Crape Myrtles?

[catslayer]

RUN! little tree with very little shade and LOTS of mess when flowers fall

[Eastonoutdoors]

Being a nursery professional I can tell you that the proper variety will give you great shade. Natchez and Muskogee are tall growing varieties that will reach 30' fett and have a 15-20 head. There are thousand of varieties that grow from 18" tall to 30'. Pick the one that fits the spot you have to work with and don't hack it down to nubs every year (crape murder).

[rladner]

RUN! little tree with very little shade and LOTS of mess when flowers fall

This. I have a pool. I killed and removed all the Crepe Myrtles in my back yard. Provided no shade, just a butt load of flowers clogging the pool filters. Believe it or not these things are hard to kill.

[TxAg]

Being a nursery professional I can tell you that the proper variety will give you great shade. Natchez and Muskogee are tall growing varieties that will reach 30' fett and have a 15-20 head. There are thousand of varieties that grow from 18" tall to 30'. Pick the one that fits the spot you have to work with and don't hack it down to nubs every year (crape murder).

This!

[tdwinklr]

Being a nursery professional I can tell you that the proper variety will give you great shade. Natchez and Muskogee are tall growing varieties that will reach 30' fett and have a 15-20 head. There are thousand of varieties that grow from 18" tall to 30'. Pick the one that fits the spot you have to work with and don't hack it down to nubs every year (crape murder).

Ditto!

[1369]

Being a nursery professional I can tell you that the proper variety will give you great shade. Natchez and Muskogee are tall growing varieties that will reach 30' fett and have a 15-20 head. There are thousand of varieties that grow from 18" tall to 30'. Pick the one that fits the spot you have to work with and don't hack it down to nubs every year (crape murder).

I've got new "sprouts" popping up in places in my beds I don't want them. What's the best way to get rid of these? Can't pull them out by hand and I don't think I want to use Roundup, so just prune them back at the soil?

[cj7zrcool]

Hurricane Harvey took out good mesquite tree....

Good mesquite tree in your yard? The only good mesquite tree is located underneath a good slab of meat.

Funny you say that. We've got three that got pretty broke up during the ice storm but I just trimmed them up & left them standing because they provide shade to my pool and outdoor kitchen area when the sun is low in the west.

[rladner]

I've got new "sprouts" popping up in places in my beds I don't want them. What's the best way to get rid of these? Can't pull them out by hand and I don't think I want to use Roundup, so just prune them back at the soil?

This won't work. The stuff is hard to kill. I drilled holes in one, about halfway through the base on all three trunks. Then filled it with pure roundup concentrate. Did that every day for a couple of days. The thing died. I waited a year just because I like to make sure. Cut the entire tree down at the soil level and planted the tree I really wanted right next to it. I'll be danged if I didn't walk over there the other day and see sprouts coming up from the tree stump.