At a mature width of just 20 ft. that barely qualifies-IMO-as a shade tree. In any case, you'll be looking at various columnar forms of this and that. Any particular reason for that size requirement?

There is only 35ft between the summer cottages where I'd like to produce some additional shade.

How about a width of 30ft?

what about pink saucer magnolia? These can provide a good deal of shade once mature.

Would magnolia do well in Zone 5?

Eastern Hop Hornbeam maybe?

Ostrya virginiana

Strong wood means it's less likely to drop branches on your house.

What season do you use the cottage? You could get something that flowers then, what are the soil conditions like? Swampy, sandy? What do you want out of a tree?

Are the pink saucer magnolia and Eastern Hop Hornbeam fast growers?

The cottage is located in southern Maine about 2 miles from the ocean; we use the cottage between May 1st and October 31st. The soil is a clay, sand mixtures with a lot of stones. We would like to produce more shade for when we are sitting outside. If the tree flowered it would be an additional benefit.

The cottage faces east.

z5 is half the US ... and partws of canada ...

mags rarely get this big , unless in an urban micro climate ... they cant handle cold winter winds .. in the country.. and perhaps near a lake ... if its that kind of cottage ...

how about a pic of the spot ... and where you are ... lake or forest cottage ... ... soil type..etc.. you havent given us much .... and will you be there to water in fall .... now is not a great time to plant deciduous trees in many parts of z5 ....

no tree ever stops growing .... if it grows a foot per year ... you know about how many years.. before it get the size you want.. ect ... googling latin names and adding 'annual growth rate' will get you that info .... [and part sun will slow it down a bit]

and that is why many of the above suggestions are actually shrubs.. or flowering shrubs ... trained in tree form ...

ken

Just looked at pictures of the Eastern Hop Hornbeam, I don't think like the bark on the tree.

the cottages are single story with 10/12 pitch roofs.

approximate cottage height 25ft.

I'll attach photos asap

Chinese pink saucer magnolia is hardy to zone 4, it grows fast after establishing but slows down after awhile. It gets 25' tall and has a spread of about 20', but as ken said a tree never stops growing. The only downfall to this tree is the smell of the flowers is somewhat unpleasant.

Would the magnolia still be blooming May 1 or later? In Southern MN they'd be mostly done by May 1 in an average year. Maybe a late blooming magnolia would be ok.

Why not take a trip to some of the excellent nurseries in southern Maine? O'Donals Nursery in Gorham and Estabrooks Nursery in Yarmouth and Skillins in Falmouth have a wide selection of trees that meet your criteria and knowledgable staffs to advise you. Actually seeing the trees and being able to talk to people with many decades of experience in the specific growing conditions of southern/coastal Maine is likely to be far more helpful than online advice.

They usually bloom around the same time as callery pears and redbuds, but I am in zone 7a. I agree with akamaingrower, take a trip to a local nursery. I am not sure of the bloom time in your location.

The trick is trees that grow fast generally either get huge or die young. So, you have to choose between fast growing and under 20 feet in width. Tulip tree grow fast and have flowers late enough you would see them, but they get waaaay bigger then you are thinking. Mountain Ash? They are prone to disease but are small and would like your climate.

I will caution about Magnolia up here because heavy snows will snap very large branches. We finally cut down four of our magnolias due to ice/snow damage, as much as we loved them.

What about Styrax japonicus, or maples Acer triflorum or Acer griseum? Many viburnum plicatum get pretty tall and can be limbed up. Chionanthus flowers white and has a great sweet smell.

Forgot Aesculus pavia and hawthorn, however hawthorn can be prone to snow/ice damage as well.

saucer magnolia isn't like the typical evergreen magnolia. It is a hybrid, and is deciduous.

Yes, deciduous magnolias can take quite a hit with the snow and ice. We lost half of a large magnolia one year during a major snowstorm. Never good to hear a great crack and then a big crash during snow/ice. Was so damaged we had to cut it to the ground. Have cut others down as well. Magnolia in our gardens seem to take the greatest hit with winter precip, aside from laceleaf Japanese maples.

