We are heading out this weekend to select some trees for planting this month.

We live in central Illinois. There were some recommendations in my earlier thread:

Cottonwood trees
Maples are a nuisance

Our house is a new construction with no trees, no bushes, no shrubs, nothing at all. The grass is just starting to establish (after a brutal summer seeding).

I am looking for recommendations for trees. House is North(front)-South(back). 0.5 acre lot, sloping from the front to the road, large back yard, no fence, frequent deer.

We really like fall color, spring blooms. I realize this may require raking leaves in the fall.

Some trees of interest to us
1) Maples - in the front between the side walk & the street
2) crab apple - in the front
3) Cottonwood - in the back (as someone recommended in the other thread)
4) roses - along the walkway
5) tulips (coming this week) - along the walkway
6) plums - front & back
7) spruces, pines - on the border
8) service berry - ??
9) oak - back
10) burning bush
11) weeping willow - I LOVE this tree
12) weeping cherry
13) some fruit - apple, pear, etc.

Looking for recommendations from experienced members. We are TOTAL NOOBS. New to mid-west, new to winters, now to gardening.

We are ok with periodic maintenance ... we just dont want trees that are very delicate, extremely difficult to grow, expensive to maintain in the long run.

More info. Both front & back of the house is unprotected yard - no fence, no wind barriers, heavy & dry winds are common in summer & winter. About 25% of the front yard gets little to no sun throughout the year.

Thank you!!

Getting to know your candidate trees a little better is good for knowing if they would work well in your yard or not. The cottonwood and willow should be planted far away from the house and any underground waterworks since the roots of these are notorious for causing damage in their search for water. Maples and oaks tend to have roots that rise out of the ground as the tree becomes an adult, and can cause warping and buckling in driveways and sidewalks.

Evergreens should go to the north/northwest of the house to block winter winds and so they don't cause shade on the house in winter. Deciduous trees are better on the south and west sides where they block the sun in the summer and let the sun warm the house in winter.

It's easier to go slow and get a firm plan in place regarding the really big stuff that you can't just move around later like you can with flowers. You'll also probably need to water stuff the first year, so don't want to bite off more than you can chew in regard to having time to care for what you plant until it is well established.

There is also a landscape design forum on here. If you could post some pictures, it would be a lot easier for people to give more specific advice on this forum or the landscape one. Is there an arboretum nearby that you could visit? They usually have the trees labeled, and sometimes a map showing where they are, easy to see them all in 1 place in 1 day. Seeing, in person, mature versions of trees you are considering would help a lot. There are many different maples and oaks. Native trees should need little maintenance except fall leaf clean-up.

Cottonwood becomes a big, tall tree with lots of leaves
and that all cottony stuff in the spring. Not sure if
it works well on a homesite.

Crabapple doesn't look so great in late summer, as they
tend to lose their foliage to various fungal diseases.
If I really wanted a crab-apple, I would get one of the
newer ones (with better disease resistance). To get a
good crabapple, you're going to have to do your , but
even if I did find a good one, I would not put it in my
front yard.

A nice Red Maple in the front would serve you better, I
think. Depending on the variety, you can get a nice red
bloom in the early spring, and yellow/red foliage color
in the fall.

I wouldn't plant any trees in the strip between the
sidewalk and the street. There's not enough real
rootzone for a tree there. If you want something there
other than grass, small shrubs are a better bet (maybe
the Serviceberries).

Make sure that any Willow you plant is at least 100 feet
from underground piping. Willows are notorious for clog
ing underground piping with their roots (in search of
water), causing the homeowner a hefty piping repair fee
periodically (sometimes yearly).

I'd suggest that you put most of what you are thinking
of planting in the back, maybe in a border beyond the
part of the yard you want to keep open. What you're
thinking about right now is going to require a large
palette to sustain.

We got a few maples, crabapples, couple of oaks, some cherries and one honey locust.

what do you all think?