Trees and bushes planted too close to your home can cause significant foundation damage as they grow larger. If you’re in the process of re-landscaping your yard, you can work with professionals at your local nursery and beyond to ensure that your landscaping dreams come true without compromising your home’s structural integrity.
Planting Guide Where NOT to Plant Trees and Bushes in Your Yard Created By: JES
Trees and Bushes Around Your Yard
When it comes to re-landscaping your yard, you’ll want to make sure that the trees you’re interested in won’t grow too far or fast. Some of the best trees to plant if you’re worried about the state of your foundation include:
- Crabapples – coming in at a maximum of thirty-five feet tall, you should plant crabapples at least six feet away from your home to avoid foundation damage.
- American Dogwoods – topping out at twenty feet tall, you should plant American Dogwoods at least six feet away from your home to prevent foundation damage.
- Hawthorns – one of the more invasive trees on this list, be sure to plant Hawthorns at least twenty feet away from your home.
- American Hollies – it’s best to plant American Hollies at least eighteen feet away from your home to prevent foundation damage.
- Pawpaws – you can plant pawpaws within five feet of your home, but don’t go any closer if you want to preserve your foundation.
If you’re looking for landscaping features that don’t have quite as much height as your standard tree, then bushes can help increase your home’s curbside appeal. That said, the same rules that apply to trees and their roots apply to bushes as well. Some of the best bushes to plant around your home if you’re concerned about unwanted roots include:
- Dwarf Fothergilla – must be planted at least three feet away from your home to prevent related foundation damage.
- Smooth Hydrangea – must be planted at least three feet away from your home to prevent related foundation damage.
- Sweet Pepperbush – must be planted at least four feet away from your home to prevent related foundation damage.
- William Penn Barberry – must be planted at least three feet away from your home to prevent related foundation damage.
- Buttonbush – must be planted at least two feet away from your home to prevent related foundation damage.
- Border Forsythia – must be planted at least four feet away from your home to prevent related foundation damage.
- Tatarian Dogwood – must be planted at least eight feet away from your home to prevent related foundation damage.
- Chinese holly – must be planted at least five feet away from your home to prevent related foundation damage.
Bushes can help you protect your home from wandering eyes, but keep the planting guidelines for each of these bushes in mind. Plant a bush too close to the perimeter of your home, and its roots may start to disrupt the structural integrity of your foundation.
How Can You Protect Your Home From Root Damage?
As has been mentioned, both tree and bush roots seek out the nutrients that the plants themselves need to survive. If you plant a tree or bush too close to the perimeter of your home, then those roots may cause the soil beneath your home to shift, resulting in unwanted damage.
There are, however, steps you can take to prevent that kind of damage. By installing a root barrier or investing in home waterproofing measures, you can expand the catalog of bushes and trees that you might comfortably plant near your home. Root barriers, both chemical and physical, will direct roots away from your foundation. Waterproofing measures, comparatively, help prevent the kind of damage that roots can do to your foundation as well as affiliated side effects.
You are under no obligation, of course, to try and figure out what home protective measures you’d like to install. You can work with a professional in your area to first determine what trees and bushes you want in your yard and then what protective measures you want in place throughout your home.
