tree for a swing

I want to plant a large tree that will have a horizontal limb at least 25 feet up on which to hang a swing. There was such a tree in my childhood, but it died years ago and I don't know what kind it was. I'm in my 50's so I know the tree may not be ready for a swing until my great grandchildren are around, but I would like to plant it anyway. I'm in zone 7, in Annapolis, MD. Can I train a limb? Please help. Thanks. Linda

I'm thinking common hackberry. You are smart and sweet to think of your great grandkids. I admire your spirit!
Good luck!
Joulz

Thanks, Joulz. I'll check out the hackberry. I used to live in Sewaren NJ and my uncle lived in Metuchen. Linda

REALLY? How cool is that? Small world huh. Tell your uncle to check out my Web site. Lots of pictures of Metuchen.
Cheers!
http://www.treegrowersdiary.com/index.html
--Julie

Bur oak comes into my mind. A bit slow growing though.

In my childhood, we used a white oak.

My first thought was a white oak, almost of any species.

Scott

Down in my neck of the woods, only a live oak would do.

Oaks are constantly labeled as 'slow-growing', but in my young plantings(all are under 12 yrs), bur oak - particularly selections from the southern and western portions of its native range - are among the fastest growing trees I've got going; most put on a minimum of 2 ft per year, sometimes more - and I do not fertilize my oaks. Pecans and black walnuts grow at a similar rate.

A good mulberry, like 'Illinois Everbearing' or a good M.rubra selection, will grow really fast and big (they're not much more than big weeds, but I love 'em), and they make superb climbing trees for kids - and they'll love eating those tasty berries - unless you're one of those folks who's so anal that they can't abide the thought of a kid climbing a tree(and yes, they'll fall out occasionally) or getting their hands/mouth/clothes stained with mulberry juice.

I agree on Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa), it would be my choice. It has roughly a 350 year lifespan, it is in the White Oak family. It isn't that slow growing, like the straight White Oak tree. White Oak (Quercus alba) is a real nice tree, although it has about a 600 year lifespan, it is a slow grower. I took this photo a couple years ago of a Bur Oak down the street a couple miles that supports a swing real nice. If you really want to see a big Bur Oak, well, even bigger that that one, go to my photo album and click on "state champion Bur Oak".

Will

Oops, here is the link to go to my state champion bur Oak photos if you'd like -
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v243/w4i0a/MOstatechampionBurOaktreeColumbiaMO/

Will

Bur oak, you say, with a swing?

Scott

The last pic by Recumbent might be the most perfect tree I've ever seen. The lower branch on right looks like it stretches out to infinity. Is it open to public viewing?

I've got to thank Guy for that one. That is the Illinois state champion bur oak in _______??? Illinois. Guy? He suggested that Vroom Valet and I visit it on our way to Chicago, which we did, and I'm so glad we did. You might notice, by the way, that there is a swing hanging from that mammoth branch.

Open to public viewing? Well, yes. We knocked and rang the doorbell in an uncharacteristic attempt at courtesy, but no one answered, so we went around back and took many pictures. We then went across the street to take more pictures of other very large neighborhood trees. Upon returning to our car we were met by the homeowner of the pictured house. She was a very sweet older lady who hadn't heard the doorbell and wanted to know why we had been in her backyard. She seemed amused and confused that we were there to see the tree (especially since it was in the dead of winter and about -80F outside), but otherwise very hospitable.

Scott

That last picture is what inspired me to say bur oak. I think I will always remember it. As far as the growth rate is concerned, I can honestly say I don't know because we don't have them around here. I assumed they are slow growing because they are so closely related to quercus alba.

I have a TERRIBLE yearning to go sit on that swing.

I'm SERIOUS. I can't stand it.

Well, here's that same tree, with the swing occupied! It's SW of Bloomington Illinois. And it's not the current state champion, but nearly so. The branch spread is 130 feet.

Guy S.

In my state it would be a live oak, but the grandchildren would probably be grown by the time it is large enough. That is where I first learned my love of the live oak--flying up into the branches on my swing.
A hackberry would be good and it feeds many varieties of birds. Most trees that are fast growing don't get branches strong enough to hold a swing unless the children are very little.
Hope you find the right one and your grandchildren have a wonderful time.
Guy, that is one of the first photos I saw of you and I asked you how tall you were and you said "getting a little personal aren't you?"

