Several native elms nearby had exactly the desired candelabra-like structure, though all died suddenly - presumably due to blight. So I tried a row of Valley Forge DED-resistant elms next to the building.

They are growing like rockets, but form is not good. Even with careful pruning, they won't stay flat or even vase-shaped; instead, they branch off at all angles - even downward. I am, with regret, going to cut them down.

Can anyone suggest either another DED-resistant cultivar, or an entirely different species, that might be suitable?

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

+oM

I replaced it with a Princeton elm, which grew upwards from the beginning. Princeton has a reputation for being much easier to manage in this regard.

How long have they been in the ground?

One trick that I figured out was to tie a garden pole to the leader, with the bottom of the pole tied to the highest portion of the trunk that was rigid. That way I could coax the leader upwards, but the trunk still swayed in the wind, and I didn't need a pole 15 feet long!

Alex

greenthumbzdude: I am considering the Princeton elm, also sold by Botany Shop. I really like these people, and have bought about 300 trees from them (mostly Thuja 'Green Giant', as well as various other trees and shrubs.) Their site recently added a warning about "structural problems" with the Valley Forge - that's what got me thinking that it might not be just my faulty technique or something. I've also considered the zelkova; haven't seen one in person, but the description sounds reasonable. I do like the super-fast growth rate of elms; also, having successfully pruned one of my (deceased) native ones to a perfect flat-fan form, I'm more optimistic about succeeding with elms.

wisconsitom: I've had these for about five years (bought 'em at about 5' height), and they'd be at over 40 feet if I hadn't pruned them hard (to about 20') to control misdirected limbs. Now the tough decision is whether to down them now and start fresh while I'm young enough to enjoy the results, or follow this investment. I might split the difference and plant new near the current trees. If the older ones don't improve, I can cut them down. If they do, I'll have a couple more years before the new ones are too big to transplant.

alexander3: I did use poles until they were about ten feet high, which helped.

laceyvail: Thanks; I understand that. In fact, the long line I now have planted runs from a bit east of south all the way around the building to due west. The western ones will only need to hit about 25 feet to be useful (I planted them later, so they're still below that); the southern ones will shade the main windows when they hit 30-35', and give excellent shade at 40-45'. Won't take long, at 5-6' per year annual growth!

Thanks again for your thoughts.

+oM

Slippery Elm has basic shape of American Elm but is slightly smaller, and has better resistance to DED.

I don't understand this comment. Regardless of how you prune the trees, if they aren't planted far enough from your septic, the roots will grow into your septic system and it will fail, an expensive item to replace.