Do you have a green thumb?

[lexi]

Ok, I decided what I want for my birthday.......a tree! 

But my problem is that I don't have a green thumb and have no idea what type of tree we should get. 

We live in Indiana and I have no idea what grows well here. 

This tree would be in our backyard. We have no trees in our yard currently. I really want something that would provide great shade and not have berries or acorns that would fall into my yard. Our backyard gets zero shade so I want something that would be very thick and full. And it would be a bonus if it turned an amazing color in the fall.

We have a Bradford Pear in the front and I hate it with passion. We also have a Dogwood tree (I think) and it will not grow (neither of these were planted by us but by the previous owner). I know I do not want either of those trees. Yuck! 

What tree do I want? I also wouldn't mind have a cute little evergreen tree as well.......Maybe I should get two trees? 

[Pawz4me]

If you take a few pictures of the area(s) you want to plant you can go to a nursery (a local, privately owned one, not the garden center at Lowe's or Home Depot) and someone knowledgeable will probably be able to give you good suggestions.

[kbutton]

I would choose a maple for fall color, and I would pick one with medium or large leaves (the little leaves shrivel and don't rake all that well). You would have many colors to choose from in the fall. I am not sure what variety of maple is in our new backyard, but it has medium leaves that change a little at a time, starting at the tips. If you have just one tree, it's kind of cool to have more than one color on the tree at once vs. it going all yellow, orange, or burgundy at once. 

Drawback: maples do have seeds, but you can also google and see what they are like. But almost all trees will have something that falls into the yard at some point in the year. Each kind of tree litter has pros and cons, including how easily it composts back into the yard. 

I don't remember tulip trees (member of the poplar family) having much yard little other than losing leaves, IIRC. Tulip trees get tall quite fast and very pretty. If you are in a hurry for your shade, it's a good one. I do not remember a lot about whether they are likely to come down in a storm.

Fall is an excellent time to plant trees and shrubs--the cooler weather gives them time to put down more roots without the stress of a lot of heat. You will still need to water them. 

Falling risk--any tree that is subject to high wind and heavy load (fully leafed out or covered in wet snow) at once is apt to come down, but some trees seem to be structured to come down in pieces frequently (branch here, branch there) or to topple all at once. You might ask a nursery about that when you decide on placement.

Pay attention to tree shape--as a tree gets taller, the branches don't necessarily "move up" with the tree. If the tree has a giant split in it at three feet off the ground, it will still be there in years to come. Some kinds of large splits are more prone to wind damage or rot or to shearing right in half at the split. Lower branches can be pruned off as the tree grows--just don't trim the branch collar with the branch. 

With evergreens that get tall, keep in mind that their root structures spread out but stay shallow, so lots of wind combined with rain is a recipe for those to come down.

I would not buy an ash--emerald ash borer is all over the place now.

A few trees are small or understory trees--a pawpaw is not likely to do well by itself in the sun. It is usually mixed it with taller trees (but it has yummy fruit).

http://sites.ipfw.edu/native-trees/nativetreelistbycommonname-page1-test.htm

This site has links to pictures, and there is a printable list of native trees.

[happi duck]

Is there a local arboretum or botanic garden near you?  They might have an expert available to ask.