Five Things to Consider when Deciding Where to Plant a Tree

My suburban lot came with several large but aging trees. I like trees and chose to replace them (and add more) as my mature trees were reaching the end of their useful, or healthy, lives. In deciding where to plant the new trees, I learned quite a bit from the previous owners and some mistakes I saw around the neighborhood.

Many people underestimate the importance of choosing a good spot to plant a tree. Where you put the tree will have a lasting impact on how your garden looks. And as your tree grows large, you won't have the opportunity to undo any mistakes by relocating it. To ensure that your trees will have a long, healthy life, and that you will be happy with them ten or more years from now, putting the tree in the right spot is critical.

Consider these five factors when deciding where to plant your tree.

One: How big will the tree get?
If you want a large shade tree, that's great. But you have to make sure that the tree has room to grow to its full size. Otherwise, your tree will cause problems later. It's not just the spread of the branches that's important, but also the spread of the roots.

When the developer in my neighborhood planted Chinese elms, they placed one about 10 feet from one corner of our house. Years later, when we bought the house, the tree had spread its canopy above the roof of our house. The shade was nice. But its roots had spread underneath the house, emerging on the other side in our dirt-covered crawl space and cracking the foundation.

Also consider proportion: a large tree might look awkward placed too close to a small house. Many houses with landscaping that needs work feature overgrown evergreens in the front yard, where they obliterate any view of the front of the house.

Smaller trees can be planted closer to structures, because they will not encroach upon them.

Two: Where are the utilities?
Don't plant a tree that will one day be large underneath your power lines. ComEd roams my neighborhood giving awkward haircuts to any branches that are too close to their power lines. This leaves awkward, misshapen trees. The alternative is worrying about fallen branches every time there's a strong thunderstorm or heavy winds.

Similarly, know where your underground utilities are. Besides the fact that you don't want to poke a hole in your gas line (in Illinois, call Julie to find out where it is), you don't want the tree's roots encroaching on your sewer line to the street.

Our previous owners made the mistake of planting a small tree directly on top of a cleanout valve for the sewer line. Until we removed it, we were paying to have the roots cleaned out of our sewer lines every other year.

Three: Is your house symmetrical or asymmetrical?
If your house has a plane of symmetry--a front door in the middle with equal numbers of windows on both sides, for example--it will look best with symmetrical, or balanced, landscaping. You might be better off to plant two trees, one on each side of the path to the front door. If you prefer a more informal look, they don't need to be identical--but do balance your landscaping.

If your house is asymmetrical, you have more leeway. But that doesn't mean you should plunk a single tree down right in the middle of your front yard. That's bound to look awkward as the tree goes.

If you aren't sure what to do, print a large photograph of your house, find some cutouts of trees, and play with it on the photograph.

Four: Will the tree drop anything that bugs you?
I have some dwarf apple trees in my back yard, and I love them. But they do drop immature apples on the lawn every June. If the tree drops anything that will bother you, or you like the look of an immaculate lawn, an apple tree might not be for you. Other things that trees drop include seeds, flower petals, and (yes) leaves.

Five: Do you need a sunny spot? Or do you want shade?
Maybe you grow vegetables. Or maybe you love roses, which need lots of sun. If so, don't put your tree anywhere where it will grow to shade your rose collection or your tomatoes.

If you're looking to shade a patio, however, you might want to consider putting in a larger shade tree--but not too close to the house. Keep in mind that you will eventually need to replace any sun-loving perennials in the area with more shade-tolerant plants.