I don't think American persimmon is what you are after. I've seen plenty of them reach 50-60 feet. You also harvest the fruit from the ground. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable eating from a surface with gas, coolant and oil residues.

I've never grown any of the Asian persimmons but maybe one of them would be better for your needs. I think hazelnut sounds like the best fit.

This is just a private driveway, just two families share the roads. Also, the trees will be about 15' to 20' from the driveway, so the ground is mostly lawn.

Jujube would be the ideal trees. But I just do not want to put a valuable trees in that location, if I can just spend $10 for two hazelnut seedlings.

I think Asian persimmon still requires some maintenance, like spray, thinning, etc?

Have you considered Serviceberry? They can be drought tolerant once established, but you will have to be vigilant about watering until then. Native, pretty flowers, edible berries that the birds will clean out before they drop, lovely autumn foliage. Also affordable!

Yes, this is good. Looks similar to mayhaw tree too.

One of the least maintenance plants I have is Cornus mas,the Cornelian Cherry,which is a member of the Dogwood family.Mine is in a large container.Planting in the ground,they may grow ten to twelve feet.The fruit can be made into sauce.Some of the best ice cream I've tasted was made from the fruit. Brady

Early Spring
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Ripening Fruit in August
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You can top an American persimmon and keep the height in check. American persimmons are astringent so birds and other wildlife don't generally bother them until they ripen. This is not the case with some Oriental persimmons.

I use American persimmons for deer specifically because they are native to my area and low maintenance. You can't do much maintenance on hundreds of trees scattered across a couple hundred acres. Astringency helps me because flying and climbing animals don't much bother the persimmons. The don't get fully ripe until the fall on the ground. At that point deer have an equal chance as other wildlife.

Most critters in the woods eat persimmon when they are ripe. So if you are living with wildlife in the area, they will keep the persimmons cleaned up pretty well from the ground.

There are also some oriental persimmons as well as crosses between American and Oriental that are astringent. For a situation like yours, they may be a fit. If you use Lotus rootstock instead of Virginia they tend to be smaller trees. Many of the Oriental persimmons ripen on the tree and do not fall. If you use an astringent variety, they will be largely protected from animal use until they ripen. At that point you will need to compete with climbing animals. In a landscape setting you would not have the fruit on the ground issues if you don't have wildlife around to clean them up.

My personal experience is with American persimmons for wildlife. I just throw Oriental out as an option for you. Others can help with specific varieties. I don't know if they are as maintenance free as American.

Thanks,

Jack

Goumi would be my choice they are nitrogen fixers and very drought tolerant http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=f353

I got them for around $2 from lawyer nursery but they appear to be out of stock currently

Here is a link that might be useful: goumi

I have a similar area at my house and planted blueberries and american elderberries. They likely get more water than your spot but installing a drip line should be adequate.

I am a big believer in blueberries. Low maintenance, spring bloom attracts pollinators, puts on a good fall display, makes for a good hedge, tasty berries. I recommend mounding up soil a foot high, planting the bushes 4-5 feet apart, acidifying the soil, and mulching with pine bark to keep the weeds down.

Being that were in New Jersey I recommend native edibles. We have big problems here already with invasive plants.

Blueberry is a no-go. This area is hundreds of feet from the water source. Even the grass does not grow well there. Over summer, the grass there dries out first. Also, in such an open area, birds would get most or all of the berries.

Did I mention goumi don't need sprayed and would likely produce enough fruit for you and the birds once established? Those and Aronia are the lowest maintenance shrubs I grow. Aronia are not very palatable fresh but rather mostly used in mixed juice, wine etc.