I'm debating on which small to medium size trees to add to my yard. I was wanting a few them to be a flowering tree that smell nice, provides good shade, and does very well in Houston (Kingwood/Humble). Anyone know how well crabapples, Bradford Pears, and Meyers lemon trees do in this area? What size should I start off with? Which type of crabapples does better in this area?

How about a redbud or a dogwood? Both are good small trees for houston.

Edit: just looked up dogwoods, and they seem to be more acidic soil, east texas trees. Bradford pears tend to split when they get older and look like crap, and redbuds are good houston area trees (eastern redbud is 25-30ft, oklahoma redbud is shorter and has brighter flowers at 15-20 ft).

[This message has been edited by luckyAg02 (edited 3/14/2011 5:35p).]

Mexican plum

Avoid bradford pears. They look pretty a week or two out of the year, but they're considered trash trees. Short-lived and break/split very easily once they've matured in size.

mt. laurel

Looks like I may add 3-4 trees to my property. Think I'll get 1 of each. Dogwood, Crab Apple, Oklahoma Red Bud, and maybe a Pygmy Psalm. How many colors & color changes and how long for each bloom for each tree?