z5 is about half the Us.... could you be more specific???

poor drainage can be taken care of.. by proper planting.. see link.. the parts about dealing with clay soil ..

i think JMs are shade tolerant .. but i am not sure how much so ... what is just as important as how much direct sun.. is how bright it is otherwise ...

but lack of sun might impact a lot of the flowering trees ... but again ... how bright is it otherwise ...

any chance at some pix from late last season ... presuming the deck wasnt built this winter????

also ... what are the large trees... making all that shade?????

i dont care about the willow 20 plus feet away ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

I am not sure why you think a redbud would be a problem. Based on my experience with redbuds from when I lived in central OH, they grow wild in the woods in clay soil, and most of OH seems to be slightly alkaline. I am able to grow redbud in my very acid sandy soil here in bright shade after about 11 am (and I know of several others in various places around the state), so I think they must be fairly flexible in their requirements. If you are worried about drainage, you could berm the soil slightly so you can plant a bit higher and surface water drains away, but I don't really think there would be an issue. Perhaps others will weigh in with different experiences.

z5 is about half the Us.... could you be more specific??? poor drainage can be taken care of.. by proper planting.. see link.. the parts about dealing with clay soil ..

The problem isn't clay, but bedrock. We're in Western NY, which was completely flattened during the last ice age. The backyard is the lowest point on the block, and even though we have a French drain it still floods for a few hours in heavy rain.

i think JMs are shade tolerant .. but i am not sure how much so ... what is just as important as how much direct sun.. is how bright it is otherwise ...

also ... what are the large trees... making all that shade????? i dont care about the willow 20 plus feet away ...

The problem is that it will vary greatly depending on the month, as that curly willow is to the south. Peak summer will be a lot more sun than the shoulder seasons.

any chance at some pix from late last season ... presuming the deck wasnt built this winter????
Alas, it was finished just a few days before the first snow came and we didn't get a good pic! Now it's buried.

If a redbud would be a good choice, we'll probably go with that. I thought they needed more sun. We LOVE redbuds!!!

Oh, andplusalso we did build up the bed in which this tree will be planted, but only by about 18".

Betula nigra will do well too. 'Little King' is an excellent, small tree, for that area.

Dax