I'd go for a Sugar Maple. Much nicer tree.

Resin

and since it is a spousal issue.. i will keep my thoughts to myself ...

ken

I was leaning towards Legacy btw...Wisconsinites love sugar maples. No wonder its the state tree.

I don't know about the Freeman maples, but Acer saccharum is an absolutely gorgeous tree. Nothing "evil" about it. Nice form, pretty spring flowers, and stunning fall color. I nearly got into an accident every time I drove around town this fall rubber-necking at the color of the large Sugar maples. They are slow-growing though - it takes a long time for it to be a "large size" tree.

Here is one of the venerable old beauties that caused me to pull the car over and pull out the camera. Growing in a local cemetary, I estimated this tree to be about 125 years old -
{{gwi:494013}}

If time is an issue - the Freemans. If you plan on staying in your current house till you pass on - the Sugars.

Marshall

Depends where its going.

...in my yard, lol. The space will accomodate the tree span. Well maybe not of the beauty shown above that is 125 years old!

Is there any advantage going with Legacy vs. Green Mountain?

Since I am planting a straight species sugar maple (just a little 2'er), I may mix it up with a Freeman. I think the only diffreence between them is: Autumn Fantasy is more ruby, Sienna Glen is more red and Marmo is more burgundy?

Hey Whaas, this is a little off topic, but it's your thread... you moved, right? Curious whether you took any of your plants with you?

Were the new owners interested in knowing what trees / plants you had on your property? I would want to know...now being that I love to garden...the previous owners here had a shrub that we pulled out, I never knew what it was, wish I did as I'd plant it again, but back then I hadn't a clue about plants.

I have one pic of it, I should post on the shrub forum for identification.

You bet, I'm in Slinger now. They didn't show much interest in what was planted but the landscaping definitely helped sell the house (the buyer's dad was extremely impressed, from what I heard).

My wife actually works at the same company as the new buyer so I just might take a tour in a couple years to see how it looks...it was a 4 year, $7K project with all my own sweat and pain.

I really wanted to take my 'Wolf Eyes' Dogwood, 'Autumn Gold' Ginkgo and 'Homestead' Buckeye. They all had superior branching structure and cost a pretty penny.

I did sneak out a Paperbark Maple, lol. I just stuck a hydrangea I had in a pot to replace it...otherwise it would have been quite obvious I took it. All my moving help thought I was so strange for digging up a tree and taking it with on moving day (I planted it that day too!)

Here is my ambitious spring plan (in progress yet). At least I've had some practice now, lol.

{{gwi:494014}}

A = Picea abies
G = Picea glauca var densata
P = Picea pungens
O = Picea omorika
PP = Asimina Triloba
AA = Aesculus 'Autumn Splendor'
AP = Aesculus Pavia
CC = Cercis canadensis
CR = Carpinus caroliniana
CJ = Cercidiphyllum japonicum
CK = Cornus kousa
LT = Liriodendron tulipifera
PS = Pinus strobus
MJ = Magnolia 'Jane'
NS = Nyssa sylvatica
OV = Ostrya virginiana
QB = Quercus bicolor
QE = Quercus ellipsoidalis
TD = Taxodium distichum
S = Pinus strobus
PF = Malus �Prairiefire�
AS = Acer saccharum �Legacy� or �Green Mountain�
GB = Ginkgo bioblia �Autumn Gold� or 'Saratoga'
GG = Thuja Green Giant
BE = Existing boxelder that will be cut down
TA = Existing Tilia americana (40-50' tall)

FWIW,
We have both a Autumn Fantasy and Autumn Blaze Maple, of the two I slightly prefer the Fantasy. It is more open and spreading than the AB, and has a bit less dense shade below it. Both grow about the same rate, but the AB has reddest shoots while growing the AF does not (may or may not be important to you).

For Sugar Maples we have Commemoration and Bailsta (a.k.a. Fall Feista). The Bailsta is growing about 2' yr, and of course has very good fall color. The Commemoration is a bit slower, BUT the near peak color seems to last a good deal longer. Commemoration is predominately very Orange to Orange-Red in fall color. Love them both, but MAYBE a slight lean toward the Commemoration.

Arktrees

The reason I asked where it is going is because if its going to be some prime space where you want a top notch tree, then choose sugar maple. But your better half won't get their "large maple tree" for a few decades.

If it's a less critical place where if a branch breaks here or there it wont be the end of the world, the faster growing freeman maple will get to be a large tree in about one third to one half the time.

I wouldn't consider either tree evil but you may have read in the past that freeman maple is a hybrid between red and silver maple. Silver maple is generally not viewed as a desirable tree. In places that can can grow them, red maple is preferable. In places with too high of a soil pH (like where you are), it's freeman or nothing at all. I'd take the freeman over nothing.

Oh and I would suggest not planting freeman where surface roots would be a problem or unwanted.

In general I really like sugar maples which are just stunning trees, both for fall color and for overall structure, and which are nice at all ages once they have settled in and started growing.

One things nice about the Freemans, around here they seem to color later than other maples and hold on to their leaves much later than either the native red, silver and even sugar maples. So it extends the autumn foliage color season. Don't know it that would be the same for you.

Wow. Opposite scenario in my area. Freemans are the first to go.

Hm-m-m . . . I wonder if I've misIDed them. They have silver maple shaped leaves that turn red. Maybe a different red-silver hybrid?

Freeman maples usually have leaves that are somewhere in between red an silver. PRetty deeply lobed. All I have to compare it to in my own experience is the autumn blaze cultivar. And they are the first trees to color up.
If what you're finding are wild hybrids or some other cultivar, that's perfectly understandable.
There are many cultivars of red maple, for example, that color at all different times.

Sugar maples color up before the Freemans here in WI.

I noticed this is the Chicago area as well.

So what did you decide, whaas?
Longer lived & slower growing, larger tree
or
shorter lived & faster growing, mediumish tree?

Odds are the 'Green Mountain'...still have some time. It might depend on the stock once I look at it too.

At least the new owners appreciate the work you've done. My biggest fear would be selling to someone who wouldn't appreciate it, or at the worst, tear out all my hard work. I have to say though, it was nice purchasing a home with a blank slate to work with. The only thing in the back yard, besides perennials was a small shrub and a mature lilac tree. The rest was pretty much perennials.

I think I'd want to take my Heptacodium with me, but by then it will already be established and not feasible...

So Whaas, how do you come up with your elaborate landscape plans and tree choices? Do you have a landscape design manual that you are referencing, are you winging it, relying on the tree forum for suggestions, or what? Just wondering how your tree knowledge grew...