Now while some of the damage has been caused because of the volatil;e clay soils, and the mining industry of the area over the past 100 or so years, and no-one knows even the exact location of some of the tunneling that went on.
The major concern that involves a gardening perspective here was the ingoing damage of the small leaf fig tree in the neighbours yard near my fence line.
Not only is this causing the soil to be dried out extremely quickly because the large tree is drawing moisture from the surrounding soil over a large area. But it is also causing damage to the underground services like sewerage and rainwater pipes in and around the two houses.
All this because a person planted an inappropiate tree, (probably a one time house plant), on their fence line. It is also starting to grow into the overhead electricity line going to the neighbours house.
Moral to the story - think long and hard when planting long term species (Trees, bamboo etc), about what size or area they will cover in the years ahead. Including long after you have moved on.
Seed Newsvine
24 comments:
A very very wise piece of advice indeed.
The planting of trees in the wrong place drives me crazy everyday as I drive through my neighborhood.
Go ahead, throw a California Redwood 4' from the house and hope for the best.
We're taking bets on how long said trees las before being cut down...
Katie at GardenPunks
That's really good advice.
A plant that's often a similar problem here is English Ivy. It looks nice, and grows well, but in the long run it can really cause a lot of damage to the surfaces it grows on, as well as underground to foundations, water and sewer lines and the like.
I hope your house is okay, and it doesn't cost too much to fix.
great advice. The Trees can wreak all kinds of damage on structures on top and under the ground. One wouldn't think that tree roots would do that.
In older neighborhoods I see a lot of cypress-type trees that were once bushes, planted right along the foundation of the houses. The trees all lean outward, and are just plain ugly! One would think that the owners would cut them down, as much from their ugliness as from probable damage to the foundations, but they remain, year after year. It's just odd.
Happy New Year,
Aiyana
Yikes! I'm guilty of this sort of thing...in my impatience for greenery, I tend to crowd things without planning. This is a great reminder, especially since it's MY house that may suffer in the future!
great post and So true. My neighbor had to redo all of her pool and patio due to a cottonwood tree's roots from the house behind her. It was expensive, not covered by insurance, and a real pain! The tree owner did remove the tree, but not the roots, which caused the proble, so tree lovers...think about it when you plant!
Guilty. I am guilty. I planted several Wisteria plants on the fence between our home and the neighbor's home. I trained them to grow over a trellis my husband built. However I did not count on how much damage it would do to the roof of my home..not to talk about the power lines there ...we are in for some real work this year to pull this out and start over with something that will not be so agressive.
So true! I am in the process of moving a 9ft tall pin oak that a former occupant of my home planted two feet from the carport post. I am moving it to a more spacious area of my yard that will benefit from an eventually large tree and that won't interfere with any infrastructure of house or yard.
Hi Bare Bones. Haven't seen you around for awhile. Are you doing okay? I'm guessing you've probably taken some time off for the holidays and making a vacation of the summer. Hope it's going well.
Hi Bare Bones,
Haven't seen you for a while. Hope everything's OK...
Bare bones,
We had a few big trees in our yard that reeked havoc on our foot paths.
Trouble.
Yes, great advice to carefully consider the full size of a tree when selecting the spot to plant it.
People often plant living Christmas trees in the wrong spot, not realizing how some of them will become towering giants.
Our neighbor did that, about 15 years ago, planting too close to our fence and changing our sun spot to a shade spot!
I have had this problem, my home has three trees near by (within a few yards) two are really big sycamores and I know one has damaged the foundations, the root go under the house and have caused cracked walls both inside and out, the only fix I have been told is underppinning but unless the tree is removed it will just continue to happen.
Seems to be the way things are nowadays. We don't think beyond the now.
This happened at a home I lived in as a child. One Elm tree was breaking the clay tile sewer line (and clogging it). The other Elm was pulling shingles off the house as the wind blew its branches back and forth.
Great reminder. Thanks!
Sometimes at my work I tell people how big a tree will get and they shrug their shoulders and say, " Eh, I won't be there that long!" That makes me cranky. No wonder the world is in such a state.
I had one old biddy say a similar thing when I told her about how toxic a poison was that she wanted (but that we don't stock). "I don't have grandchildren so I don't care", was something like what she said.
Ah yes.. we are renting. Before we moved in last year the landlord had the driveway totally redone--because of tree roots from the guy next door--his tree also covers my driveway in leaves every day lately. Anyhow-- I am seeing pushed up cracks in the driveway already, its barely a year--the roots of that tree are trying to ruin the driveway again--I hate to even tell the poor landlord.
Dee Effs that'll make the homies say "ho" and the girlies wanna scream...
I hope that it would not be a legal problem with your neighbor since I had the same experience before. I do agree with the moral you've learned. Nice post! I hope this would help other gardeners who wishes to plant long-term trees as well. Thanks for sharing!
Nice Blog. Congrats.
-Zakir Ali ‘Rajnish’
{ Secretary-TSALIIM & SBAI }
[Editor- Children’s Poem & Adult’s Poem]
Your article seems to be interesting. Enjoyed going through your article. Keep it up the good work.
Hhmmmm....the tree can wreak all kinds of damage on structures on top and under the ground. But, I hope this will not become a legal problem with the neighbor.
River Rock Landscaping
Please touch base with us. We'd like to share your story on Autisable.com
Very good advice. Sorry about your problems - hope you get them squared away.
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