"David WE Roberts" wrote in
:

If you want to plant a 12' tree 10' from your house this is possibly
not advisable because the roots are likely to grow as broadly as the
height of the tree.
That close, a container grown tree might be more sensible.

To achieve your ideal you will probably have to prune a tree to limit
the height, and remove lower branches to give a canopy effect.

You might consider a container grown tree in a very large pot.
This allows you to manage the height and the root spread.

Thanks.. I've decided I can plant the tree an extra yard from the house,
and it can grow about 15ft tall if it's a flattish-topped tree (as oppsed
to a fanning-out tree such as you average tree.

The container idea is something I hadn't considered. It would have to be an
exceptionally large container, due to the windy conditions here (several
gales each winter are typical).

Al