I'm not sure how Japanese Maples do in your area. They are very popular around here and do well in dappled shade. It has a layered look that usually isn't obstructive to views. And there are numerous varieties to choose from (different overall sizes, shapes, colors, etc). The Vine Maple is an "understory tree" native to our area (Pacific Northwest). It also might do well in that spot, being under the large shade tree. It is not usually dense, either, especially when grown in shade.

I would consider an eastern redbud. They tend to have a pretty open canopy. It has been my experience that they only get to be about 20 feet tall. The only issue is that they die fairly early (10-25 years from planting). I saw a weeping redbud at my local nursery that would look good there.

Beautiful house and beautiful front yard, BTW. I am all too familiar with small spaces!

I agree that a japanese maple would look nice...they don't cast a dense shade and they do tend to have an open layered look. I think the red of a japanese maple would look very nice against your house and with the other plantings. How close to the coast are you?

Pagoda dogwood.

Thanks for you responses.

I've been searching for something a while but everything seems to have a big drawback. We've been looking at Japanese maples. My husband loves the red ones, but I've been warned that something like a bloodgood gets very dense and will make a lot of shade. Maybe that's not true. I had some other ideas for Japanese maples but for one reason or another they didn't seem right. Haven't heard of a Vine Maple but will look it up.

My husband hates the very dissected ones, and also weeping ones. I think a small red weeping one would be great "weeping" over the row of large rocks in the foreground and will try to sneak it in if we don't get a regular red Japanese maple for the taller tree.

Thanks for your compliments krycek. It took a lot for us to bite the bullet and put in an entry and new walkway. But it makes so much difference - our house was long and flat before with crumbling steps, and no place to welcome people into the home. I originally wanted a redbud but a number of people warned me that it would have to be very sheltered here and still may up and die at any time. I have a tiny one growing in the back behind the rhodies - hopefully someday it will be tall and protected. We're a ways from the coast.

We have also thought about the Pagoda Dogwood. It seems almost right, but I've never seen one "live" and don't like the flowers in the pictures. Somehow if we get a dogwood I've been leaning towards something variegated (white and green) or with pink/red flowers. Probably a kousa (Satomi, Beni Fugi, Autumn Rose, Samaritan?) or the pink Rutger's hybrid. I love the long lasting flowers in June. However, I really don't know if pink or variegated make sense here.

We have a fairly long list of possibilities which I'm trying to get together in one place. I'll post it here when I get it together, but wanted to just throw it out first to see what people came up with.

I'm also having a hard time with size. The landscaper seems to think something bigger is better - he's mentioning things that get to about 30' tall. I'm thinking that seems too tall - and more importantly will get too wide and overtake the walkway. Some other things seem too small - I'm in love with a variegated Cornus kousa 'Summer Fun' but it only gets to 8' tall and about 4' wide.

Hmmm.

Well, about the redbud. I've never known redbuds to need protected. My Mom had one on her tree lawn in an inner-ring suburb here and it did just fine. However, you are correct, they do just kind of decide to die after about 10-15 years. I love them though because they don't cast a dense shade and they get reasonable size (they don't seem to usually live long enough to attain the 25 feet they say they will).

There are weeping ones here in the local nursery. I'm not sure something weeping would look right in that bed, though.

There are lots of varieties of japanese maple. My mom has one that's rather slow growing and it's been there about 10 years, is very layered, not very dense, and has done well. You may want to ask the garden center if they have japanese maples that stay under 15 feet and have a nice layered look.

Unless other people have some other ideas, the only trees I can think of that will do well with dappled sun and not get large are dogwoods, japanese maples, or redbuds.

I love amur maples, but I'm not sure how they would do in part sun.

I totally understand your desire for a tree. I just went through the same thing in a small bed, but in sun. We ended up getting a Dwarf Plum tree.

I went through the same thing you're going through...everything seemed to have a drawback of some sort. Finally, I just bit the bullet and got something that both my Partner and I were happy enough with :). I could have spent years going back and forth between tree varieties!!!!!!!!

Really, in my mind, the red of a japanese maple or ruby red redbud would go beautifully with the red door and that space. I just hate that they cost so much money.

A 'Fireglow' Japanese Maple would look very like a Bloodgood, yet stay smaller, which depending on the target size you desire might be nice. An Emperor I would also be very Bloodgood-like, yet is said to leaf out a couple of weeks later in spring than Bloodgood; in a cold region perhaps that might reduce the risk of late frost killing new leaves as much?

What's the tallest you'd tolerate the tree being? What's the shortest?

Are you set on a deciduous broad-leaf tree like a maple, or do you like any of the evergreen conifers?

Richard.

That's a beautiful front porch and a lovely entrance.
I would suggest a compact evergreen for the space just to the left of the bay window. Something that will top out around 10'
and also some dwarf evergreen shrubs for the foundation. Something like serviceberry or pagoda dogwood would be nice as a front yard specimen. I think you've got room for a jm in there too.

The flowers are nice on a pagoda dogwood, but the real virtue of the tree is in its branching structure -- just lovely and pictures don't do it justice. It's a piece of natural sculpture. It would be subtle and lovely in that spot. Resist the urge for showy varigated foliage on one of the c. cornus hybrids or a c. kousa -- IMO they always end up looking a bit tatty.

prunus kanzan - flowering cherry tree. lovely

I agree with your husband about the very dissected & weeping jms - something just seems wimpy & pitiful about them to me.
He might like an upright jm with larger leaves. There many upright jms you could check out at World Plants:
http://www.worldplants.com/mapleintro.htm

They have nice dwarf uprights too like Bene Maiko, Green Star, Shigarami if you want to keep the tree rather small (Bloodgoods do get pretty big over time). Lots of photos & info on cultivars. I bought several jms at World Plants around 4 years ago that are doing wonderfully well.

Just wanted to say that it looks nice but I'm kinda concerned about the soil compaction by that bobcat around big tree in the front yard. I hope they paid a special attention to the big tree not to mess up the soil. I've seen large trees suddenly die within a couple years that way.