A sycamore rant

lindsay2610

We have a 50 foot tall sycamore tree in our back garden and it's driving me to distraction!

Earlier in the year it spent two months dropping a thick sap onto every living thing in my garden.

Then it sent down tiny sticky flowers which stuck to everything

Now it's sending down helicopter type seeds which are covering my soil and veg beds.  I'm opening our garden on Saturday and instead of making it lovely, I'm spending hours picking them all out.

Later in the year it will send down large helicopter seeds and I'll spend next spring pulling the seedlings out of the beds.

It's driving me crazy!!!

fidgetbones

Find out whether its got a preservation order on ,or if you are in a conservation area.

If neither of the two apply, I'd get a tree surgeon in and have it removed.

Even if its got a preservation order, if its diseased, it can still come down, you just have to apply fro permission. If the council refuses permission and it falls or damages something, then it will be the councils responsibility.

As the lady at the council said," if its diseased then its not in our interests to refuse permission."

Thinkof what you could do instead,with all the space and light.

lindsay2610

Hi Fidgetbones, we are in a conservation area and we've had as much of it removed as we can, we now have a very tall, narrow canopy which doesn't shade us too much.  Although a low point last week was a pidgeon pooping on my head from 50ft while I was trying to weed my parsnips .  That really hurts from that height....

Unfortunately it's perfectly healthy I think - although maybe I should get a second opinion!

 

fidgetbones

I'd get an opinion from a tree surgeon.  Weeping sap for two months doesn't sound  healthy. A tree surgeons opinion goes a long way with the council.  I'm normally all for retaining large trees , but sycamores have little place in suburbs, they belong in woodland. If you promised to replace it with something moe suitable, you might get away with it.

Fairygirl

Lindsay I'd have to agree with fidget. I had a fairly large maple at the front gate of a previous house.  It didn't block any light due to it's aspect and was particularly splendid in Autumn. There was some woodland beyond that so it wasn't out of place and wasn't an issue in any way. It never had weeping sap in all the 16 years I lived there so maybe yours does need a little check up to see if something's wrong.

Val40

Next door did have a huge sycamore tree which sent up shoots everywhere.  I was forever digging them out but I stupidly let one get big.  3 years ago, son cut it down - not in a conservation area. Best thing we ever did. Horrible tree, well for ordinary gardens anyway.