Written by s • Give Them Room! Spacing Trees Correctly

A drive around any older neighborhood will quickly show you giant trees right up against houses, blocking windows, damaging foundations and drains, and making rooms dark and gloomy. Bad decisions about planting distances are easy to find, so why are they made?

Sale!

Cornelian Cherry Dogwood
$59.50 – $311.46

The biggest single reason for poor tree placement is the way we see plants as cute and small, and our wish to surround our homes with green. But the consequences, in removal costs, damage, insurance claims, and in the forced cutting down of heritage trees, are serious. Trees take time to grow, and many can and do grow large, so when planting a tree it really is worthwhile to take some time, and use a measure tape, when choosing that planting spot. Don’t get caught out 20 years from now by a hasty choice of tree species, or planting spot.

Remember: Roots Spread Wide

There is a common idea that the roots of trees extend to the ‘drip line’, the place where the foliage ends. The image of the root-system being an upside-down version of the branches is very wrong, because for almost all trees the roots extend 1.5 to 3 times the height of the tree. A sixty-foot tree will therefore have some roots over 150 feet from the trunk, but those outermost roots are small feeding roots – usually not the large structural roots that cause damage.

The depth of roots, on the other hand, is much less than the height, although this is affected by the soil. Deep, sandy soil allows roots to penetrate downwards 10 or 20 feet, but many soils have hard clay or rock just a few feet down, and that effectively prevents deeper rooting – as is seen when a tree blows over in a storm.

Consider What Tree It Is

How far the roots will spread, and how badly they might affect drains and foundations, depends not just on the ultimate height of the tree, but on what kind of tree it is. The most well-known of these aggressive trees is the Weeping Willow, but all willows that grow large can be a problem. Other trees with similar habits include cottonwood, aspen and any other poplar trees, silver maple, Norway maple, black locust and American elm. These trees should be planted 100 feet from any buildings, drain pipes, sewers or swimming pools. Don’t forget to consider your neighbors home and pipes too.

On the other hand, most conifer trees – like spruce, Thuja and pine – have more fibrous, shallow root systems that rarely cause problems. That is why they are popular choices for lawn specimens, hedges and screens. But just because they don’t create damage doesn’t mean they won’t get too big for your garden, and evergreens are especially bad for blocking light.

Think About the Hidden Future Costs

Planting trees too close to a building – your own or your neighbors, or a property line, can end up costing you plenty of money. So can choosing a tree that is too large for your property. The removal of large trees, especially in confined spaces, is expensive. So is ripping out sewer lines and replacing them. If your tree invades your neighbor’s lines, or damage their foundations, you will be left facing the bill for its repair. Tree experts can pin-point, through root examination, exactly which tree is doing the damage, and you may not like what they find. Neighbors can force you to remove a tree that is, or could, be damaging – at your expense.

Tree trimming to remove dangerous over-hanging branches is expensive too and may need to be done regularly. Many people plant large trees, thinking they can leave any problems to future owners, but trees that are, or could become, dangerous problems will reduce the re-sale value, so you do end up paying for your own mistakes.

How Much Room Should I Allow?

With all these considerations, when you are looking for trees to plant, look at the final sizes listed for them and then get out into the garden with a measure, to see how much room you really have, considering all the things we have talked about here. Look at the places you were thinking of planting and consider the following distances.

To protect foundations, sewers and drains, allow the following spacings:

Small trees, such as flowering dogwoods, magnolia, or smaller conifers – allow 10 feet.

Medium-sized trees, such as fruit trees, birch trees, or larger Japanese maple – allow 20 feet

Large-trees, like sugar maple, oaks, Gingko, or flowering pear – allow 30 to 50 feet

Large, aggressive trees like poplars, silver maple or willows – allow 100 feet

Distance From Buildings and Other Trees

There are other factors worth considering when planting near your home, besides protecting foundations. First there is visual scale. A typical two-story home, with a pitched roof is 20 to 25 feet tall. Many trees, evergreen or deciduous, will grow 60 to 80 feet tall, and right alongside your home that is going to look pretty silly. Besides that, overhanging branches can break, causing roof damage, or if the whole tree comes down in a storm it will demolish most of your home. Far better to plant trees that grow no more than 40 feet tall within a 20 feet radius around your home. Keep those larger trees further away, where you can see and admire their beauty, without any risk.

Consider too the width of the tree. As a rule of thumb, if you half the width listed for a mature tree, that should be the minimum distance away from the house – even then the branches will in time touch the windows. So a better rule would be two-thirds of the listed width. That is also a good rule for spacing trees apart, if you want them to retain their individual identity. Trees planted close together make a nice forest, but that may not be the garden style you had in mind!

Think About Light

If you are planting a larger tree, where will the shadow fall? Roughly speaking, a tree will cast a shadow equal to its height by mid-afternoon in mid-summer. That shadow will be to the south-west of the tree. In winter the shadow will be much longer, which is why large evergreens are not good choices near a house. On the south side of your home, a deciduous tree may cast welcome, cooling shade in summer, and let warming sunshine through in winter – a much better choice.

Don’t Be Put Off Planting Trees

All of this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plant trees – with all the joy and beauty that brings. It does mean you should choose wisely. Today we have many smaller versions of full-size trees available, plus all the trees that stay small naturally. There are many, many good choices available, depending on your circumstances, so plant away – just give some thought before you do it. If you really do want a specimen of a giant redwood in your courtyard garden, there is always bonsai!

