For many years, the porch of my 100 year old farmhouse was a wonderful place to enjoy a shady lunch or break with a lovely meadow view. However, last winter it was necessary to remove the large Norway maple that was responsible for the shade, so now the shade is gone. The stump is visible to the left of the steps in the photo. Two 'Shademaster' honey locusts, currently about 25' tall, are planted farther out to the left (southwest) and right (southeast) sides of the house, but they are not close enough to provide the needed shade.
I would like to replace the maple with a tree or large shrub with foliage that would provide light shade for the porch without blocking the view. There are four steps from the porch to ground level, so the tree or shrub would need to be fast-growing without the negative traits that accompany some fast-growing shrubs and trees (e.g., brittle branches, roots that extend above ground level, etc.). Since it needs to be close to the porch to provide the shade within a reasonable time frame, it should not grow too tall at maturity. Pretty flowers would be nice too.
Lastly it needs to be drought-resistant once established to survive in my zone 6b hilltop location.
The soil is acidic.
Any suugestions?
