Jeep,
Planting ornamentals isn't a bad idea, but Glen is on to something with his suggestion of planting Black Locust. This extremely versatile tree has both utility and ornamental value.
The tree is often disdained in the sanitary suburban landscape because of its thorns and its tendency to spread by suckering off the roots. But its true value far exceeds its perceived liabilities.
In the landscape, the blue-green pinnate leaves cast a pleasant filtered shade; it has beautiful showy white flowers, that as Glen said, are deliciously fragrant; and in its winter nakedness, especially at night, the sight of its gnarly branching habit is reminiscent of the Adams Family house on a stormy night. The only tree I know of that rivals it for the ghoulish "stormy night" effect is the Catalpa, especially against the backdrop of an 1840's Victorian-Gothic house.
Its utilitarian uses are many. It's adaptable to environmental extremes such as drought, air pollutants, and high light intensities. The wood is very strong and hard, with extremely high durability, yet it grows fast and dense, and its N2-fixing ability makes it ideal for colonizing degraded sites. It can be used for external purposes -- like cedar -- without toxic preservatives. And it provides excellent honey nectar.
The beautiful light to dark brown wood is used to make paneling, siding, flooring, furniture, boat building (substitute for teak), decking, vineyard or nursery props, fruit boxes, and pallets. It is also a preferred wood for pulp production. And, again as Glen notes, it can be used for firewood.
As far as worrying about its thorns -- actually they are spines (modified leaves or stipules, as opposed to thorns (modified branches, as in the Honeylocust) -- once your kids get pricked by them once, they'll quickly learn to avoid them. Hey, they're kids exploring the outdoors, you don't want 'em to live in a bubble, do you?
Consider the beautiful, often disdained, and underappreciated Black Locust. You can't go wrong.
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