Question From: Streator, Illinois, United States
Q: we have laid away a sunset maple tree to plant in our yard(mainly for the fall color). It will be 30 ft away from the house and 15 to 20 away from any sidewalk and driveway as they say they have surface roots my question is are they a messy tree? do the seeds fall to the ground and also the flowers in spring or fall...will it be impossible to grow grass under it...? It seems that I don't do a very good job at picking out trees as we have a beautiful pin oak...a norway maple (yuk) and a greenspire linden in the front yard (very messy) plus japanese beetles love it... so I want to try and get a good tree this time...Thanks
A: Kathy, Red Sunset is considered to be one of the best of the Red Maple cultivars. It does produce seed but is not considered a messy tree and does not seed all over the yard. Growing grass under trees is always an issue. The roots of the tree are shallow and will compete with the grass. The roots will climb to the surface if the soil is dry. I suggest you mulch under the tree or grow a ground cover such as pachysandra. Best And Happy Yardening, Nancy.
