What is the best shade tree for a front lawn?

Jeff wants to know what type of tree he should plant in his front yard.

Well, Jeff, there’s lots of different options in our area. There’s several varieties of oaks that do really well around here, pecans of course, different types of hollies if you wanted a small ornamental tree.

But a good medium-size shade tree for our area, for most yards, would be either elms or maples. They’re both relatively fast-growing, don’t make much of a mess, and will fit perfectly into a regular-sized neighborhood yard.