Princeton Sentry or Magyar Ginkgo's. Slow growing, but should stand up to that environment just fine, and actually be very happy after establishment.

Arktrees

Here is a link that might be useful: Both Ginkgo's

Great suggestions on the Princeton Sentry.

What kills me is I came across a really nice 6' speciman earlier this year that I wanted but "at the time" didn't have a spot for it.

I'll add that one as another alternative to the Musclewood.

i dont understand why light foot traffic is an issue under any tree ...

please dont tell me you have seen reference to articles indicating you cant walk under trees???

ken

I have a long mulched bed of plants between my neighbor and my house. Between the mulch bed and my house is a grass walkway about 8ft wide.

I plan to plant this tree closer to the walk way. My dog uses that walkway as a race track and its the only way to get to the backyard.

I just don't want to plant a tree that will suffer from compacted soil...for example a Katsura would be a bad choice.

So far I like the Ginkgo and Musclewood suggestions.
Ken, what do you got?

Ginkgos don't appear to do well in heavy soils.

I'll give some that do.

Arnold Tulip poplar (14x70) (flowers, fall color)
Steeple Sugar Maple (20x70) (Fall color)
European hornbeams franz fontaine and fastigiata (15x45) (foliage/shape)
Green Pillar Pin Oak (12x45)(Fall color)
Crimson Spire OAK (15x50) (fall color)
Bowhall Red Maple (15x45) (fall color)

i dont have most of the exotics you are looking for.. when i do ... i will post ...

if you plant a young tree.. it will put its roots where it wants them ...

IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING.. that compaction.. from heavy machinery is more of an issue under a 50 to 100 year old tree ... it puts its roots where it wanted them.. and then some machine came by.. and infringed in its root zone ...

i wouldnt worry about you and the dog .... unless its some 20,000 pound behemoth .. lol

ken

ken,
Maybe I won't worry about the foot traffic at this point.
I'll just get something that is ok with a heavier soil.

Iforgotitsonevermind,
most of those aren't available around here, but thanks for the list of selections. I did come across Quercus robur 'Crimson Spire' but lists up to 35' wide.

Here is a list of plants that perform well in our clay soils (make note of the ginkgo). Most of these are super common, so I am looking for something underutilized in the home landscape (for example carpinus carolina).

Amur Corktree (Phellodendron amurense)
Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa)
Black Ash (Fraxinus nigra & cvs. )
Blue Ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata)
Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa)
Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana & cvs.)
Chinakapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii)
Common Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis & cvs.)
English Oak (Quercus robur & cvs.)
Eye Stopper Corktree (Phellodendron lavallei
ÂLongeneckerÂ)
Freeman Maple (Acer x freemannii & cvs.)
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba & cvs.)
Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica & cvs.)
Hawthorns (Crataegus ssp. & cvs.)
Hoptree or Waferash (Ptelea trifoliata)
Hybrid Elms (Ulmus spp. & cvs.)
Hybrid Swamp x Bur Oak (Quercus x schuettei)
Kentucky Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioica & cvs.)
Manchurian Ash (Fraxinus manshurica cvs.)
Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana)
Norway Maple (Acer platanoides & cvs.)
Ornamental Crabapple (Malus spp. & cvs.)
Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides)
Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum & cvs.)
State Street Maple (Acer miyabei ÂMortonÂ)
Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor)
Tatarian Maple (Acer tataricum)
Thornless Honeylocust (Gleditsia tri. var. inermis)
White Ash (Fraxinus americana)
Willows (Salix spp. & cvs.)

Ginkgo's do just fine in heavy soil. Notice the occasionally wet in the pdf link. I can verify this to be true as I have seen it myself, and the tree was fine.

Of those listed by "iforgot", I had thought of the maples, but left those off due to the soil possibly being "slightly alkaline". Couldn't tell you about the others.

Arktrees

Here is a link that might be useful: Princeton Sentry Ginkgo

I forgot to add that if you do end up going with a slow growing tree (i.e ginkgo), consider if you are wanting something larger or not. Meaning how concerned are you with seeing the tree with some real size, or are you one that enjoys watching it grow, and aren't as concerned with size of the tree (i.e. not looking for it to shade much). If size is a concern do a search on my user name and ginkgo, I present why with a slow growing tree why is it better to go with a larger tree to begin with, instead of what so many people will tell you that the small tree will beat out the larger tree. It's simply not true for slow growing trees.

Arktrees

If I can't find a Princeton Sentry I will just go Autummn Gold.

Its being planted in-between (2) celebration maples with a southwest exposure.

I think I'm happy with either the Ginkgo or Musclewood selections.

If anybody thinks of anything else, I'd appreciate it.

