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Poplars close proximity to house

malraffmalraff Posts: 16
in Plants
hi all

so as a novice Gardner i went to a local garden center and come home with a bunch of different trees, 1 breed happening to be Candicans Aurora which looked nice when i googled them :)

so i plant them, 1 of which is approx 15m from the front of my house



should i move them?

mal
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Posts

  • malraffmalraff Posts: 16
    i live in the countryside so neighbors really are not an issue - well not unless the roots go beyond  40 to 50 m??
    i planted some silver birch and copper beech as well as a few evergreens that i am not 100% sure on the name!

    should i get rid? i thought going to a local independent store that i would at least be advised, i was going to buy trees regardless!

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    They blow over in strong winds too.  We had 27 along a stream bordering a paddock in our last property.  Woke up after one storm to find we had 25.   Not good near your house or neighbours.

    Your variety is more ornamental and could maybe be kept pruned to shrub size, say about 6' high which would keep it under control and would mean you get to see the foliage close up.  If you don't, when mature it will have a bare trunk and foliage much higher up where you can't appreciate the variegation.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • malraffmalraff Posts: 16
    pansyface said:
    Sorry, I got confused when you said that one was only 15m from your house....
    hi pansyface, neighbors are 40-50 meters away front of my own house is around 15m from the closest poplar
  • malraffmalraff Posts: 16
    hi obelixx

    so if i kept them at around 6 to 8 ft maybe the roots would be ok?

    mal
  • DampGardenManDampGardenMan Posts: 1,054
    Personally I'd get rid of it while you can. If you ever come to sell, surveyors and mortgage companies might raise eyebrows and make life difficult. There are plenty of nice trees to be had that aren't so damaging (avoid willows BTW!).
  • malraffmalraff Posts: 16
    i wouldnt dump them for sure! i think i might see if they will exchange as where just bare root planted 2 weeks ago!
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    What else do you have?  Is it all planted as a hedge or a woodland? 

    The general rule with tree roots is that they reach out as far as the canopy plus a bit more so, at 15m distance from your house yo don't want any tree with an eventual spread of more than say 12m max and you don't want anything that will get tall enough to fall on your house in strong winds so 15m max for eventual height.

    The other consideration is what tree roots will do to things like sewer and water pipes and also the surface of your drive as well as competition for other plants for nutrients and water and then there's interference with overhead cables for electricity/phones/internet.........
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • SlumSlum Posts: 385
    My house has been next to woodland for 100 years. A couple of years ago we built an extension and dug down 2 metres for the new foundations and some test digs next to the existing foundations to check for subsidence. No sign of any roots. The closest big trees are between 10 and 20 metres away. Turns out the suspected subsidence that the surveyor brought up was actually rotten window frames. No lintels over the windows in 1915! We had a camera sent down our waste pipe which runs down our driveway to check for root ingress and it showed some fairly minor roots.

    As for them blowing over, we’ve had a couple go over. Luckily ones not close to the house. They have fallen in the direction of the prevailing wind. 

    It it is of course your decision whether or not to keep your new trees. Personally I choose not to worry about it. How many years will it take for them to grow the 15m when they could start touching your house ‘if’ they fell?
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    This is a Poplar usually cut back regularly like a red stemmed dogwood, If you treat it like that the roots won't go so far


    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • RubytooRubytoo Posts: 1,630
    I looked up the cultivar out of curiosity. So is it Populus Candicans Aurora?
    Says 8 X 4 metres in 20 years.
    Not so huge. If you are still there and it gets too big or you don't like it you have plenty of time to get rid of it and plant something else.
    And nutcutlet says it is something often cut back so I cannot see a problem unless you are bothered. 

    Our dear old ex neighbours put in a Cedrus , the pretty sweeping droopy one?
    Sorry forget the proper name it was.
    Beautiful for a number of years, they were told it was a dwarf variety which oops it was not.
    It had to go eventually, it was sad, it was in the wrong place, but we all enjoyed it for around fifteen years or so. Until they almost could not get in their front door. :D
    There were water pipes and other services very close by. All intact.
     


     
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