Trees...I need help selecting trees!!

This fall we'll plant trees in our 'meadow' & we want fast growing shade trees, preferably pretty - I know Magnolias & Bradfords have shallow roots, so they won't work - but any other ideas??

Becky, I just saw mature red buckeye at an arboretum and fell in love. I have no idea if it would do well in your area, but it's a zone 6-9 tree, so it probably wouldn't mind the summer heat.

That's very pretty! I think I'm going with some Dogwoods, Buckeye, Red Maple, a couple of Oaks & some Crepe Myrtle mixed in

Sorry Becky, I don't know much about trees for planting. With the natural woods here, I have not planted many trees at all. Just a few flowering ones - dogwoods, magnolias, a weeping cherry, and a japanese snowbell. The big shade trees in the woods though are maple, poplar, beech, hickory, and numerous kinds of oaks. Beech are my favorite, but I think they are shallow rooted too.

Small leaves- They disappear into the grass without raking. That's my 2 cents!

Def don't get Sweet Gum they are pretty and nice but those spiky balls are a horror. LOL

sweetgum has gorgeous fall color- there might be sterile ones. But surface roots, and not particularly graceful branching.
I'd probably be buying something unusual I read about on DG, like Kentucky yellowwood, or, oh, theer is something I've read raves over with really nice bark...
Saw some red maples with 'gold' spring foliage

Sally, I was going to say Yellowood, too. Lovely tree but some what slow growing and the blooms are fragrant. Also hard to find for sale.

I love the Japanese Lilac Tree, don't know anything at all about them but they are pretty. Of course you might be looking more for Native Trees.

Katsura? Is that the really cool thing I'm thinking of?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercidiphyllum
Course, sticking with American native is a good idea too, and this isn't