Tree suitable for planting next to building?
jamie-maughan
Posts: 1
in Plants
Hi all,
im looking to plant a tree near my house to block views from a neighbour. I'm guessing I'm going to need something with a small root spread/system. Anything that would cover around 4/5 m in height.
Any help would be appreciated!
0
Posts
Not sure there are any that can go right next to a building. Big trees have big roots. If they didn't they would blow over.
I am currently looking for a Fig tree to go in a large pot to go next to my south facing wall. They grow large, depending on the size of the pot & fruit better when pot-bound. But depends on where you are and the apsect of your wall as to whether these would be suitable.
What about growing a Morello Cherry on dwarf rootstock next to the building. This would be happy with any aspect and not grow too big.
Personally, I would not advise growing a tree near any property. There are building regulations relating to the distance a species of tree should be from a building. These also cover the damage that tree roots will do to building foundations and drain runs
How close is close?
Anything growing 4 to 5m high is going to have a large root system and is also going to take a long time to get to that height. Are you sure you mean 4-5 metres?
Our neighbours have a silver birch which is that high but is only about 3m from both our properties. But the tree predates both houses (which are 20 yrs old) so our surveyor was happy that the house foundation were built to accomodate the tree roots.
Mortgage lenders often dont like trees within 3m of the house which might make selling the house difficult in future.
What is it you are trying to achieve exactly? Would a pergola type arrangement with climbers over help?
I'd also be wary of planting any tree which is going to get to a significant size so close to your property.
When we moved into our house, there was a large pollarded ash right next to the kitchen (and I mean RIGHT next to it; in fact the kitchen had obviously been built around it!) It did an excellent job of blocking light particularly for us, and was pressing up against our roof line. That came down within a month of moving in, although we had to jump through hoops to do so, as we live in a conservation area. Hopefully the foundations hadn't been affected, as the kitchen extension was built once the tree was already mature, but you never know
HI jamie-maughan. I agree with all that has been said and a further thing you should think about is home insurance. Many buildings insurers now ask if there are any trees growing within a certain distance of the property. This would mean a hike in insurance costs to cover any future damage caused by roots.