Collecting from my own landscape redo

[sorce]

Its gonna be the Elms and mulberries, Buckthorn and etc....that I'm after!

The..."oh you want those?" Ones!

Yes I want those! Fuck your forsythia! Lol!

Sorce

 

[A. Gorilla]

If you want all of the above plus Pyrus, you know where to find me.

 

[substratum]

I’ve not cut back the forsythias in the 15+ years I’ve been here. I’ll have to cut my way into the hedge to even see the “trunks”.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Right now I've got more trees than I know what to do with. So I'll pass on forsythia. But thanks for the link to Craigslist.

 

[substratum]

Here's some more on the Banana Shrub mentioned in the OP. The more I look at it, I think it may by the most promising plants in the yard.

Michelia Fuscata
The Banana Shrub or Port Wine Magnolia' (Michelia figo) is an evergreen tree growing to 3-4 m tall. It is native to China,Asia.
It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens for its fragrant flowers. The leaves are leathery, dark glossy-green, to 10 cm long. The flowers are cream-white, purple rounded or light-purple; strongly scented. This plant is used in Shanghai, China, as a tall evergreen hedge. It makes a large evergreen compact tree. It grows in acid and alkaline soil very well