Your yard looks so different without the tree. Much more open. I like it.
When you mentioned that you might get a maple, I wondered about how maples sometimes have a shallow but extensive root system. I've known people who have had a terrible time with Maple roots but I don't know which maples they had.
Sweetgum. Absolutely beautiful in autumn. I wish I had one in my neighborhood. Don't they normally get fairly tall and wide? Will it shade out the roses eventually? How big will your Sweetgum get? I wish I had room for one.
Lots and lots of luck for an easy stump removal!
