cut down the norway maples and plant something else ;-)

They aren't Norway maples -- Norway SPRUCE trees -- huge, old, lovely weeping branches. And we are just about to spend $1250 getting rid of the last part of a lousy Manitoba maple, so no desire to take anything else down!

Why not go with red cedar - junipeus virginianum instead of the yews. Most of the japanese maples - Acer plamatum,are maginally hardy in Z5. And they do better in mores sun than you indicate. i have seen a lot of cornus alternifolia, the pagoda dogwood in Ontario. why not use it?

oops - i misread sorry.

Thanks for the suggestions, Waplummer. I actually have a pagoda dogwood in a nearby bed -- it didn't bloom for som reason this year. I am wondering about a double file viburnum -- anyone had any experience with tree sized ones? I think of red cedar as a weed tree -- they grow everywhere at our farm in eastern Ontario; why do you think they would be a good choice?
In Canada our zones take several factors into consideration that aren't factored in in the US, so we would probably be a zone 6 a or b in the US -- and Japanese maples do extremely well here -- so well that they are everywhere which is why I'm leaning away from one (along with the shade problem).

If you are considering viurnums, look into Viburnum sieboldii. They are small trees with great foliage, flowers and berries. Not as dramatic as the double-file, but nice nevertheless. As for red cedars vs. yews, I just think that yews are overyewsed.

"overyewsed"??

Groan. LOL!

:)
Dee

How about a white flowered redbud? I don't have one so I can't say it's better than the other suggestions. I do have regular redbuds and they pretty drought and shade tolerant.

Here is a link that might be useful: White Redbud

You might want to check out Tagoda Dogwood, 'Golden Shadows' - Lime green varigation! Beautiful in the shade - Klehm's Songsparrow farms has it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Klehm's

Virbunum sieboldii vs 'Golden shadow' pagoda dogwood vs white flowering redbud? Thanks for the great advice. Now can you help me choose?

Morar

Have you thought of Magnolia virginiana.? I have one growing in crowded and shady conditions in my front yard. It's growing in the shade of a large zelkova and is doing well. It gets very little supplemental watering from me and seems to do well in dry years and wet, in my zone it's evergreen too and the flowers are pretty in the summer.

How to choose? toss a coin, a three- sided one. You can't go wrong with any of the three.

Hello, I just came across this very old thread and had to opine. To Joepyeweed and anyone else who may care about such things: Touche! If it looks like a Norway Maple, if it seems like a Norway Maple, if you have any idea that it may be a Norway Maple, CUT IT DOWN! Enough said. :)