Four Trees You’ll Regret Planting in Your Yard
An enduring American fable is that on George Washington’s sixth birthday he was gifted with a hatchet. As the story goes, young George took it upon himself to try out his new gift on his father’s cherry tree. While the cherry tree in the story didn’t deserve that fate, there are several species of trees that drive homeowners bonkers enough to raise a hatchet. The trees listed below have driven many homeowners mad and continue to do so. Proceed with caution before planting any of them in your yard.
Catalpa
Features: Sizable heart shaped leaves, orchid-like flowers and long pods
Why you’ll grow to loathe them: This tree continuously sheds its flowers. The same goes for its sizable leaves, which are often covered with worms. The pods of the catalpa can be as long as two feet each and can drop during the late summer months. When it’s time to mow your lawn, you’ll have to rake up the pods before mowing because they fall off in thick clumps. These clumps are too thick to mow over without creating significant damage to your lawn mower.
Features: Oversized shade tree with saggy branches that touch the ground
Why you’ll grow to loathe them: This trees grows fast at almost eight feet per year, which can cause problems down the road. For this tree, thirsty is an understatement; their roots can quickly overtake sewer and water lines. Due to the fact that their wood is fragile, they only have a lifespan of about 30 years at which time; you’ll experience the joy of having to dispose of this mammoth tree.
Poplar
Features: Heart or oval shaped leaves with grooves on the outside edges. The females in this species output a large volume of cottony seeds.
Why you’ll grow to loathe them: Poplars can increase in size by as much as eight feet per year. This equates to a ton of sap covered cotton pods dispersed all over your property, which can also cause allergies to flare up. Once one poplar has been planted, it will often sprout new ones that are extremely difficult to get rid of. Their stature ensures that their root system spreads quickly and can invade your sewer & gas lines, foundation, and drainage piping.
Features: Leaves are shaped like five point stars and the fruit they produce is covered in thorns and grows in clusters.
Why you’ll grow to loathe them: Step on a piece of this tree’s thorny fruit and you’ll definitely feel a sting. Even better, it falls continuously throughout the year, so you’ll put that rake of yours to good use. Hope you weren’t planning on having a flawless sidewalk or driveway because their roots are notorious for impaling them.