Comments 72 comments

April 12, 2020 by Beverley

Thank you for the guidance provided. I have a Custard Apple tree which was considered a miniature plant without much possibility of growing above 6′ feet tall. It has now grown to ~~20 feet and I am now worried about structural damage as it is now situated one foot from my house (we have expanded the house since it was first planted). I am especially concerned as I live within a townhouse complex (row of five units/block).

Would it be wise to maintain it in the same location and prune or should I cut it down?

Thanks for your feedback.

April 12, 2020 by Dave G

Thanks for the textbook example of faulty planting – but it’s easy to make mistakes like this when you first start gardening!

Custard Apple doesn’t have an extensive or very vigorous root system, but it can reach 40 feet, so you would be best to take it out now. Plant something else further away if you want to the shade, or another one if you like the fruit. They do tend to break easily, so that’s worth considering too.

April 23, 2020 by Bonnie Hypes

I have very tall bald cypress trees and the roots are horrible popping up all over the yard not to mention what they are doing to my foundation, we are removing them and roots roots roots and more roots. Can you recommend trees to plant that would be about 20’ from the foundation that won’t have a bad root system? I love magnolias what if I plant that in the front y’all d as a shade tree and another the Jane magnolia between the street and the sidewalk?

April 23, 2020 by Dave G

20 feet should be fine for any medium-sized tree, except willow or poplar perhaps (or your cypress!) Evergreen magnolia do get pretty large, but one should be fine for decades, especially if you choose a more compact variety. The Jane Magnolia would grow right beside the house if you wanted – the roots are not extensive or big. Fine out by the sidewalk.

April 30, 2020 by Cubi C.

Thank you for writing this! It’s very helpful.

I am planning to have a fruit-bearing Tree Planting Birthday party for my son in October. 😁

Doing my research of what am I gonna need from the land, seedlings and stakes then I saw your article!

There are really a lot of things to consider. 😊
May 20, 2020 by John M

Thanks for the great info. Just pointing out one mis-statement: in the section “Think About Light,” you mention “a tree will cast a shadow equal to its height by mid-afternoon in mid-summer. That shadow will be to the south-west of the tree.” In the afternoon, the sun is to the southwest, so a shadow will be cast to the northeast. My sugar maples thankfully remind me of this every sunny summer day:-)
May 21, 2020 by Kamila

I’d like to plant a shade tree near my driveway to shade the driveway but I’m concerned the roots will damage the driveway. Could you recommend a tree with appropriate roots?

May 21, 2020 by Dave G

Choose a smaller flowering tree with a dense crown, like a flowering dogwood, or some of the larger crab apples. Or a smaller form of a maple, birch or oak. Avoid larger trees like poplar or ash. All evergreen trees (pine can be a nice shade tree if the lower branches are cleared up) have finer roots that won’t damage foundations or driveways. Whatever you plant, place it more than 6 feet from the drive – put it on the south side to throw a shadow.

May 25, 2020 by Amy Adams

Do you know of any trees that can be safely planted six feet apart? We are hoping to find some to plant to memorialize our children graduating elementary school in the time of social distancing as a class gift.

May 25, 2020 by Dave G

That’s a very worthy goal. It sounds like you have limited space, or is the 6 feet symbolic? Perhaps some of the more slender Juniper trees – tough and resilient plants, a suitable metaphor for the circumstances. Plant like Blue Arrow Juniper, or Skyrocket Juniper are all very narrow and upright. If the position is more shaded, then Skypencil Holly could be a good choice – also slim and upright.

June 19, 2020 by Magi N

I am planning on planting a snowdrift crabapple and a Alaskan Blue Cedar penula in the same area. how far apart should they be?

June 20, 2020 by Dave G

I think if you follow the ‘rules’ in the article all will be well. Don’t forget that the Cedar needs sun, so don’t plant it where the shadow of the crabapple will shade it once it grows.

August 13, 2020 by John O

Just came across this really helpful article. Thank you! Our family is looking to fill a blank canvas backyard with trees for shade and privacy, now that we have a new patio. I have a question regarding the two-thirds width rule of thumb. We already have a young 4 ft tall Skyline Honeylocust planted in our backyard, with a young Red Oak on the way. The Honeylocust has a listed mature width of 35 ft (17.5 ft radius), and Red Oak has a mature width of 45 ft (22.5 ft radius). Does the two-thirds rule of thumb mean that the two trees should be planted no closer than about 27 ft apart (2/3 x 17.5 ft + 2/3 x 22.5 ft)? Or does that mean the Red Oak should be planted at least 30 ft (2/3 x 45 ft width) from where the Honeylocust is planted? I guess a few feet, one way or the other, wouldn’t make much of a difference, so I guess I am asking out of curiosity to understand the rule. Thanks!

