Renovating a house often means complementing it with a new lawn, garden or planting trees to accent and frame you newly renovated home. But beware! There are trees you should avoid. Here’s why:
Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) is big, fast-growing and shady. Unfortunately, it also can’t stand severe weather. Even worse, its shallow roots destroy sewage pipes, driveways and sidewalks.
Ash (Fraxinus) is a sturdy and popular tree; its wood is used to make baseball bats. But it can be a victim of the emerald ash borer, a tiny beetle that considers it a delicacy. It may not last long.
Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) is an attractive tree, but it’s the tree equivalent of mice and cockroaches – get one, and you soon have LOTS of them! In fact, it’s the most prolific living organism in the world.
Willow (Salix). Beautiful to look at, but it has some ugly qualities. Willows have an extended and aggressive, water-hungry root system that attacks drains, sewers, and irrigation pipes. Also, the wood is weak and prone to cracking. Fortunately perhaps, the willow lives only about 30 years – a very short life span for a tree.
Black walnut (Juglans nigra). This native North American tree is a prized for its wood and it shade, but it also produces pollen and plenty of nuts. Great for roasting, but they can also drive you “nuts” picking them all up. The REAL problem, however, is that it secretes growth-inhibiting toxins that kill nearby plants. So don’t expect a lush garden or flower bed if you plant them nearby.
When renovating your home, ask you contractor about landscaping as well. Part of his job is to make your newly-renovated home complement the surroundings, and vice versa. He can recommend landscaping ideas and contractors.