Think It Over: What Are the Worst Trees to Plant?
79% of Americans say that when buying or renting a property, the lawn is a vital feature to them. It’s the first thing you see, after all.
Because of this, you might be wanting to spruce up your front yard with some new trees. But not all are created equally; some are worse than others to plant.
Are you wondering: what are the worst trees to plant? Then you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the worst trees to plant near a house.
Sweetgum Tree
The sweetgum tree produces beautiful foliage, especially in the fall. Even during the spring and summer, these trees display some stunning greenery.
However, one huge downside is they drop seed pods that are essentially huge spike balls. These can hurt if they drop on someone’s head or body. They can also particularly sting if someone accidentally steps on them while barefoot.
Not to mention, if you have children, they may play with these spike balls and accidentally hurt one another.
If you really enjoy sweetgums, know that not all hope is lost. There’s a spike ball-less variety called the Rotundiloba. It looks exactly like the normal tree, except it’s a lot safer.
Female Ginko Tree
Ginko trees are another that has stunning foliage. They grow bright yellow leaves, which can be a sight to behold. Then, they drop onto the ground, creating a vibrant walkway.
If you don’t have much of a green thumb, then it may be tempting to grow ginko trees. They’re very hardy and barely need any maintenance.
But like the other trees on this list, of course, it comes with its negatives. In particular, the female ginko tree produces orange-yellow balls that stink to high heaven. It can quickly turn your yard into anything but a haven.
An easy way to avoid all this and still get the gorgeous ginko tree is to stick to male trees. You’ll be able to tell a tree is a male by spotting cones on its leaves.
White Mulberry Tree
The white mulberry tree is a nice one to have since it grows these special looking white mulberry fruits. It creates quite a unique appearance.
However, they’re trees with invasive roots. In fact, they can get so aggressive that they ruin landscaping and even sidewalks.
That’s not it either. White mulberry trees are also super messy and the male trees produce pollen that makes allergy sufferers wish they’ve never even seen a white mulberry tree before.
Male White Ash Tree
This is another one allergy sufferers should avoid. Male white ash trees are also one of the biggest offenders when it comes to allergies.
This is quite a shame, considering they produce absolutely stunning foliage in the fall.
However, you can easily avoid triggering your allergies by purchasing female trees! Considering only males produce pollen, you’ll be safe if you stick with females.
Red Oak Tree
Oak trees are beautiful, but come fall, and their huge leaves and acorns start dropping. While this may create a beautiful sight, this makes the red oak one of the messiest trees to deal with.
Not only will you have to spend a lot of time raking up the leaves, but you’ll also have to worry about the damage the heavy acorns can do. For example, they can dent your car. You can even slip and fall because of them while you’re on your way out of your house.
If you already have red oak on your property and want it gone by the time it can do such damage, you can always get a tree removed by professional arborists. They’ll be able to get rid of these annoying trees without ruining your yard.
Eastern White Pine Tree
Pines can be amazing to have on your property. Plus, they’re evergreens, which means you don’t have to worry too much about them turning brown and ugly.
But a major downside of planting pines is the sheer number of needles they drop. Another is the sticky pitch that they produce.
The eastern white pine is an especially bad culprit when it comes to this pitch. If you’ve parked a car underneath it, or worse yet, accidentally rubbed your clothes against it while walking past, you’re done for.
This pine tree’s sticky pitch is so bad that you have to really work at getting it off. For future reference, rubbing vinegar into the substance should get it off.
Bradford Pear Tree
If you’ve ever spotted a Bradford pear tree before, you might think it’s breathtaking. And it is, with its thousands of pure white flowers.
When they flower, they explode with life. And when fall comes, their red foliage is fantastic to feast your eyes upon as well.
However, there are several negatives that come with Bradford pear trees.
As you can imagine, those thousands of flowers can easily come off and blow around with bad weather. This makes them quite messy.
Plus, while their flowers are beautiful, they smell terrible. Some people compare them to the smell of fish.
In addition, their many delicate branches mean Bradford pear trees are indeed weak trees. All it’ll take is a strong gust of wind or snow for the branches to snap off and disfigure the once-beautiful tree.
What Are the Worst Trees to Plant? It May Depend on Your Property
So what are the worst trees to plant? While we’ve given you some examples, it really depends on your property, where you live, and how much work you’re willing to put in.
So make sure to do your research and consider how certain trees will mesh with not only your house but also you and the environment. By doing so, you’ll be able to find beautiful and mess-free trees.
Did you enjoy this article? Then be sure to check out our other blog posts too!
