The Best and Worst Trees to Plant Near Your Home!

Young trees are superficially captivating. A moment you are admiring the sleek slender beauty of its thriving twigs, and just the other moment, you are all caught up in the thoughts of how magnificent and beautiful it will soon be. Before planting a tree, you must visualize how big your newly planted tree might grow one day and how would that affect your home. Choosing the right tree in time saves you from the future worries of the wide branches chaffing of your exterior walls or roots obstructing your home's foundation. Decide wisely today by learning more about the best and worst trees to plant in the pocket of your home.

How much distance from a house should be maintained while planting trees?

The answer to this question simply lies within the tree size, both above and below the ground. It almost goes without saying that a wide-crown 70 feet tall Oaktree would require much more space than a modest Japanese Red Maple tree. The thumb rule suggests keeping a standard distance of at least 8 to 10 feet from your home while you plant a small tree. Scale the same up for trees having a wider spread and more height.

Worst trees to plant around your house

Take careful notes of the list of trees that follows and never choose to plant them in your space. These trees make the worst choices for ordinarily-sized homes because of their widespread and invasive roots.

• White Ash (Zones 2 to 9):

A rapidly growing tree with a wide shady spread and invasive, lateral roots that are often prone to Emerald Ash Borer.

• Poplar (Zones 3 to 8):

Poplar is well known for its tall stature (up to 165 feet) and aggressive roots that sometimes cause severe foundational and sewer damage.

• American Elm (Zones 3 to 9):

A full-sized tree with shadow roots that can obstruct your sidewalk, driveway, or even lawn.

• Silver Maple (Zones 3 to 9):

Not everything that glitters is gold. The Silver Maple tree is a stunning tree with shimmery leaves that come together with invasive roots often growing above the ground.

• Weeping willow (Zones 6 to 8):

The Weeping Willow is indisputably a beauty to behold, but this large shade tree is notorious for invading the sewer lines.

• Oak (Zones 8 to 10):

Oak trees grow fast and are long-living. However, they typically cause severe foundational damage. In addition to these, once you land on the tree you like, must learn of how invasive and destructive its roots can be once matured.

Best trees to plant around your house

The best trees to plant around your house are those that have non-invasive roots and little maintenance needs. To learn more about the same trees, scroll through the list that follows.

• Crabapple (Zones 3 to 8):

Crabapples are short, pretty, and prolific. These trees grow up to a height of 20 feet only and are easy to grow. Make sure to get yourself a disease-resistant tree to save the fight against recurring plant diseases later.

• American Hornbeam (Zones 3 to 9):

The American Hornbeam is a slow-growing tree that belongs to the Birch family. It is small in size and makes the perfect choice for a domestic plantation.

• Cornelian-cherry Dogwood (Zones 4 to 7):

The best small tree that showcases the most beautiful show of blossoms when planted in the face of a dark background.

• Japanese Maple (Zones 5 to 8):

In contrast to typical green trees, a Japanese Maple is scarlet in color and makes the best choice when planted alongside a patio or a curbside.

• Flowering Dogwood (Zones 5 to 8):

A subtle blooming tree that goes best near walls.

• American Holly (Zones 5 to 9):

An American Holly tree is an evergreen tree with little maintenance requirements.

Bottom Line:

The right decision at the right time is the key to a rewarding outcome – this particularly holds true when it comes to trees expected to outlive their sowers!