My dream of a Japanese Red Maple for the front yard will likely not happen because of the summer sun. From Noon til 5, that sun is beating down on our front yard. Any trees that aren't going to get taller than 15' max that would be good for a ranch house front yard? I don't want anything that is going to grow huge and overwhelm the house...

Redbud?
I've never heard of a Japanese Maple getting "too much sun", though. Where'd you hear that? Problem you're going to have is planting it now, though. It'll be harder to get established in the soon to be future hellishness.
You have to make sure you keep it watered well.

Way too tall Donkey!

Redbud kinda bores me. The guy at Bayless was saying that the Japanese Maples had a hard time in bright sun as their leaves can burn, but there is a house 2 doors up that has two GORGEOUS ones and her light is only slightly filtered in the afternoon...so maybe I should just give it a shot. I wonder if I can grow it in a container this summer in the backyard and transplant to the front in the fall?

Redbud boring?!? They're my favorite trees! I have six on my property and they are kicking some beautiful magenta ass right now! They also grow pretty fast.
Hey...I gather you made it to Bayless? Did you have fun?

That's pretty interesting about the maples, though. I've never heard that. Slow growers, though. Have you given any more thought to crepe myrtles? I'm not fond of them, but that's just a personal pecadillo. They have some that are white that grow tall with beautiful bark and a nice growing habit. A stand of two or three would be really nice and go with the style of your house.

Also, I like those plum trees with purple leaves. (They may be called Purple Plums.) Course you may not want to mess with rotten fruit on your lawn!

I think "Natchez" is the variety I'm thinking about...

http://slidellnursery.com/crepemyrtletrees.aspx

I like Crepe Myrtles and I like Redbud too, but they are over-represented in this hood!

Then again, so is the crepe myrtle!

We are headed to Bayless next Saturday cos Ryan has to work. I also decided to wait til Fall to plant the tree and we'll focus on the big container and some other flowers now. Also, I am gonna try the maple regardless...I think if we plant in the fall we can get it established enough to do well by next summer.

Good plan about the tree. Fall's definitely the time to plant those.

I'm not crazy about crepe myrtle's because, yes, they are EVERYWHERE! And, I hate hot weather, so by the time I get ready for it to cool down they are still blooming their heads off. For some reason that pisses me off.
Never get tired of looking at a redbud, though.

I think it says something about their (redbud) hardiness because when I was up at my mom's the last few days, they were the only thing in bloom amidst a sad sea of broken trees that were decimated in that ice storm at the end of January...it was just unbelievable. All the way from Portia, AR to past Mountain Home was just scary.

don't forget the dogwood! a little difficult to grow but so pretty.

I have had several maples burn in the sun. I think I have lost at least three to the sun. Yet I try again. You can get some pretty good deals around. I got one at home depot the other day that is about 7 feet tall for 35 bucks! I am thinking when it gets really hot I might get it an umbrella.

The umbrella would cost around 100 but it would be worth it to save those pretty little trees. My mom suggested Japanese Magnolia...I keep going back and forth on what to do!

My mom suggested Japanese Magnolia.

Those pink "tulip trees"? (Never can figure out the correct name for these...I think it may be "Tulip Magnolia".) They're so beautiful but they'll break your heart. They bloom so early that half the time they get "bit" by frost, and al those blossoms turn brown. This was an expecially bad year for them with the snow.

Also, I love those flowering ornamental cherries. Very pretty, grow really fast, and have nice gray bark. They planted a lot of them on Jackson behind the Rhodes fields a surprisingly few years ago, and now they kick some serious ass every spring.

I like those too; maybe those are the three nice ones in Marquette Park running down Mt. Moriah. I get confused with all these flowering trees, but they are very elegant and the flowers are a fluffy white-pink.

Yeah, the Tulip Magnolia. I am gonna do the Japanese Maple and just give it a shot--it is only $12!!!!

saispas - i have 2 japanese maples in the front yard - full afternoon sun. they're fine. next time you come to nashville, come see them

i also have a maple tree that has been doing well for all the probably 30 years its been there. its huge

crepe myrtles require a LOT of maintenance....

Is it cheaper to buy wheelbarrow/peat moss/humus etc from Lowes or should we get that stuff from Bayless too?

Thanks TK--I have decided to go for it. I mean, $12 for a tree is worth a shot!

Now I gotta select some good stuff for the brick container outside--it runs as a wraparound from the front porch down the length of the living room; typical '50's ranch thang.

I picked elephant ears and canna lillies so far for the hummingbirds, any other ideas along those lines?

Unless you got dwarf cannas they are going to be too big for that container! Also the elephant ears too, I would think...
Dwarf varieties of those would be great for that box, though.

A plant with a pretty leaf that I liked growing in memphis was the native ginger. It has a pretty kind of heart shaped/shiny-ish fuzz leaf. But not sure if its sun loving, tho under some elephant ears might work. Always found it and other great plants at Trees for Touliatos on East Brooks.

Good luck with yer tree!! Planting a new garden is such a nice thing ta do!
I can picture some tall slender stalked white flowers peeking out in between your callas and e. ears, but don't kno the name of them either! Some kind of bulb...