1) I would start off by contacting SFAU or Texas AM asking for recommendations. There are some fine folks from Texas on this forum that will hopefully chime in and offer better localized suggestions and experience. You also need to find out the ph of your soil which will determine your choices. You are most likely neutral to alkaline.

My list allows for alkaline ph. I would consider quercus shumardii(locally sourced) , quercus macrocarpa, quercus muehlenbergii, acer skutchii, acer leucoderme, pinus taeda, cupressus arizonica var. glabra, chitalpa tashkentensis, cercis canadensis var. texensis, prunus mexicana, aesculus glabra var. arguta to start with.

2) Many of the previous can be started from seed/acorn just fine! If you want a particular cultivar, it will have to be bought.

3) Some kind of post like a T post surrounded by heavy gauge wire 4-5' high. Deer will wreak havoc on anything you become attached to. They cause browsing damage as you might suspect but their buck rub damage will make you cry.

4) If you provide a nice ~2" thick X 3' mulch mound for your transplants and water deeply soaking the water down just below where the roots are every weekend, that should suffice in all but the hottest of hot weather.

5) Please check back in with us when you are ready to plant your trees. We want you to do it right the first time so can have maximum success when they get older!!!

Hope that was helpful :)

John

ps - too much to proofread. Hope I didn't make too many typos

Thanks John. I appreciate the feedback. Do you have any experience/opinions on tree tubes that are supposed to protect and help trees grow?

Texas Persimmons!!!
They are large shrubs/small trees native to the area, heat & drought-resistant and grow edible fruit!

Although they do prefer to grow under larger shade trees just a few feet from their trunks.. So, these could be paired with some larger, slower-growing oaks, etc. too.

Crepe Myrtle trees & Texas Sage shrubs also seem to do well in the dry Texas heat.

Here is a link that might be useful: Texas Persimmons

This post was edited by blakrab on Tue, Sep 17, 13 at 23:22

i would start with your COUNTY extension office..

and ask them for resources

in my MI ... the soil conservation dist office.. has a spring tree sale ... very young.. and very cheap ... not every state does this though ...

ken

All of these are native trees I have planted in McLennan County:
Cedar Elm - tough, drought resistant tree, can tolerate extra moisture. Fastest growing tree I have. Reliable, muted fall color.
Bur Oak - tough, drought resistant tree, can tolerate extra moisture. Extremely wind-firm. No fall color.
Shumard Oak - tough, drought resistant tree, can tolerate extra moisture. Good Red fall color. A few of these may have a hard time with alkaline soil, depends on genetics of specific tree.
Live Oak - tough, drought resistant tree, can tolerate extra moisture. Slower growing than the other oaks.
All of mine have been grown from seed. They are first grown in pots and then transplanted when about 16-18" high. If you buy commercially, the smaller trees (5 gal size) will establish faster than the larger sizes. Weekly watering during summer is needed for the first year. Less as temp.s drop below 80 F. Eastern Red Cedars and Arizona Cypress are good conifer selections.
Good luck.

Thanks for all the great feedback. It looks like I have a considerable number of choices. I will follow up on your recommendations.

Dave

I would put a strong second on the Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) Easy from seed, fast growth and drought resistant when established. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_macrocarpa

Live oak would also be a good choice. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_virginiana

The English Oak would be fun. (Quercus robur). Fast growth, drought tolerant. Good dense foliage and shade.

There are the Hackberry trees. There are several species, the most common is the Common Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtis_occidentalis

Kentucky Coffee Tree would also work there (Gymnocladus dioicus) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_coffeetree

The Yellowwood tree is one to consider. It loots a bit like a flowering beech because of it's grey bark. But again, it has a deep taproot so it is drought tolerant. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cladrastis_kentukea

You may want to try the Deodar Cedar. Being in a warmer zone, this tree would probably grow well. It is the fastest growing of the true Cedars and will get to be a very tall tree. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedrus_deodara

The other true Cedars, Cedar of Lebanon and Atlas Cedarwould be very good choices but they are very slow growing trees. A foot a year at most. More like to get 6 inches a year.

Another choice for an evergreen is the Sierra Redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum) For a tree that will eventuall get huge, it is a very good and well behaved tree in it's youth. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoiadendron_giganteum

Oddly enough, the Swamp Cypress (Taxodium distichum) does not need to be in a swamp and is surprisingly drought tolerant, when established.

The seeds for these can be found on line. Where possible I prefer to plant the seed where the tree is to grow. This allows for quickest establishment of the tree and better acclimation. However, you can also start them in pots if necessary. Particularly if there are vermin that would eat the seeds or the seedlings.

Google these and see if any strike your fancy. By the way. How much land do you have and how much water do you get? That would be interesting and helpful in getting the trees started.

Mexican White oak is a fast grower semi-evergreen (like Live Oak).

Montezuma cypress is a faster grower and more semi-evergreen than Bald cypress. They stay green into December/January before turning color (rustic red color) in the middle of the winter which can be pretty cool to see.

You can use Rootmaker starter tray to develop superior root system that will help them get established in the ground quickly.

You can make your own container media mix (look for Al's 5-1-1 in the container forum).

You can try planting acorns in the ground this fall and see how it goes next year if the animals do something to them or not.

Here is a link that might be useful: rootmaker

Another vote for Bur Oak - but other selections listed previously should also be considered. Diversify your plantings.
Don't forget to include some pecans, too, if they'll work in your area.

The tree tubes can be very helpful in getting small seedlings established the first year or two, but my experience is that - even though they're designed to stay on and photo-degrade, they tend to promote rapid, spindly growth, so I don't like to keep 'em on for more than 2 years.
By themselves, the tree tubes are NOT adequate protection against cows or horses (deer, maybe) - if you want these trees to have a fighting chance in a pasture setting, you'll have to put up some sort of substantial fence around them to keep cows from eating/rubbing on them - and high/wide enough to keep horses from reaching in and keeping them eaten off.
5ft x 16ft welded wire cattle panels, fastened into a circle are *almost* the ticket, though that 5 ft diameter cage is not tall enough to keep horses from 'topping' your tree once it gets above wire height - and you'll need something more substantial than a couple of T-posts to keep cows/horses from pushing it around.
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, had to re-plant.

If you know where you want the trees growing, you can 'direct-seed' acorns/nuts, etc. exactly where you'd like the trees to be - just be sure to provide protection. Certainly cheap to do it that way, and if you collect from locally-adapted trees, there's a greater likelihood that those seedlings will do well in your locality.

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing containerized oak/nut seedlings for outplanting

Yes, Live Oaks are also a great native choice! They grow huge majestic crowns, so just plant a few with lots of space.. And are VERY heat/drought resistant.

Don't forget about Pecan Trees too! They grow huge and also produce...pecans!

Here is a link that might be useful:

If you want some smaller ornamental trees, you might consider the Clear Creek golden yellowhorn. I bought a 22" baby for $26 this season and planted it. It's a rather rare tree, but is known for its drought tolerance. It's also a fast grower. At maturity, it produces a tennis-ball-sized pods with pea-sized seeds that reportedly taste something like macadamia nuts when roasted.

Here is a link that might be useful: Drought-tolerant trees

Texas Live Oak (Quercus Fusiformis) and Texas Madrone Tree, maybe a scattering of Crepe Myrtle.