Should I stay away from planting a huge tree?

[Mimi]

I stopped by the nursery yesterday. I asked if they can get me some bald cypress. The owner said they are HUGE trees, get bigger than oaks and maples. Is this true? He said he rarely stock them because they grow to a very huge tree so people stay away from them.

I was comparing the pin oak and bald cypress using the info on arborday.org and the pin oak matures taller and wider. So now I'm confused!

Should I stay away from bald cypress (or any huge trees)? I was planning on planting them at the front yard, 20ft away from the house. The house is about 40ft from the street.

[treedimensional]

Rubbish! Bald cypress is comparable in size to the other species you named, as you read on ArborDay. None of those are "huge" trees; they are large, but not as large as others. The owner is trying to steer you away from a tree he admittedly doesn't stock. He doesn't want to special order one tree.
Having said that, I do think bald cypress is a poor choice to plant 20' away from your house. The natural habitat is moist lowland.

[Mimi]

Apr 22, 2014 10:06:06 GMT -5 treedimensional said:

Rubbish! Bald cypress is comparable in size to the other species you named, as you read on ArborDay. None of those are "huge" trees; they are large, but not as large as others. The owner is trying to steer you away from a tree he admittedly doesn't stock. He doesn't want to special order one tree.

Having said that, I do think bald cypress is a poor choice to plant 20' away from your house. The natural habitat is moist lowland.

That makes me feel better. 

So you won't recommend it because it won't be close to a moist area?  Or because it would be too big for only 20ft away?

These are the trees on my list:

Bald Cypress
Quaking Aspen
Gingko Tree
Hybrid Poplar
Nuttall Oak

I saw a bald cypress at the hospital (about 30ft away from the building) that made me chose it from the list.   Would you recommend the others on my list?

[demandypants]

My university had 5 or 6 Ginkos along a brick paved walkway through campus. They dropped berries or seed pods that stunk to high heaven every year. I called them the vomit berries. So be forewarned. It has an Eww factor.

[treedimensional]

Apr 22, 2014 11:04:49 GMT -5 Mimi said:

Apr 22, 2014 10:06:06 GMT -5 treedimensional said:

Rubbish! Bald cypress is comparable in size to the other species you named, as you read on ArborDay. None of those are "huge" trees; they are large, but not as large as others. The owner is trying to steer you away from a tree he admittedly doesn't stock. He doesn't want to special order one tree.

Having said that, I do think bald cypress is a poor choice to plant 20' away from your house. The natural habitat is moist lowland.

That makes me feel better. 

So you won't recommend it because it won't be close to a moist area?  Or because it would be too big for only 20ft away?

These are the trees on my list:

Bald Cypress
Quaking Aspen
Gingko Tree
Hybrid Poplar
Nuttall Oak

I saw a bald cypress at the hospital (about 30ft away from the building) that made me chose it from the list.   Would you recommend the others on my list?

If there is room for a big tree, I recommend the oak first, then the hybrid poplar or Gingko.
Oak is the most important genus in the food web.
Female Gingko does make really smelly fruit in late summer. And unfortunately, some nurseries sell female trees as males. If you are sure it's male, then it's an okay choice; Gingko is a tough tree that grows slowly. The bad thing is that Gingko does not support the food web.

[pitterwoo]

Apr 22, 2014 12:22:50 GMT -5 demandypants said:

My university had 5 or 6 Ginkos along a brick paved walkway through campus. They dropped berries or seed pods that stunk to high heaven every year. I called them the vomit berries. So be forewarned. It has an Eww factor.

We had a "stinko ginko" along the sidewalk of my last place. Such a shame because its a lovely street tree. Male ginkos only!! They should come with a guarantee or something.