Silver maples seem to do well in miserable new construction lot soil here. They even put on a decent show in spring and have fair to good fall color. Neat bark also.

But sturdy? I dunno. After forty years it is going to most likely be removal time.

Gala, what general are are you in? There has to be a better choice. What is growing in the neighbor's yards in similar situations?

We're in the Kansas City area. It's a new neighborhood, so there aren't a lot of 'landscaping' trees to judge by. The woods behind our house has a lot of honey locusts with some cottonwoods and maples. (My daughter had a leaf rubbing assignment last fall!) I wasn't sure how much I could go by them since they shade each other a bit.

I looked up info on the Silver Maples. They're pretty; I like the way the trunks tend to split low. I did read that they're prone to damage due to ice which we get a lot of here.

Silver Maples also have aggressive roots that break the surface around it, so it would be tough for grass to survive. Oaks are an option. However it will be years before you get any appreciable shade, no matter what tree you choose.

you start. by defining your long term goals UNDER the tree ...

if you think you will ever garden under such.. skip all maple ...

clay is a PLANTING ISSUE ... there are a couple tricks ... there is little or nothing that will not grow in any soil ... as proved by the trees in the area ...

self sown.. they cope well ... its when we start messing with them.. that WE screw it up ...

trees are planted ... leafless ... and the next EASY .. PROPER .. planting time.. is fall ...

i would suggest.. you figure out.. where you want to go with the yard ..... and locate tree farms.. and pick a tree out.. in full color in fall .. and buy and plant it then ....

link below to a great tutorial on PROPER PLANTING .... learn now.. save the plant ...

sooooo ... whats the long term goal ...??

i favor oak in all aspects.. subject to your area...

ken

ps: all trees are full sun ... the issue is PROPER AFTERCARE for a year or two .. until it can go free range ..... see link below ...

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Bur Oak. You will need to protect if with fence from deer. This has the potential to be a large tree.
Some sort of pine tree would be another choice. Be sure the soil pH matches the tree's requirements. Deer typically will just eat a bit or two and then move on but fencing it would be best also.

Iron Wood Tree perhaps. Not much for shade, but as sturdy as they come. Guaranteed not to die. See pic below.

{{gwi:363363}}

The USDA Plant list has a function in which you can search for plants native to your county (or just your state). You can narrow it down to native/non-native, shrub/tree/moss/vine, or just about anything else you can think of. It would take some back-searching to eliminate trees that would not be the mature size you want, but you will get a list of things that actually like to grow where you are, which is a good place to start. Check at the link -

Here is a link that might be useful: USDA search page

Thank you all for the links and suggestions! I'm off to research...

Going along the lines of the arktrees idea, here is another for a little more shade than that one.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:363362}}

Black Walnut?

Thank you all for the links and suggestions! I'm off to research...

Several Gingko trees survived the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. I'd say it's a pretty resilient tree. Perhaps the experts can chime in.

i have clay, of the maples i've planted, the celebration maple has done the best