Question
QUESTION: About 5 years ago I planted a maple tree in my front yard. I have pruned it once about 2 years ago. My front yard is only about 20 to 25 feet from the porch to the road. The tree is getting to big for the area. I live at the bottom of the street and it gets plenty of water. The problem is after I planted the tree I closed in my front porch in to make an additional room and had to build a new porch. The tree is only 9 to 10 foot from the front of the porch and the limbs are starting to lay on my roof. I'm sure I need to cut it down but I need shade because my porch get only evening sun. I want a tree small enough for the area that will give me shade,I want have to worry about falling on my house, having to cut or maintain. I live in the upstate of South Carolina. I look forward to your response. Thank you.

ANSWER: I would call the SC Forestry Commission and ask them to come by and take a look. With out seeing the site it would be a stab for me to recommend a tree. If the limbs are rubbing the house and the tree is taller then the house you could just prune off the lower limbs so the ones leaf would clear the house. Again without seeing the tree this maybe way off what actually exists. The State forestry agency number should be in the local phone book.

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Tree   QUESTION: I appreciate your response but perhaps I gave you to much information. What I really want is the name of some type of small tree shrub, etc that would not grow very tall and that would not require much maintance. I relize I could prune the tree I have but I want something I will not have to prune every year or two. I just pruned this one two years ago. I am inserting a picture so you can see the small amount of area I have between the house and the road. Thank you for any advice you can offer.

Answer
Here is web link to the SC Forestry Commissions tree selection guide. I would maybe pick Crapemyrtle, Dogwood, Kousa, Redbud, Eastern, or  Golden Raintree. depending on the soil conditions.  I would stay away from the Cherry or Maples due to the disease problems with these.

It looks like the tree has a fork low on the trunk--if it has a one main trunk you could prune off the lower limbs that are hitting the house that way the upper limbs will grow over the house and not hit it. This would give a clear trunk up high and you would not have to prune it every year. Prune the limbs back to the main trunk.
May call the SC forestry folks and have then take a look and advice you. There office number should be in the phone book.