August 14, 2020 by Dave G

Thanks – glad you found it helpful. If you have 2 trees the same species, and you plant them twice their radius apart, then they will in theory end up touching. If you look at trees in a large garden, ideally they should have some space around them, hence the idea of using 2/3rd of the radius, twice. So your first calculation is correct. In a larger space, though, sometimes we might clusters 3 or 5 trees closer, to make groves, and then space the groves out more widely. In your case, somewhere between 25 and 30 feet apart sounds good, but what about the overall design of your space? Are you just planning a lawn with trees? Over time those trees created shaded areas beneath them that can become gardens, so you might want to link those to whatever existing beds you have. Sorry, I’m making this too complicated!

September 2, 2020 by TK

This article is so informative! Thank you for teaching us.

I have two scenarios to ask you about:

1. I’d like to plant a tall tree about 20 feet from the corner of my three-story condo building (replacing a weed maple that was 5 feet closer and whose branches started scratching my building and the adjacent building). I am thinking a single-trunk birch would be lovely and also narrow enough in the branches. My end goal is to have leaves outside the third floor windows. It will require making a hole for the tree in the corner of the asphalt of a parking area, and will be planted right next to a brick patio. (Asphalt abuts the patio currently.) So, how big a circle of asphalt do I need to remove to fit the birch trunk and allow it to grow over the decades?

Will the roots lift our brick patio?

2. In another area, we had juniper trees in a line in order to wall off the neighbor’s trash cans. It is under a large tree and so was too shady…three of four junipers died. I just LOVE boxwood but it also needs full sun, yes? It also grows very slowly from what I understand.

What would you recommend to replace the junipers, which can grow in a shady spot and form a nice barrier?

With much gratitude,
TK

September 3, 2020 by Dave G

Birch doesn’t have a big root system, so no to significant lifting of the patio. I do wonder if birch will do well with most of the roots covered in asphalt, you might want to go with something more ‘urban’ – what kind of street trees are they using in your town? That can be a good guide – and you can usually find a fastigiate (narrow) version of many trees that will fit a smaller space like yours. As for the hole, the best modern practice is to prepare the ground over a wide area, beneath asphalt,before it is laid but that isn’t going to be an option for you. If you can do a hole 6 feet across that should work pretty well. If the soil is poor, add organic material to it, don’t replace it. There is always a danger of creating a sump, into which water will drain, and kill your tree, if you fill a hole in poor soil with nice, fine, richer soil – you need to keep a fairly uniform drainage pattern.
As for the Juniper replacement, how about Japanese holly? There are several slender, upright forms that are reasonably fast growing, and look quite a bit like boxwood.

September 19, 2020 by Marga

Very good information! Please note my friend planted 5 red oaks and 1 live oak in dallas TX in his backyard like 2 weeks ago
He set those around 6 ft from fence and 8 ft from each other . Keeping the 20 ft distance from the house
I told him maybe he planted those too close
He told me the planter told him that trees will not grow at his max due too close and then will work to give him shadow and privacy
What do you think? Should I ask him to remove and sell those ?

September 19, 2020 by Dave G

They will grow into a clump, and yes, they won’t reach their maximum spread when crowded together, but they will certainly grow taller, faster, make a dense screen and throw shade quickly. It is really a matter of what a person wants. Many people sell homes after a few years, and pass on the problem to someone else, but the reason we see so few grand, mature trees around is that the old ways of planting for the future seem to have been forgotten, despite the growth of interest in the environment. Most people are interested in how big a tree will be in 10 years, not 100, so trees that are 30 or 40 years old as constantly being cut down because they were planted with insufficient room. To me that is an enormous loss to the future environment, but many people don’t seem to mind anymore, so it’s a matter of personal choice, in the end.

September 26, 2020 by Jen

Hi! Many thanks for the article. I have a row of mature hemlock trees functioning as a privacy border with my neighbor. As they’ve matured, they’ve lost the bottom branches. The branches either were dead or needed trimming due to overgrowing our patio. Therefore, we no longer have the same privacy we once did from them. I’d like to plant some ornamental grasses and limelight hydrangeas.

I’m concerned about disrupting the hemlocks as I understand that they are sensitive to change. Do you think hydrangeas and ornamental grasses would place too much strain on the hemlocks with respect to changing soil composition and root competition? And, if I can get away with these plantings, how far from the trunk of the trees should I plant?

Many thanks, in advance,
Jen

September 26, 2020 by Dave G

You are right about the hemlocks, so I would plant at least 6 to 8 feet from their trunks – the hydrangeas are a good choice, as I guess there isn’t a lot of sun, and they will grow tall if you prune them up into multi-stem standards, which isn’t hard to do. Not so sure about the grasses, as they need sun, but out in front of the hydrangeas perhaps it is sunny? Choose something that isn’t too tall, and looks best early in the year, before the hydrangeas come into bloom.

October 11, 2020 by DNH

I am planning in the spring to plant 3 sugar maples & paper birch trees. I want to plant in a grove effect. Right now on paper I have a triangle with the 3 maples planted at the points – 21’ from each other.
My question is: how do I plant the paper birch around them to create that MN forest/grove look?

October 12, 2020 by Dave G

That forest look comes from random distribution of seeds, with competition for light controlling how close together they end up. So how about this? Forget the paper, and next spring, when you are ready to plant, go out with three oranges for the maples, and a bag of apples for the birch (or golf balls, or rocks, or whatever). Stand with your back to the area you want to plant, and throw them randomly over your shoulders in the general direction. It might take a few goes to get the hang of it and cover the area. Then, mark each one with a stake driven in a few inches. Stand back, and if there are some that are obviously too close, pick them up and throw again. Birch in particular will grow close together fine, so only repeat the throwing if they are less than, oh, maybe 3 feet apart. Guaranteed natural forest look! (This is a common method for laying out natural plantings of things like daffodils and other bulbs grown in lawns.)