Oh, my, sorry about that. When I saw that Burr Oak it was Guy sitting on it, not Edie.

I think Scott got confused once he got outside his Cincinnati comfort zone.

He meant to post a picture of this big bur oak outside Bloomington, IL in the yard of a very nice old lady who wondered why we were wandering around.

The owner isn't really all that old (well, compared with me, anyway). I would guess late 40s - early 50s. Maybe you saw the grandma?

If anyone goes there, please knock and be polite but if no one is home go ahead around back. They welcome tree-lookers as long as you do no harm to the property. Tell them hello for me.

LOL, how tall are you, anyway???
Hee-hee-hee!

Guy S.

Hey, EscambiaGuy,
Bur oak is native to AL, but only in one small area in Montgomery County. Bur oak has been planted extensively around the Auburn University campus as a street tree. I have one selection I've made from trees on the vet school campus there that produces the largest acorn I've run across yet(but still not so large as those of Q.insignis.) Never have been able to find out from anyone if the AU trees are AL natives, or if they were imports from elsewhere, like TX or OK.

Hey, while I'm thinking of it, did you ever know Dr. Harold Tennant, the veterinarian, there in Atmore, or any of his daughters? I used to hunt with him some when I was a kid, and would occasionally get the chance to visit him at his place at Orange Beach, and he'd take us out fishing.

Lucky,

Are you going to give us some details on the picture?

Wow! You guys are great. I'm brand new at this and it's lovely to get all this help. I agree - a bur oak is probably the most beautiful tree in the world, but I don't have that much room. Also, I live on the water, with a hill going down to it, and the tree is to be planted at the top of the hill (which is one of the things that makes a swing there so nice), so I want a tree that has a single trunk and then the branches up at the top, so I still have a view of the water from the downstairs at least. I have been thinking about an oak but I lived with what I think was a white oak in my last house and it shed leaves nine months of the year, which was very annoying. I'm hoping to find something that sheds all at once, preferably in the fall. Does a hackberry tree make a BIG mess? I like to feed the birds and I don't mind a small mess but grandchildren will be playing under the tree and I go barefoot most of the time. Any more ideas?

Hi Lucky_P,
I don't think I know that veterinarian. I agree, Orange Beach is a wonderful place to visit. Even though its only 60 miles away I only get down there about twice a year. I never see bur oaks in this part of the the state, and rarely do I see white oaks. We have water oaks, live oaks, and more water oaks LOL. If i'm ever up in Auburn I will make sure to check them out.

OOPS. That's NOT Q.insignis!
I've got a photo of it somewhere - actually, it's one of Guy's shots of an acorn, but we had a big electrical storm Tuesday night that fried our UPS and a couple of the servers, so things aren't working just right - I was searching the files I could access for the Q.insignis photo, and didn't realize I had uploaded that photo. That's my eldest son and his former girlfriend, on the way to the prom last year.
He's had a haircut since then, thank goodness.

EG,
Dr. Tennant has been deceased for a number of years(probably more than 20, now that I think about it) - gee, I'm getting old..
Know what you mean about Q.nigra - I grew up at Auburn, and there's no doubt about it being the predominant oak there. Yeah, we had white, overcup, Southern live(on campus), southern red, cherrybark, and scarlet scattered about, but water oak was everywhere. At one time, the state champion swamp chestnut oak was growing in the Saugahatchee Creek bottoms on the farm I grew up on, but I think it has either succumbed to old age or been surpassed by a larger specimen.

I think Lucky was looking for this one taken near Huatusco in Vera Cruz, Mexico. If the photo-loading system is working this morning, you'll be able to see it and not just get the old red "X" like we were seeing yesterday.
Guy S.

If mighty oaks from little acorns grow; what does that produce? That's a big seed! And while I'm still in a state of awe is the coconut the largest seed? Ken

Yep, Guy; that's the one.

EG,
Here's a shot of one of those bur oak acorns from the Auburn campus - not the biggest of the bunch, but this one has one of the more ornate caps.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could have this tree for a swing. It only took 600 years to grow this.

I'd know that tree anywhere -- it's Old Dickory, the live oak you rescued from developers and highway builders!

Guy S.