Hi,
Attached is the photo of my front yard. I want to plant some trees and do some landscaping to add value to the property. I need help with following:
1. Please suggest me trees I can consider: ( I want trees which does not mess the frontyard with shedding of Pines etc).
2. How many trees can I plant. Two or Three big trees? and where would you suggest? Pick the location by picking number from the photo.

Plan is to plant the big trees and then do other landscaping afterwards.

Please see photo of the frontyard. Please click the photo as it shows numbers spots

Location- Houston TX
Zone 9a
Direction. If you are looking at photo, north is towards the backyard. You are facing north if you are looking at photo.

I would plant two trees and two trees only.
I would plant one in the back, right side of the photograph. I would place it mid way between the sidewalk and the house and about ten feet out from the stockade fence.
The second tree would be planted to the far left of the image, over near the driveway. This should be perhaps 8' away from the driveway and maybe 10' from the sidewalk. This should be a smaller tree, perhaps one that matures at about 15 feet tall.
The other tree could be a taller tree, perhaps one that gets to be 25' high at maturity.

I would finish the front planting by planting a decorative hedge along the rounded corner of your front yard. BUT let me caution you that it should be something very trimable. Some thing that is ever green or something that flowers but it should never be higher then 30" in order not to block car drivers from seeing things at the corner.
If you can't find something suitable perhaps a nice bed, 3-5' wide and 30' long following the curve featuring daylillies. They would be very pretty.
Plant tree at #1, bed at 7, 8 and 9 and a tree at 12.

I am no good at landscape design, so you will probably want to ignore this, but I would plant at 2, 5, and 12.

Considering ive seen lots of temperate and dry zone trees, id consider
-plane tree(durable, a bit drought tolerant, fast growing and long lasting), might need pruning, but doesnt spread too much,
-various ornamental cherry or plum trees(red leaf maybe)
-magnolia tree(grandiflora), these have large flowers and are evergreen
-gingko , if you are into oriental and unusual
- conker /horse chestnut. also near xeric (but also a bit of a waste maker)(least recommended of the bunch)
- persimmon, its fruits can be ornamental if left(though may need cleanup).
Id stay away from maples, willow,Ailanthus, poplar, ash and linden. They leave much more debris, some have other issues.
Bear in mind their roots though.
My 2 cents.

I like 5 and or 12, maybe 3.
I avoid 10 being too close to house, and 7,8,9 too close to corner.
I do not like hedge on the corner.
I fear Sycamore plane tree is too huge and messy. I have standard ones, they have huge leaves and are twiggy. And barky. And huge.
I might do 1, 2 or 3 but would avoid blocking my front door..my 2 cents worth..

I would plant two trees and one medium to large shrubs for now. More shrubs can be added later. Large tree like @BigBill mentioned at #11-12. A mid size to small tree at #3, about 1/2 between sidewalk and house. At #1 plant a medium to large shrub, like Ceanothus 'Victoria' or a Buddleia, even a small tree 10' max. These are your anchor points. These are your specimen pieces. This will increase curb appeal & land value. Later you can add some smaller shrubs &/or perennials to highlight a few spot. Like at the corner near the house & by the entryway.

Find out where your water line comes to the house. I think you best not plant a tree on it. Same for electric and internet cable if those are buried.

Good point!

I just came to know that my city is conducting Free Trees (15Gallons) for its residents. They have following trees available.

Pride of Houston
Yaupon,
Live Oak,
Red Oak,
Cedar Elm,
Vitex,
Green Giant Magnolia

I prefer trees which has minimum mess.

Suggestions are welcome!

I don't think Magnolia can be called 'not messy', and it takes up a large 'floor space' But beautiful. Keep well away from the sidewalk (15 feet?) (Mine is too close and I have to prune up the low branches and to me it wrecks the look.)(If you keep the branches all the way to the ground, the mess is mostly under it, self mulching like, so maybe it's not messy in that sense)

Cedar Elm - I like the sound of that, - is native, leaves are small so they blow away or decay more easily than oaks and magnolia. But I haven't grown it.

Oaks, the side yard only, (12?) well away from the house and power lines. One really big tree is plenty for the yard, I think.

My city on Long Island made the same offer years ago. Be careful is the best advice that I can give you.
Our offer was for 6 different kinds, 2 were weed trees and not appropriate. 3 were not especially attractive and we chose the last one, a pin oak.
We planted it curb side. It was a nightmare, it pushed up the sidewalk with its roots. I came to wish that we never planted it.

If you pick one, make sure it fits your needs, not the cities.
And lastly you said that you wanted a minimum mess. All trees make some mess. Me personally, I will put up with the mess if the tree is beautiful. Who wants an 'ugly' messy tree. Tree mess is just a normal part of being a homeowner. A pretty tree with a mess will do more for your home value then a neat ugly one!!!

I think Cedar Elm would be a good choice. Yaupon is pretty but can sucker badly, Live Oak is a beautiful big, wide tree - appropriate for the side possibly, Vitex will stay smaller, can be grown as a large shrub and blooms! I am not familiar with Pride of Houston, but I would consider the others to be messy.

Consider the hot Texas sun. If the house is facing south, then the garage will be on the west side. South and west are where the sun really beats down. That means your back yard and the east side will naturally be the coolest areas. Deciduous trees are nice in that they allow sun in the winter months, but in Houston that may not matter as much. An evergreen tree like a magnolia or live oak is going to block the sun year round. I like the oaks. Both offered tend to lose their leaves in the spring. The red oak just hangs on to the dead leaves until the sap start rising in the spring and then sheds them. The live oak stays green in the winter, but in spring replaces most of the leaves with new growth. Live oaks have more of a spreading canopy when they mature, but both will end up giving lots of shade when they get some size.

For my part, I'd want the sun blocked in the summer so I'd probably plant a larger tree at #2 or #3. On the side I might go with a couple of smaller deciduous type trees so the sun wouldn't be blocked during the winter months since that will be on the east side. Unless you are wanting to block some of the view of the house from the street. Then I might choose one smaller tree that is evergreen and one deciduous smaller tree. Also I can tell how close the power lines are to the fence. A large tree can be a problem if it's close enough to grow branches into the lines. I wouldn't plant too close to either the house or the sidewalk if you can avoid it. Your landscaping on the east side will ultimately have a lot of shade, but finding plants that manage that in Houston won't be a problem. Be sure and check out the nature of the trees you select before you plant them. A cedar elm will inhibit a lot of growth next to the trunk as will a mangnolia. The elm would wreak havoc if planted too close to the sidewalk and I've heard that Yaupon hollies sucker badly and can be a nuisance (I have no first hand knowledge there). Which number you select is going to depend on which tree you choose. I hope your neighbor helps you out with the west sun .

Maybe a big tree on side yard #12 area, and a small upright one around 1 or 2, in a bed that cuts the corner of the lawn at the sidewalk x driveway. something not too wide that will block walking on the sidewalk or drive. I don't want to fall back on Crepe myrtle, but something like that. Can Vitex grow upright, not too wide? Thinking a sweeping triangle of mulch with one small tree and a few clumps of perennials or grasses.

It would be great to have a tree to the west for late day shade.

Live oak leaves are small but the tree big. Red oak leaves are bigger and tough, don't decay easily. Oaks = acorns.

common mistake I have made- young plants are small and its easy to underestimate the space they grow into. And if you go looking at the new model homes for ideas, they may be planted way too densely.

A tree that looks a lot like a live oak but is smaller and less spreading is the Chittamwood. No acorns.