October 12, 2020 by DNH

Love the idea!!!!! What an awesome way to create a grove look 😊
1) Should I make sure the maples are 20’ from each other?
2) Then birches by the maples can be at least the 3’ away?

October 12, 2020 by Dave G

Perhaps anything from 12 to 30 feet, but make sure 2 are clearly closer to each other than to the 3rd one. Maybe keep the nearest birch 6 to 8 feet from the maples. You will probably need to do some nudging – unless your throws are lucky ones – but try to keep it to a minimum.

October 12, 2020 by DNH

We’ve been outside – mapping our area of fun!!!! 😎
How far away would you recommend we stay away from our septic drain field???

October 13, 2020 by Dave G

One common recommendation is to allow the mature height of the tree as the distance away, so at least 50 feet, I would say.

October 13, 2020 by DNH

Thank you for all the information! Our grandsons are coming this weekend – it is going to be a fun time “designing”!
December 21, 2020 by Andy mcewan

Hi
Hope you can help,my neighbor has just planted 33 lleylandi trees along our border.these trees are already 2metres high,he has spaced them 2metres apart in order for them to thicken.half of these trees run alongside my house.they are about 3.5metres from my house,but because I live in a dip I have a retaining wall of which they are about 2.5metres from.i am worried that eventually they will affect my wall and foundations.i have asked him to remove them but he says he will review the situation in the summer.legally do I have any rights to force him to remove them
March 8, 2021 by George

Thank you for a very helpful article.
I too (like so many), have a question.

Behind the house we have a space of 25 meters long (100ft) and about 8 meters (24 feet) from the house to our property line. This space in on a slope and only the first 12-14 feet from the house is usable, after that the slope is quite steep.
When we got the house it was full of Elm trees (at least 25-30) and formed a nice shade canopy, but over the years they have been dying. I am losing 3-5 a year. I’ve also noticed that when one dies 2-3 next to it die also, so I think they’ve sprung from the same root. Now I have about 15 trees left, but I think many are from the same root system.
Black Locusts have been springing up in place of the missing Elm. They grow very fast and some are about 10ft with a 3-5inch trunk diameter

I wanted to fill this space with Pine trees and recreate the forest feel we had before. I’m choosing the pine because its an evergreen, have a spreading root structure and I want to avoid the leaves that clog my gutters several times a year.

Here’s my questions:
1. Can the Pine and the Elm grow together?
2. Can the Pine and the Black Locust grow together or do I need to take them out first?
3. Can I plant the Pine symmetrically, or do I need to choose only the empty spaces where the Elm have died? Note, the dead Elm still have many old roots in the ground.

Any thoughts would be helpful

March 17, 2021 by Dave G

Yes and yes, #3 is trickier. If the ground is full of roots that is a problem, but if it’s the only places with sun then you don’t have a choice.

March 28, 2021 by Selma Addison

Six days after I closed on my newer house, the city approved a contract to build 5 two-story apartment buildings in the deer inhabited area behind my house. My house has a walk-out basement so my backyard is a lower elevation, and the roof of the apartment building directly behind my house will be about the same height as the roof of my house. However, at 105′ away, this will be am imposing structure!

I need advice on faster-growing trees to hide this building from full view! My backyord is approximately 65′ deep, with another 20′ set aside by the developer for planting trees, and the apartment building set another 20′ from the tree (or commons) area. My yard is 75′ wide.

I have considered planting Norway spruce trees, as these are the fastest growing of the spruces. Are these trees too large for this space? If appropriate for the space, how many trees do I need for a 75′ screen across my yard, and how far apart do I plant these trees? Should I consider planting a second row of trees inside my own yard, alternating with the trees in the commons area to conceal the open spaces until the trees in the commons area begin to touch–and then cut down the trees inside my yard to restore space in the yard? Or is this overkill with such large trees?

If Norway spruce is not appropriate for the space, what do you recommend? I am 74 years old and would like to see at least SOME development of trees if possible! (My family generally has a longer life.)

April 12, 2021 by Dave G

Boy, that must have been upsetting! If there is this 20′ area for the developer to plant, what are they doing? Maybe you can coordinate with them on getting a solid screen planted, with a mix of evergreen and deciduous trees? That way they pay, not you. . . I agree about planting evergreens, and spruce is a good idea, but if you want a solid barrier, maybe something really fast, like Green Giant Thuja? I would space them about 6 feet apart – so you would need 12 to 14. If you did a row 6 feet inside your property line, combined with the trees on the developer’s strip, you should have something to live for! As you wisely suggest, they could always be taken out in the future once that tree belt fills in well – in 20 years or so.

April 15, 2021 by Joe

Hi Dave!

I have a 40′ tall mature flowering dogwood that was planted about 10′ from the house 60 years ago. I had some trimmers here to clean it up and they removed way too many lower branches that used to shade our porch. Is it possible to plant another dogwood underneath this one to fill in the gaps? It’s a small space and to get the clearance I need, I would want to plant it pretty much right against the old one. Do dogwoods tolerate this kind of close planting?