NEVER plant a norway maple.. unless it is this one ... ken
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I'm assuming that its just a straight Acer platanoides variegated?

above you said:
Here is a list of plants that perform well in our clay soils (make note of the ginkgo). Most of these are super common, so I am looking for something underutilized in the home landscape
===================

i dont understand this at all .... i have quite a number of friends in northern OH ... that garden exclusively in battleship grey.. heavy.. ugly .. OH clay ... and NOTHING.. i mean NOTHING.. is excluded from their garden based on such ...

they do all kinds of things to 'work' with the situation .. but they have some of the best personal and diverse gardens i know of ...

i dont understand why you are limiting yourself based on clay ....

perhaps a new post specifically addressing said issue will glean you a plethora of opportunity for a more diverse garden.. rather than limiting yourself based on said soil

or not

ken

PS: thats another way of saying that your list is a bunch of ugly green plants that will grow in clay [which i think you are coming to understand in your quest for 'the underutilized' comment] .... WHICH .. IF THAT IS WHAT YOU WANT.. ALL THE POWER TO YOU ... but there is a much greater opportunity being bypassed.... IMHO ...

You bet, the point of the post was to get an underutilized tree that can tolerate soil compaction (not clay per say).

But in the case with dog and foot traffic it sounds like its not going to be an issue.

I've added Cornus Mas Variegata to my list. With Diablo Ninebarks in the background that might be a good choice. Cornus Mas is good with heavy soil and drought tolerant to boot.

Waas,
Hornbeams and Ironwoods are nice small trees.

I'm kind of surprised you are finding them more available in nurseries than the columnars I listed but I suppose columnars aren't especially easy to find. You have to go to growers usually (tree farms).

I don't know where you found that size for the Crimson Spire Oak being 35'. It's a Frank Schmidt nursery introduction so if you go straight to the source, their website clearly shows the expected mature size. I'll post the link below. Forest Farm has them in stock.

The trees on the list you posted that do well in your soils obviously get too wide for what you want but if there's anything I've learned, it's that if it's worth planting, chances are there's a narrow growing variety. But yeah, sometimes you really got to hunt it down. That's part of being a tree nut. That's what separates the tree nuts from the people that plant Cleveland Pears.

Here is a link that might be useful: Crimson Spire Oak

I still have 5 months yet to go back and forth, lol.

Right now here are the pairs that I plan to go with based on availability with my top 2 nurseries.

1st Nursery - Homestead Buckeye and Yellowwood
or
2nd Nursery - Briotii and Musclewood

Trees still in the running:
Ginkgo Princeton Sentry
Crimson Spire Oak
Cornus Mas Variegated

Its amazing how you progress with your tree selections. I started with the basics, Maple, River Birch, Pear....then stepped up with Serviceberry, Hawthorn, Magnolia...then Ginkgo, Katsura, Seven Son Flower.

I guess this could all depend on area as well.

I'm confuzled.

Didn't you say it couldn't be more than 20' wide? The Homestead Buckeye is alright but the Hornbeam is right at the max. And The yellowwood, although many online sources would put it at your max or a little bit beyond, a recent posting on here revealed that they can get much larger than that. The Brioti HCN has a much wider spread than you want. These are all worthy of planting but all of these are slow growers and may not exceed the size for a real long time but I just thought I'd ask what happened to the 20' spread requirement.

Sorry for the confusion. I actually meant to post my last post in the Aesculus topic I had going.

Either the Homestead or Musclewood goes in the tighter area (20' width). The Briotii or Yellowwood goes in a spot that can accomodate.

The tree that is common between the two nurseries in the Musclewood.

Bonehead, I can't believe I forgot this one, especially since you said it can be dry and alkaline. Cotinus obovatius American smoke tree, and a rare native that much preferes dry. Pushing the size a bit, but freaking awesome trees. You nursery's may have to order them for you (if you you need to ask them to do so NOW as they place their orders in early to mid winter). One of the larger nurseries here has them on hand. They also grow couple feet+ a year (unlike what the literature says).

Here is a link that might be useful: Cotinus obovatus

Well one the nurseries has a 6" Caliper in stock!

Another good choice to consider. This is what they have to say about it...

Small-scale tree or large shrub with an oval to round-headed habit. Rich dark green summer foliage changes to an extraordinary display of brilliant orange and purple to vibrant gold and carmine in fall. The miniscule flowers mature into pinkish-purple billowy clusters creating a "smoke effect". Beautiful gray bark becomes increasingly interesting with age having an almost corky texture.

The leaves of the Cotinus obovatus is also a oval shape waxy blueish green in summer that is very nice in of itself. I saw one this fall that was predominately gorgeous apricot orange in color. I almost bought it on the spot.

That's one tree that I really wish I had a spot for.