I seem to be coming late to this discussion Bill, but if I read it
correctly, you're looking for a suitable alle tree for a long drive.
Certainly, Pawlonia and Robinia are both right out-- they're pioneer species
both that have weak wood and are rather ungainly with age. Having said that.
I hdo have several large Robinia on my property-- they're not without charm,
and in bloom are lovely in their own way-- the mature bark is also very
attractive, ropey and muscular. You *will* have large branches and trunks
shedding from time to time, however, as it's the nature of this tree to
slough off weakened, aged, or damaged wood.

Classic choices for an alle include:

Golden Chain Tree, Laburnum x watereri:
http://www.daytonnursery.com/Encyclo.../Laburnum.htm.
http://yucca.standardout.com/pics/Au...2483569580.jpg
shows a somewhat young alle using this tree.

Zelkova serrata, especially 'Vaseyi'.

Live Oak, Quercus virginiana

Many of the Red Oaks

You can also think about evergreens or conifers, which would produce quite a
different effect.

Dave

"Bill Oliver" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Mike LaMana fake@MikeatHeartwoodConsultingdotnet wrote:
Sounds like Paulownia tomentosa. The only other candidate that comes to
mind
would be the Robinia x hispid or neomexicana and cultivars...but you'd
never
see them en masse in the hills. Planted landscapes only.


I think it's the Poulownia. I Googled on Robinia, though, and it is a
pretty
plant -- I am looking for something showy and generally that
color to line a long driveway and separate microenvironments in a large
yard. I just bought a house on 5 acres on a hill that is divided
equally between a poorly maintained lawn and uncleared brush/forest.
I'm planning on breaking the land into small microenvironments
separated by high borders with one fairly large but manageable lawn.
Thus I'm looking for interesting plants to form high barriers along the
major paths.

As I noted in a different post, most of the sites seemed to frown on
using Paulownia in landscaping, though I am not sure why. The Robinia
looked nice -- and as a tall shrub rather than tree I'm wondering if it
can be formed into a decent hedge. Do you know?

billo