What Tree?

Procrastinator333

I want to plant a tree. It won't be too close to any buildings. But it will be close to a block paved drive. So the roots can't be too shallow or they will ruin the drive. I want it to be a fairly quick grower as don't want to wait 20 years for something as tall as a shed.

Any ideas?! Ash tree?

browneyedbazzi

Maple? They're a bit prettier than ash in my opinion and absolutely stunning in the autumn. Some varieties are deep rooted and grow really quickly -up to 4 feet per year.

Procrastinator333

Great, thabks for that I will have a look!

creativemieu

I think I read somewhere that a tree's roots are treble the size of the top. So you should be careful not to plant something that is going to cause trouble not only for you but your neighbours. Also think about seedlings. One tree may not be a problem until it starts dropping its seeds and little saplings start popping up all over the place. We had this problem with a neighbour's Ash tree and every spring was spent pulling up the little seedlings. We still have a bit of a problem with another neighour who has Sycamore trees which are great at spreading their seeds with the little wing attached seed that can travel quite a distance. Not that I am trying to put you off your plan but have you also thought of the mess in the autumn when there are fallen leaves to clear? So just to prove I am not trying to put you off... here is my suggestion - Robinia pseudoacaciait is not a big tree and not that fast growing. It can also be a bit tender - does not like cold winds. BUT it is very attractive. There are variants that bloom and others with golden leaves. We have the golden leaf variety and it provides cascades of semi-weeping branches of golden leaves throughout the summer - looks great. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinia_pseudoacacia

theoretica

Birch is quite fast growing and doesn't get huge.

Rather than a normal ash Rowan (mountain ash) is much prettier, but smaller.

browneyedbazzi

The problem with mountain ash is the smell....my parents have one in their garden and for part of the year it smells quite strongly and not in a sweet perfumed kind of way.

I love birch, especially silver birch, but they tend to have shallow roots so aren't great for planting near a drive.

If you look at maples OP, two worth looking for are A Freemani "Autumn Blaze" (seedless and grows well in urban areas, fast growing but doesn't get quite as huge as some others) and Bigtooth Maple (A Grandidentatum) which is fast growing and has a particularly deep root system so it is often recommended for growing near drives/paths etc. The caveat is that they get HUGE - up to 50 feet tall with a 40 foot crown.

I'll admit a bias towards maples..I'm Canadian so we love them

good_advice

How about an apple tree?

I_have_spoken

Eucalyptus gunnii?

The cider gum has a deep tap root rather than a spreading root system. It is fast growing

Procrastinator333

Thank you all for the suggestions!

It wont be any closer to the neighbours than us. So that is ok. It is just the drive. I know there wil be a mess with leaves, but I do think the clean up is worth it as a decent sized tree is so nice to look at.

Now off to google and study all your suggestions!