"DaddyMonkey" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the reply Roy!

Yes, I have heard about the root invasion problem with Beech tree, but
one thing that I did not mention was that when the old Red Bud was
mature, I put down a circle of purple colored bricks around its'
perimeter... about 8 feet (3 meters) in a diameter circle.

You'll need a bigger circle than that. The roots of a tree will typically
go out as far as the drip line. So you can probably count on a root
diameter of about 25-30 ft for a mature Tri-color. Make yourself a circle
or oval this big, haul in some topsoil, and then plant the tree. Fill the
space with annuals at first and then later when the tree matures you can
fill it with shade loving ground covers. One thing you definitely don't
want to do is add soil around a mature tree. This will kill the tree. So
any type of raised bed needs to be done before you plant the tree. Raised
beds are a great way to go because if you can't find anything that will grow
near the roots and hide them, you can always just mulch everything and throw
in a few bedding plants into areas that don't have surface roots.

I have also considered a 'ThunderCloud' Plum and a 'Forest Pansy' Red
Bud. I think the Forest Pansy will COOK in the sun of my front yard, and
both trees are a little to dark (foliage) for my taste.

I don't have any experience with the Forest Pansy, but my experience with
Red Buds is they do well in hot sun and will even tolerate drought
conditions well. Every one of my red buds bake in the Texas sun all day
long and seem to thrive on it. Red buds are very slow growing. I have one
(Oklahoma) that I planted two years ago and it's only about 6' tall and
maybe 5' wide. The Eastern red bud I planted at the same time is taller,
but not by much. Both started as a 5 gal tree. I would not recommend
planting anything larger than 5 gal. If you want a faster growing tree,
plant a lacebark elm. It's not as showy as a red bud, but it has some nice
characteristics which make it a great front yard specimen. I have some
pictures of one that I planted 3 years ago if you want to see an example.

Do you think that the Tri-Color will have a problem with the bricks...
or will the bricks help with the root control (somewhat)?

You don't really want to control the roots as far as trying to contain them.
You can water deeply and infrequently which will encourage deeper roots, but
if surface roots happen, there's not much you can do about it other than to
plant some type of ground cover which will do well next to the roots and
will effectively hide them.


Also, do you think that cutting-off the leader (main branch) might help?
I've heard that this tree will reach 50 feet tall (17 meters) when
mature.

I would never recommend topping a tree. This will encourage a bushy,
weak-limbed growth habit which I find very unattractive. As with any tree,
I recommend envisioning the tree when it is mature and seeing if the mature
tree fits the space (also taking into account overhead power lines and
overhanging branches). If the tree doesn't match the space, plant a
different variety that will. Don't try to force a tree into something that
it's not.