April 16, 2021 by Dave G

I’m sorry to hear that – unskilled tree trimmers do a lot of damage! I haven’t done this with dogwood, but every time I tried it with other things it failed, so I don’t have much hope it will work for you. would it be possible to use something potted, like yew or another evergreen, depending on the shade? You would need to water of course, but you would avoid the root competition. I would also be uncomfortable with digging around an old dogwood like that. Sorry for this loss, and sorry I can’t suggest something more encouraging.

April 17, 2021 by Anita

Hi… last year I planted a southern magnolia plant (not sure which kind) about 10 feet from the edge of my yard line. It’s about 4 ft tall now.
But recently I realized the water mains connection to the house are by this yard line. Also the sewer lines are close by. Will this be a problem with the roots seeking out the water and sewer lines down the road?
Appreciate your thoughts.

April 18, 2021 by Dave G

That is a potentially very large tree, but relatively slow-growing. I have old trees near where I am that have BIG root systems spread out across a large area, so yet, breaking into the sewer line and physically disrupting the soil is a real possibility. So you could move it 50 feet away from the lines while it is still young – this month would be a good time – or leave it, knowing that in a decade or so you will probably feel you need to remove it. As for alternatives, much smaller trees would be better. Conifers like hinoki cypress or Cryptomeria have much smaller root systems, or trees like Japanese maple or flowering dogwood perhaps?

May 3, 2021 by bigskies

Greetings from Montana,

I have rows of Spring Snow Crabapple trees spaced so that at mature growth they will not touch. However I recently purchased several Sargent Spring Wonder cherry trees with the idea of making a beautiful screen on the west side of the lawn where it meets the field. There is plenty of room, all day sunlight and irrigation, but I wanted to try and bend the rules and place the closer together, creating more of a privacy screen, and I didn’t want to wait 10 years for them to try to get together. Can you advise just how closely I can plant them without creating a problem? I appreciate any advice….they are sitting in huge pots waiting for me to take the plunge.

May 4, 2021 by Dave G

You can plant with the root balls touching, but of course you will get shrubby growth, so more like a hedge.

May 4, 2021 by bigskies

Thank you for reply. We have evergreens everywhere and our growing season is so short, so I try to add some color. I still l want them to grow big and tall and overlap some so I guess I could try the 1/3 rule! Please come to Montana and help me plan the rest…Cheers
May 14, 2021 by Nick

Can you plant shrubs closer to trees than you would another tree? For instance, could I plant a Photinia or Butterfly Bush close enough to a Crabapple or Cherry tree? Thanks

May 14, 2021 by Dave G

That’s a very good question! The short answer is, ‘yes’, partly because if you follow the ‘rule’ in this blog the spread of the shrub will be less than another typical tree. If the tree has a significant trunk you can simply pretend it isn’t there, when spacing out your plants. Think of it as planting in layers – ground level, 1-6 feet, 6 feet and upwards, for example. In practice there are other considerations. If the tree and shrubs go in at the same time, they will grow together and the shrubs should do OK (I suspect that is your situation). If the trees already exist they will have significant root development, making it hard for shrubs to take hold and grow well, so they would need to be farther out. Also, what is their exposure? Photinia is pretty adaptable, and if shaded by the tree it won’t mind. The butterfly bush would need to be on the south side, as it needs full sun. I expect you realize that the Photinia will grow to 10 or 12 feet if not trimmed once or twice a year, so it is far to big to grow under the crown of a crabapple or cherry tree – under a maple, sure. Hope all that helps!

May 25, 2021 by JB

Hello. My wife and I are in love with crepe myrtle trees and dwarf magnolias. We imagine one of the magnolias on the north western and the other on north eastern corner of our backyard. As far as the crepe myrtle trees, we are hoping three of those beauties will fit in between to make a lovely row. The property line has a thicket of pine trees that will remain behind our planned group of five trees. Would our trees have enough space within the 60 ft wide backyard property line? Also, how far from the thicket should we plant the row of trees?

May 25, 2021 by Dave G

Yes, with 12 foot spacing, those 5 trees should fit across 60 feet. I would allow about 10 feet, or even more, back from outer edge of the crown of the existing pines – if they are young then allow 15 feet.

May 31, 2021 by Lucia

My neighbor just panted 30 ligustrum plants between houses. They had only 5’ on ther side and my stone driveway should I be concern about the roots. I also have drain pipes under my driveway

June 1, 2021 by Dave G

Despite their vigor, Ligustrum doesn’t have extensive roots. Unless there are city ordinances controlling set-backs from boundaries there really isn’t anything you can do, anyway!

May 31, 2021 by Lucia

I want to plant pomegranate tree by my pool. 5’ away from my poo and close to my driveway what is the root system. Any suggestion.

June 1, 2021 by Dave G

As far as I know they don’t have extensive or invasive root systems, so you should be fine for several decades at least.

June 13, 2021 by Megan C.

Hi there,
I’m working with a fence line about 100′ long, that currently has 4 small maple saplings along it, roughly 16-20′ apart – they aren’t spaced exactly even, some are about 2 fence panels apart, some about 3 (fence panels are 8’4″ wide). Where there was a bigger (3 panel) gap, I added a little cluster of 3 evergreens (a dwarf Alberta spruce, a dwarf balsam fir and a globe blue spruce) set in a roughly triangular (but not equilateral) pattern – leaving between 5-8′ between each other and maybe 5-6′ between them and the maples on either side. Is this enough space between them? I was hoping the evergreens would grow as a little sheltered area – and I might put a bit of a garden around them so I wanted them close enough to be linked, but not over crowded.
Also, I was hoping to add in some flowering or fruit bearing trees or shrubs to add some interest. If I have a 2 panel /approx 16′ space between 2 maples, would I be ok to add something like an Eastern Redbud, or Serviceberry or chokeberry in between? Or do I need to maintain that 16′ spacing between the maples?
If it helps, I think one is a red maple, and one is an Amur maple, and the other one was chewed off by a bunny and it’s just starting to have one little bud leafing out, so I’m not sure what type it is.
Thanks for your thoughts on this.

June 13, 2021 by Dave G

It looks like you need a lot of help! Maybe you can find an up and coming young garden designer in your community who can help you?

June 25, 2021 by walt

I have some Autumn Blaze Maples about 25′ from the house? Is this to close?

June 26, 2021 by Dave G

Should be fine – 50 foot spread would be a pretty big tree, before it touches the house.

July 3, 2021 by Dave

Dear TheTreeCenter, Found your company during a search and was interested in this discussion. I see your spacing recommendations for buildings to be very conservative. The reason being that trees don’t grow roots in hard dry patches. They just don’t. Does the east coast have a much bigger wet foundation problem than homes in California (where I live)? The only time that I’ve seen foundation problems from larger species trees here (in the beautiful city of Sunnyvale), has been through sewer and water leaks driving root growth. And we have redwoods, valley oaks and California sycamores; all extremely large species trees. So, in short, does living location as well as species have to be incorporated into the spacing considerations?

July 3, 2021 by Dave G

Interesting comment – thank you. There is more to spacing than just root damage to foundations. A large tree overhanging a house is a potential hazard, especially with age, since limbs can drop in storms onto the roof – potentially life-threatening. As well, there are aesthetic considerations – a large tree up against a house can make the house look small and throw out the balance of the landscape. Plus, they can block windows, reduce light, encourage damp in walls. To directly answer your question, though, yes, in damper climates – Pacific northwest and most of the east, there will be plenty of damp around foundations – don’t you have damp-courses in houses in California? Gardeners notoriously underestimate the size of mature trees, and it always seems a shame to see a 30 or 40 year old tree taken down – when it has another 100 years of life perhaps, because it is now too close to a building. And yes, climate conditions can be taken into account too, spacing closer or further. It isn’t an exact science, so intuition plays a part as well, but better safe than sorry, no?

July 13, 2021 by Barry

Some great advice in the article. I have a query regarding placing a ‘shrub-like tree’ next to an established upright tree (which has the trunk to eye level, very upright to around 20ft tall).

The established tree is a silver birch with the usual somewhat slender trunk. The new tree to be planted will be a Japanese maple osakazuki as a feature. Due to spacing constraints, the only place it fits is 4ft in front of the birch.

Osakazuki has a listed mature spread of 12ft (or 6ft out from the base). It has this clearance all around, except for the birch tree. Will the birch trunk, which will be visually behind the maple but 2ft within the maple’s mature width, pose any hindrance to the osakazuki? I’m thinking that as the trunk is fairly slim that it should be ok. Also the birch will afford dappled shade that maples prefer. At full listed maple height of 15ft, all the main birch branches are near upright (any overhead branches of the birch can be easily removed).

This is an interesting situation of spacing between two different types of trees. I’m hoping that the maple can accomodate one larger upright tree within its footprint – perhaps this occurs within forest environments where there are smaller trees beneath a protective canopy.

July 14, 2021 by Dave G

There will be more light coming from the front, rather than the back, yes? So the maple will grow asymmetrically, with most of the spread on the side away from the birch trunk. So There won’t be any problem, except for root competition from the established birch inhibiting the new maple tree. When you go to plant you will almost certainly encounter birch roots, so I suggest planting in fall or late winter, before the sap begins to rise in the birch, as it’s a ‘bleeder’ when spring pruned (and that includes the roots). Cut the roots neatly, prepare a good planting whole with fresh earth in it, and water well. Hopefully you will get sufficient growth from the maple in the first few years that it will be able to compete with the birch roots that will pretty quickly ‘find’ that nice new soil and invade it.

September 14, 2021 by Judy Gerrard

I am wanting to plant a shade tree in back yard. No overhead utility lines. But the sewer line runs along the property boundary to the sewer line in the alley. And there is a ‘dry well’ to take extra run off from gutters. And of course the house foundation. Thinking of planting a zelkova. Are their roots as agressive as other trees? The nurseries around here sell Village Green and GreenVase.Some the more slender Mushino (spelling?) and one called Wireless. The backyard gets western sun which I want to shade in summer. What guidance do you suggest for selecting a zelkova, which one, or should I pick something else? And how far away from the sewer, lines, dry well? I really appreciate your article here!

September 15, 2021 by davethetreecenter

The further away the better is the answer. At least 20 feet, and more if possible. Zelkova are lovely trees and I don’t think one variety is much different in terms of sewers. I would think that ‘Green Vase’ has the best profile for you – not to narrow (‘Musashino’ is columnar, ‘Village Green’ is wide, and ‘Wireless’ is just weird – very wide and low, flat top) and not too wide. Remember, this is a tree that will one day be 50 feet tall and wide, so do you have the room? If not, or you can’t stay far enough from the sewer lines, you might consider one of the larger, faster-growing Japanese maples? They can reach 25 feet each way, without aggressive root systems. One of the plain-green types, like the coral bark (‘Senkaku’) for example. We have several on our page.

October 10, 2021 by Vincent martell

I have a piece of property that is all soft wood. Mainly spruce and fir, how much space should I leave between them. They differ in size and height

October 11, 2021 by davethetreecenter

Well I guess that depends on what your goal is. It sounds like you have a natural forest, and you can leave it that way – the trees will take care of themselves, with weaker young ones dying as the strongest and largest grow. If you are wanting more of a garden then you can remove whatever you need to, for your goals. Crowded together these trees will grow tall, and the lower branches won’t last long, leaving tall, clear trunks. You would need 20 feet or more between the trees to keep branches low to the ground as they grow.
If you are trying to one day have large trees for lumber, then you should probably thin out all but the strongest – but if you are doing that I suggest you get some advice from people in forestry – we are simple gardeners here!

May 3, 2022 by Evan

Hi, I am wanting to plant a Japanese maple near my house. Would 6 feet away from the corner of my house be far away enough for a typical variety like a bloodgood? Or should I look for a smaller variety to be able to plant a little bit closer?

May 4, 2022 by davethetreecenter

It depends on the look you want. If this is part of the planting around your house, then you don’t want it to look isolated, but connected, and for a larger type of Japanese maple 6 feet sounds good. If you want it more free-standing, out on the lawn, then you might want to consider 10 feet, if space allows. Most smaller varieties will be shorter, and often wider than tall, so that may not be the look you want. Using a dark-leaf tree like Bloodgood, what is the color of your house? If dark, the tree is going to show very well, and maybe a lighter coloring would be more striking? The Coral Bark Maple makes a nice specimen, with green leaves in summer, yellow in fall and winter interest in the red branches (if it gets enough sun to develop the coloring). Anyway, you can’t have too many Japanese maples! 🙂

August 26, 2022 by shane O'Dwyer

Such a helpful guide. So hard to get practical information on root spread. How close to a house could you plant a prunus triloba on a 1m standard? I am hoping to plant it about 6 ft from the wall in a foundation bed

August 27, 2022 by davethetreecenter

Thank you. That distance will the fine – more than – you could go 4 feet if you wanted to.

September 4, 2022 by Shane

Thank you very much really appreciate the information very helpful
March 6, 2023 by Shar

Thank you for this article! I am wondering the same thing as Dave above. l live in Sacramento, “the city of trees,” and our county is covered with giant tree specimens, many close to homes, streets, hardscaping, etc. I haven’t seen much lifted concrete and there are a whole lot of structures, retaining walls, sidewalks, and fences with massive trees mere feet away (incense cedars, coast redwoods, valley oaks, etc.). Of course, we have had windstorms that have caused damage from falling trees/branches, as you mentioned. (We can primarily thank our deluge upon drought conditions for weakened root systems and saturated canopies.) I have to agree, overall, that there may be a difference between east and west coasts in root growth and tree spacing?

March 7, 2023 by davethetreecenter

It is true that trees get planted ‘too close’ to many things, and often live for decades without causing damage. I don’t think there is a difference between east and west in root growth, although I do know, surprisingly, that their is a difference in the crown spread of many conifers as you travel west – they become narrower. Conifers like cedars and redwoods also have smaller roots, and often relatively narrower crowns that trees like maples or oaks, or even spruce. The smaller roots means less sidewalk lifting and less chance of damage to foundations, so that makes a difference too.
In the long-term, though, trees often have to be removed prematurely, because they have outgrown a space that was too small for them, or they were planted too close, and better choice of species would reduce that – always a shame to cut down a tree in its prime!

April 13, 2023 by Jeffrey Brown

Looking to use approximately 10 Hetzii Juniper trees as a tall screen. They are balled in burlap and are currently 8 – 10 feet tall. I don’t need them to be taller than 15 feet to complete the screening I need so I’m looking to plant them as close together as possible. I’d also be windowing (staggering) them to achieve a solid screen more quickly. I’d like to plant them roughly 4 feet apart. Would this be an appropriate distance? Not looking for the Junipers to reach their maximum height if that makes a difference.
Thank you for your thoughts on this planting.

April 14, 2023 by davethetreecenter

Do they have full sun exposure? I ask because planted close together, in less-than-ideal light and they will struggle upwards, which usually results in lower branches dying – which are the ones you most likely need for your screening. Unless they were planted with an open spacing while they grew to that 10 feet, they could already be a bit ‘top-heavy’. Are you planning to trim annually, or were you hoping to just let them go? Trimming will allow you to reduce the upper growth more, encouraging the lower branches and also letting more light down lower – both will help keep them thick to the ground. You staggering idea is a good one, but were you thinking 4 feet apart on the angle, or the level, because if it was on the angle then you are not even 3 feet apart looked at face on (Pythagoras and all that), and that ‘back’ row (the side away from most of the sun) will probably decline fairly quickly. So, unless they are running north-south, giving you sun on both sides, I would go with a straight row, and space them so you have a 2-foot gap between the foliage. That gives them an incentive to keep growing outwards, giving you a more solid screen lower down in a few years. You might get away with a 12 inch gap if you are in a hurry. I would recommend an annual trim, or at least every second year, and don’t let the top race up thin, trim it so it grows up with more branches.

April 26, 2023 by Selma Addison

Two years ago I wrote to you asking what trees to plant as a screen in the commons /tree area behind my house to screen the 2-story apartment buildings newly built behind my house. You recommended Green Giant Thuja. Shortly after receiving your recommendation, the sump pump in the house began discharging, even though I had been told this did not happen and it was for emergency only! I considered there might be a water table problem as there is a creek on the other side of the apartment complex. Consultation with the Institute of Natural Resources indicated the area to be planted with trees had a high water table of 6-7 feet below the surface–maybe higher at times as my pumps are basically at the same level as the area for the tree planting. I have a walk-out basement. So I have been told that all evergreens and most trees planted in this area will eventually die. The area designated for trees is 20 feet wide by 75 feet long. The apartment building is only 20 feet beyond this space. Complicating matters, a buried water drainage pipe runs parallel right ALONG THE EDGE of the tree area on the apartment side, which is a concern for tree roots. 5 Shawnee Brave bald cypress trees (50-70’T X 20-30’W) have been recommended, but I am concerned about the eventual size of these trees and the possibility that the more invasive roots will encase the drainage pipe that is within 10 feet of the trees and threaten the foundation and sewer pipes of the apartment building that is only 30 feet from the center of the tree area. Bald cypress trees have extensive root systems! Alternatively, 13 much smaller Lindsey Skyward bald cypress trees (20-30’T X 6-10′ W) have been suggested. Would the roots of these smaller trees also present a problem for the nearby water drainage pipe, as the tree salesman wants to plant a line of these closer to egde of the tree area to allow for other kinds of smaller trees also to be planted in the tree area. This would place the trees and roots within 6 feet of the water drainage pipe. Am I right to be concerned?? Should I consider planting birch trees instead, as these roots are not considered invasive? Or some other type of smaller tree that would grow tall enough to cover the row of second story windows to afford SOME privacy? If so, what kind of tree? Soil is sandy loam, one of the few assets! General agreement seems to be that most trees will fail with the high water table and taller trees in particular might not be properly anchored in the wet ground below the surface. Surface itself has no standing water, but is slightly sloped and serves as a drainage area for several houses. MANY, MANY THANKS FOR ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE ME!!!!

April 26, 2023 by davethetreecenter

Hm, this is a complex situation. My experience is that engineers tend to be over cautious when it comes to living things, and I have never seen a tree blown over with the roots out because of a water table 6 feet below the surface. A large variety of tree species grow along the banks of rivers, just a few feet above the water table – but I am just a humble plant person. the bald cypress sound like a good idea, but I don’t think ‘Shawnee Brave’ is smaller, just narrower. Birch would be good too, and what about sweet gum (Liquidamber), which has some smaller, narrow varieties, or Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica). Plus, Green Giant in fact do well in wetter soils too, as do best western and eastern arborvitae (Thuja plicata and Thuja occidentalis). The later is probably not going to get big enough to hide two storys, though. In the end you are just going to have to pick something – or a selection – and go with it. Sometimes we can just simply overthink things.

June 4, 2023 by AJD123

We have two fence lines where we are planting some 50mm caliper trees.

Fence 1: we are planting 4 trees spaced 33′ apart and alternating between silver maple and paper birch. The trees are being planted 6′ away from the fence. We want to stagger the trees so the first tree is 6′ from fence, 2nd tree is 8′ from fence, 3rd tree is 6′ from fence, 4th tree is 8′ from fence. Are there any benefits of staggering them only 24”? Will it look bad if they are all planted at 6′ away from the fence in a straight line?

Fence 2: we are planting 4 trees spaced 33′ apart and alternating between sugar maple and trembling aspen. Same question applies.

Also do you think the pairing (silver maple/paper birch AND sugar maple/trembling aspen) will look good. Do you think alternating them in the pattern above will work well, or should they be distributed differently?

June 5, 2023 by davethetreecenter

So basically you have two maples on each side, and two birch or aspen. Can I first suggest growing something other than silver maple – perhaps two more sugars, or perhaps red maple, or red oak? It’s just that silver maples are not very good in the long-term, being prone to breakage and splitting. Also, given the smaller size of the birch and aspen, I suggest planting three, not two.

I would put the maples at either end, and the birch/aspen in the center. Center the maples 20 or 25 feet from the end of your fence line, and the three other trees in between, with the outer two about 40 feet from the maples. Put the center one further forward by more than 2 feet – perhaps 5, so you have a grouping effect, and slightly uneven, in a triangle with one side longer than the other. Do the triangle on the other side angled in the opposite direction.

If you sketch that out you will see the point, I think. I slightly more naturalistic effect, and birch in particular look better in clumps than singly.

As well, birch borer can be very destructive on paper birch, so you should use a resistant variety – something like this Renaissance birch.