All

Thank you; your suggestions are awesome, thanks again.

Do all flowering trees produce berries?

No. All naturally occurring species of flowering tree produce some sort of fruit to reproduce...but sometimes they are pods. (As in the case of redbud or Black Locust). Tulip trees produce cones and disperse their seeds by wind. There are sterile hybrids and trees that aren't self fertile...so in those trees you don't get berries unless you have two trees in the area. There are also trees that come in male and female. Fringe trees have males and females, and you won't get berries from a male.

Is your concern fruits that stain patios or attracting birds?

You probably won't get everything you want in Zone 5. Have you decided if you are going to compromise on size or on speed of growth?

yes the concern is with the staining.

any recommendations?

Not many "shade trees" are being offered for your consideration. As that is what you ask about, I would reject the bulk of these suggestions as unfit for the goal you set at the beginning of this thread. I should think it's maples, oaks, elms, lindens.....that sort of thing from which you want to make your choice. You know-shade trees!

I have seen this question several times on this forum. Just because your tree doesn't have berries doesn't stop the staining. What if your neighbor where to plant a mulberry tree? What about that polkberry plant growing on the side of an interstate? Just because a bird doesn't eat it in your yard doesn't mean it won't stain. It wasn't long ago someone rejected the thought of flowering dogwood (the native) because it produces berries. Every house on my street has a dogwood in their yard, no staining from berries. It all depends on nature, you don't control the birds' diet.

wisconsitom(Zone 4/5):

She started out by saying she wanted a tree under 20 feet in width. We talked her into accepting 30. Most of the standard shade trees are way bigger then that,. Ordinarily I'd suggest a beech, but it grows slowly and is bigger then she asked.

I wouldn't think a tulip poplar would stain. Would a magnolia?

Gle2011:. Which suggested trees seem like they are on the right track? What didn't you like about the hop hornbeam bark?

what about river birch or chinese elm? these are some of the medium-sized shade trees. If not invasive in your area what about chinese tallow (yes, going to start suggesting this one).

What WisconsinTom is saying she really wants is a normal size shade tree (i.e. oak or maple) that will grow tall enough to be easily limbed up 20 ft.

Arborphobia has a lot to account for. When I was a kid, all the older houses had large shade trees growing over them. Before AC, this was how it had to be unless you wanted to die of heat prostration. Because of the sun angles, for a tree to shade a house, it has to be very close to that house. The downside of this was that once the trees started to fail, they had to be removed. That happened recently enough that if replacements were planted, they were planted much further from the house. They were landscaping instead of practical cooling. My assumption is that this tree is meant for cooling. So I also think what is wanted is a real shade tree of the fairly large size.

Gle2011, can you clarify the height you ultimately want. You had only mentioned width in your posts above from what I can see.

Oxydendrum arboreum is a very nice tree with scented flowers and glorious fall foliage.

Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) are gorgeous trees that bloom in the summer (when you will be there). A bit temperamental...might be tricky getting one established if you aren't there to water it.

Sourwood are gorgeous, but not shade trees per se and unlikely to be happy in zone 5.

The person who suggested it was in Zone 5...but yeah, that was my thought.

I don't actually think height is a useful number, unless you are planting under power lines. You don't often use the vertical height in a yard anyway. I think people on this forum get bogged down on that one.

What do folks think of my tulip tree suggestion?

Chinese tallow? Really, Caldwell? You'd go there? You are a piece of work.

Thankfully that one isn't even hardy in zone 6, much less 5.

The mature sourwood trees I've seen up here while a little more vertical in growth still have a nice enough wide-branching habit for shade. They're definitely OK in Z5.

i guess it's also a trade-off as to how much shade is produced from the tree as compared to what the OP is looking for when it comes to seasonal interest. Maybe a tree that can give a somewhat decent amount of dappled shade would be OK if there's a lot of beauty in the tree itself. I'd go for flowers and fall foliage if I were limited to one tree, but if deep shade is the main/only goal, then that's a different story altogether.