (20'
X 50'). I have planted several of these for customers and they grow very
fast.

Something else you could do is to screen the back of your area with some
shrubs. That will hie any commercial development that ccurs and helps to
dampen te noise level.

1. Ilex vomitoria "Pride of Houston" Yaupon =

http://www.magnoliagardensnursery.co...lex_Pride.html

2. Ilex vomitoria "Will Fleming" Yaupon. A thin and narrow specimen.
http://www.ag.auburn.edu/landscape/dbpages/198.html

3. Ungnadia speciosa Mexican Buckeye
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/o...ungnadiaspeci=
o.htm

4. Ilex decidua Possomhaw Holly
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/o...lexdecidua.htm

5. Myrica cerifera Southern Wax Myrtle
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/o...acerifera.htm=


6. Prunus mexicana Mexicam Plum
http://www.magnoliagardensnursery.co...pe/Prunus_Mex=
ican.html

Something else considering this time of year - Citrus. Oranges, limes
and limequats, kumquats.
January/early February is the time to select and purchase and plant.
They are evergreen, many are cold hardy for Houston and they have fruit.

Urban Harvest, http://www.urbanharvest.org, will be having its annual
fruit tree sale on the 17th. A real good nursery for you in your area is
RCW, http://www.etera.com/Signpost.asp?sp=3D1&dlr=3D1379. They have a tre=
e
farm in Plantersville and they have a good inventory to chose from.
Magnolia Gardens and Treesearch are wholesale only.

Oaks will overpower your area and Maples will engulf the open space with
canopy.

Hope this helps some.

J. Kolenovsky
http://www.celestialhabitats.com

SJE wrote:
=

I'm about to move into my new house in NW Houston, TX...and I would
like some advice for a good shade tree or two to plant in my back
yard. It will likely get lots of sun and water.
=

Criteria/needs as below...
=

1) Would like it to eventually serve as a screen for my 2nd floor
bonus room, as land behind my back fence may eventually become
commericial and unsightly.
=

2) I don't want the roots to be a risk to my foundation or pipes that
may be underground. The tree will likely be planted 10-15 ft from my
house and maybe 5-10 ft from underground lines.
=

3) Hardy. I don't think I have a green thumb. I can make sure it
has enough water, but I want a tree that would be tough to kill.
=

4) Fast growing a plus, though can be sacrificed for the above. I
don't want to wait endless years for it to look like a tree and not a
twig in the ground, though.
=

5) A tree that attracted wildlife (squirrels, birds, etc) might be
nice as a bonus....though bottom of the list of importance.
=

Based on my current googling of these groups...I was thinking maybe a
Freeman or Red Maple. Do those grow well in steamy Houston? Any sort
of oak that would work well?
=

Thanks for any feedback!
=

Scott in Houston

-- =

Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky
2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal