Trees that should not be planted in populated areas
Prunus padus, known as bird cherry or hackberry, is shown in this photo.
Prunus padus, known as bird cherry or hackberry, is shown in this photo.
Looking to plant a tree in your yard this spring? Be careful with the type of tree you pick. Some trees are great, but there are other invasive trees that are appealing but should never be planted in a residential area. One such tree is the mimosa. The mimosa is pretty with its pink fluff which opens in early summer. The flowers last for two weeks but then are replaced with long brown seed pods that hang on the tree until the next spring. The pods can also be blown into neighboring yards. White Mulberry trees produce mulberry berries that birds love. But they can also lead to bird droppings all over the yard. Not only does this lead to a messy yard but it can be harmful with disease. Hackberry trees are silvery-gray bark encrusted with warts and ridges. Small blue-black fruits are favored by birds that feast upon the tree. The birds then spread seedlings all over the neighborhood. Also, woolly aphids feed on the leaves that drip sticky honeydew. A sooty mold grows on the honeydew and blackens everything under the tree. Cottonwood trees are considered garbage trees because they grow where no other tree will grow. In early summer this tree blankets the yard with cottony seeds which roll across the ground and pile up against houses, walls and fences. The silver maple is a fast-growing shade tree that can reach 70 feet tall. However, its roots are infamous for clogging waterlines and breaking sidewalks. It also has weak branches that fall in storms, it also has seeds that drop and clutter the yard with baby silver maples. Bradford pears may look nice, but it explodes in windstorms, its flowers smell like fish, it grows too big and thousands of its thorny seedlings now consume roadsides and the woods, and if you have a Bradford pear in your yard, yesterday would have been a great day to cut it down. There are many more trees that are not conducive to city living. Before you purchase a tree, do your homework and see if the tree is right for the area you live in.
Looking to plant a tree in your yard this spring? Be careful with the type of tree you pick. Some trees are great, but there are other invasive trees that are appealing but should never be planted in a residential area.
One such tree is the mimosa. The mimosa is pretty with its pink fluff which opens in early summer. The flowers last for two weeks but then are replaced with long brown seed pods that hang on the tree until the next spring. The pods can also be blown into neighboring yards.
White Mulberry trees produce mulberry berries that birds love. But they can also lead to bird droppings all over the yard. Not only does this lead to a messy yard but it can be harmful with disease.
Hackberry trees are silvery-gray bark encrusted with warts and ridges. Small blue-black fruits are favored by birds that feast upon the tree. The birds then spread seedlings all over the neighborhood. Also, woolly aphids feed on the leaves that drip sticky honeydew. A sooty mold grows on the honeydew and blackens everything under the tree.
Cottonwood trees are considered garbage trees because they grow where no other tree will grow. In early summer this tree blankets the yard with cottony seeds which roll across the ground and pile up against houses, walls and fences.
The silver maple is a fast-growing shade tree that can reach 70 feet tall. However, its roots are infamous for clogging waterlines and breaking sidewalks. It also has weak branches that fall in storms, it also has seeds that drop and clutter the yard with baby silver maples.
Bradford pears may look nice, but it explodes in windstorms, its flowers smell like fish, it grows too big and thousands of its thorny seedlings now consume roadsides and the woods, and if you have a Bradford pear in your yard, yesterday would have been a great day to cut it down.
There are many more trees that are not conducive to city living. Before you purchase a tree, do your homework and see if the tree is right for the area you live in.
