If You Don’t Want a Lot of Mess, Avoid These Trees
Trees offer a lot to our environment. Not only do they give us shade, and sometimes fruit, they will also break the wind for us in the winter time. If we’re fortunate, we may have a tree that produces beautiful flowers in the spring or brilliant colours on their leaves in the autumn time.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
Like everything else that grows in the garden, trees require regular maintenance. They are in need of trimming, pruning and then there is the mess to clean up after they have shed their leaves.
Unbeknownst to most, those trees that make your garden look so wonderful, can actually be what’s causing you so much work and making you lose love for your garden.
Here are 3 specimens that are particularly challenging:
Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa)
You may know this tree as the Indian bean tree. It’s fairly common and can be recognised by its large and heart shaped leaves. It looks fantastic in the summer with each leaf looking fabulous beside fluffy white flowers and skinny seed pods.
But watch out. As soon as the wind starts to blow in autumn, they will bury your garden under those giant leaves which will by then be brown. Twigs and bark will also fall and then in spring, those pretty flowers will fall all over your grass.
Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
Although this tree has beautiful maple style leaves that produce a stunning showcase of red leaves in the autumn, it comes with a big down side. When autumn comes around and they are shedding their leaves, they’re also dropping off hundreds of gum balls. These balls are hard and they are spikey. They could even wound you if you were to slip on them. They are of a size that makes them impossible to rake, so will need to be removed by hand.
Oak (genus Quercus)
Although the oak is so wonderful and truly part of our heritage, it can also make a lot of mess. Acorns lose a lot of twigs, and they also lose a lot of acorns. Acorns are not easy to rake up due to their size. As the tree gets older, it can get frailer. Somebody may sneeze in the house, and next thing you know there is a limb in the garden. They are also more likely to be struck by lightning than any other tree.
There are so many beautiful trees to choose from when looking for additions to your garden. You’re free to choose what you like, but do keep in mind that with some tree species you can expect a little bit of extra work.