A Mighty Oak in Training

We have been thinking for some time that the northeast corner of the front yard should have a large tree. Most of the time a yard doesn't need shade on the northeast side. But this corner gets very hot in the summer -- I guess it's all the asphalt. We hadn't gone very far in our planning, though, as this section is two sections away from the next to be planted. But then this little oak sprout appeared. We're going to leave it alone for the next year and see how it does. If it makes it, we'll have to leave the ivy and the juniper as they are, since oaks do not flourish will summer irrigation. No fancy planting under them.

My only trepidation is that it may be a Valley Oak which, while apparently resistant to Sudden Oak Death Syndrome, is one of the messiest oaks around. The one in our back yard drops litter all year, and that's before it sheds its leaves. It's not a tree for the tidy.