Near the Museum of Art in Houston are these great Canary Island palms. How
about a palm tree or two or three? They don't need to be that far from the
house, and will give shade and grow relatively fast. You can probably buy two
rather large palms for the amount you want to spend.


On Fri, 02 Jan 2004 03:05:38 GMT, SJE
opined:

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