There are many benefits to planting trees close to your house. Fully mature trees can boost your home's curb appeal, increasing the value of your property. Others can help provide shade during the hottest days of summer and also serve as windbreaks during bad weather days.
However, some tree species are safety hazards once they mature. What trees should not be planted close to a house?
Nature's Dream Landscape & Tree Service, Pinecrest, FL's premium landscaping services provider, looks at some of them in this post.
Silver Maple
Silver maple is a beautiful tree that can grow up to 70 feet tall—and it gets there pretty quickly. However, it has a shallow and aggressive root system, which makes it one of the worst trees to grow near your house. With the invasive nature of the roots, your foundation, sewer lines, walkways, and patios are all at risk.
Additionally, the speedy growth of silver maple makes the wood brittle. Therefore, its branches are likely to break in the event of a storm.
Oak
Oak trees are majestic specimens that can grow up to 100 feet tall. However, they should always be high on the list when the topic is "What trees should not be planted close to a house?" Apart from the fact that the height is a safety hazard, oak trees can suck up moisture from your soil quickly.
During periods of extended drought, the roots can dry out the soil around your foundation, causing cracks and shifting.
Willow
Willow trees don't grow as tall as some of the other species on this list. That's a good thing, so you can plant willows close to your house, right? Wrong! Willows are water-loving trees with a root system that can spread out more than three times the length of the tree. Since willows grow up to 50 feet, that could mean having roots spread out 150 feet in any direction, damaging your pipes, sewer lines, and foundation.
Additionally, willows have extremely thick canopies, which can be bad news for the rest of your softscaping.
Poplar
Poplars are another species of fast-growing trees. Depending on the variety, they can grow 50 to 150 feet tall. Unfortunately, they are highly brittle.
Poplars are likely to drop limbs onto your roof during high winds. It doesn't matter if the branches were healthy before. The wind just has to be strong enough.
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus trees are another set of fast-growing trees that have wide-spreading roots which consume a lot of water. Therefore, they're bad for your foundation and any surrounding concrete structures.
Mulberry
Having your own mulberry tree for its delicious berries seems appealing. However, these trees can grow up to 60 feet tall, and their roots are rather aggressive. Additionally, fallen berries make your yard look dirty, and pests love them!
Get Further Advice From the Experts
Still wondering, "What trees should not be planted close to a house?" Want to find out how often to water newly planted trees?
Call Nature's Dream Landscape & Tree Service in Pinecrest, FL, today at (305) 874-7374 for expert guidance.
