I live in New Kent, Virginia USA and I have always been told that weeping willows are bad for property that did not have a pond or lake due to the massive absortion of water. I want to put one in my yard, but a friend said it would penetrate the water lines underground. Is this true?
Its true, willows and many other trees will penetrate draines etc to get at water......other problems trees will cause to property is heave, roots expanding under foundations lift and crack walls, (more a problem with older buildings), and subsidence, particularly with clay soil, a vigorous big tree can suck the water out of the soil causing it to shrink..........so plant any tree at least 2/3 its eventual height away from a building eg 60' tree should be at least 40' away from your property (drains etc)
A lot also depends on the water lines - modern sealed plastic pipes are safe from roots; old ceramic pipes are not.
Planting all kinds of trees a long way from any structure is not necessary and makes it impossible to have fully developed plantings near buildings.
I have seen the same assertion elsewhere. Here there are lots of buildings with trees right on top of them, yet I have seldom seen damage. As always, it depends.
Weeping willows will destroy your place - they need very large areas close to water to live, which is why you see them growing in parks that way. They can get very large, messy and will hunt for water in inappropriate places.
Depends on which weeping willow you plant, for starters. Some commonly sold ones are quite small growing.
Wow! such different opinions. Ron - can you suggest one that would be more appropriate. I would say that I would plant this tree about 40 feet from my home.
how about something that looks like a willow? like a Desert Willow, Chilopsis linearis. It isn't in the willow family, but it looks a lot like a weeping willow, though not near as big. The leaves are very similar and the growth habit is loose and somewhat weeping. It grows to about 20 feet tall by 15 feet wide at maturity and even has 1 1/2" long pink or lavender blooms. It is pretty drought tolerant too. Grows in zones 7-9. Is Virginia zone 6 or 7?
You don't need to plant a weeping willow (WW) to have a weeping tree in your yard. There are many other varieties of weeping trees available besides a WW. Unless you have a large property, I would not plant a WW. A large WW could actually reduce the value of your property rather than raising the value. Something to think about... Good luck, Mike
Insurance would be a factor. Heres an article from Horticulture week 30th March 2006 Arborists warn of rise in subsidence after dry winter. The dry winter in the south will bring an increase in subsidence cases caused by tree roots this year, Arboriculture Association director Nick Eden has warned. "The ground has not been rehydrated so trees will have to look further afield for water, making subsidence more likely", he said. Trees cause 70 percent of building subsidence, costing UK insurers more than £200m a year, according to claims technical consultant Andrew Buckley of insurer Royal & SunAlliance. it goes on to talk about under-pinning and reinforcing house foundations, in order to save the tree. Oscar.
Ok, the drought info has me concerned. I actually just saw the news and tehy too were concerned with a bad drought. Could I put a willow in a huge pot for this year in hopes that next year we will not have an issue with water? Also, if I can start one in a pot, do I bring it in during the winter? On another note, how about a weeping pussy willow. I would like to have one in front of my house just to the side of my porch. It appears to be a nice garden accent. I have read so much material that I am now not sure what I read. Off the top of you head, could I root a PW like a weeping willow? Inside as well as out? Are they very aggressive water seekers?
