Am I going to regret buying a willow?

[Kanga]

I impulsively bought a weeping willow. I've always loved willows and this one spoke to me. After bring home this beautiful tree (that is taller than my house) I decided to do some research. It appears that I am not very fluent in willow and instead of sweet nothings it was actually saying, "If you take me home I will clog your septic system and destroy your foundation".

Any advice would be appreciated!

[Aggie]

"If you take me home I will clog your septic system and destroy your foundation".

This was my first conversation when I bought a home with a lovely willow. And the tree followed through with its promise....both the septic lines and the driveway had to be replaced. The tree is now mulch. :( They ain't nothing but trouble if planted close to a home, ime. (OH! A quote we often use from Jungle Book LOL)

However...if you have some land or a pond, it will whisper those sweet nothings from out there. ;) If you live in town, I'll foster your willow and you can come out for visitation any time you want!

Aggie

[Dee22]

We had this problem with a house we owned in Ohio. The large weeping willow clogged the tile (think that is what it was called) and made the basement flood. We had to have the tree taken down and tile (a round tube buried underground) cleaned out. The roots had grown into it and completely clogged it up. Now, the tree was huge and the house older so it may not cause problems until the tree grows quite a bit.

[In The Great White North]

Even if you plant it away from your weeping tile, water lines, leach field and foundation, they are not trouble free. Expect to pick up a ton of branches every spring and every strong wind.

You probably have 10 trouble free years til it gets big enough to cause problems. :001_smile:

[anissarobert]

One of the reasons I loved our house when we bought it 9 years ago was the huge willow tree in back. This tree had a trunk over 5 feet in diameter and it shaded the house. It didn't clog anything with its roots, although we have a very bumpy backyard, but it did split down the middle! We had to have it removed or it would have taken out our house. It cost over $3000 to have it removed and hauled away.

This is now happening to a big willow at my gradmother's house, so maybe it only happens around here. I'm with the previous poster, they belong out by the pond.

[Kris]

Am I going to regret buying a willow?

Oh, I hope not, but -- I'm afraid so. :sad:

My grandparents had a huge, old weeping willow right next to their tiny little house. It was *so* wonderful and, of course, as kids, we thought it was totally kewl and were broken hearted the summer we arrived to find it wasn't there anymore. The damage it caused was staggering, but of course we didn't care about that.

Actually, Grandma's biggest complaint was the mess it made.

[Laura Corin]

We have a soggy spot about twenty yards away from the house which looks like willow territory to me. The septic tank and driveway are on the other side of the house from it.

Laura

[Kanga]

We have a soggy spot about twenty yards away from the house which looks like willow territory to me. The septic tank and driveway are on the other side of the house from it.

Laura

Well, I was thinking of putting it 50 feet from the septic tank, but with every post I read I mentally move the location another 10 feet a way!

[Lolly]

Our neighbors have 3 beautiful willows on the very back edge of their lot where ours joins it. The sewage line for the cit has had to be dug up and replaced twice. That would be after we had our basement flooded with sewage and paid large quantities of $ to find out that it was not in our own lines. The little sticks that fall from the beautiful branches have almost completely killed the grass in our yard, and we spend untold hours picking them up. It is impossible. Every spring, our garage fills with white fluff. Okay, if we would keep the garage doors down all the time, this wouldn't happen. The mosquitoes absolutely adore these trees and the lovely shade they offer. The starlings, nasty birds, think they are the best nesting site in the entire world.

The willows are beautiful. I would pay a few thousand dollars to be allowed to pay for their removal and destruction. I do NOT advise planting willow trees anywhere near civilization.

[Kanga]

Our neighbors have 3 beautiful willows on the very back edge of their lot where ours joins it. The sewage line for the cit has had to be dug up and replaced twice. That would be after we had our basement flooded with sewage and paid large quantities of $ to find out that it was not in our own lines. The little sticks that fall from the beautiful branches have almost completely killed the grass in our yard, and we spend untold hours picking them up. It is impossible. Every spring, our garage fills with white fluff. Okay, if we would keep the garage doors down all the time, this wouldn't happen. The mosquitoes absolutely adore these trees and the lovely shade they offer. The starlings, nasty birds, think they are the best nesting site in the entire world.

The willows are beautiful. I would pay a few thousand dollars to be allowed to pay for their removal and destruction. I do NOT advise planting willow trees anywhere near civilization.

So I guess my plan to plant the tree next to the creek that runs between my property and my neighbor's is crossed off the list of potential planting sites. Fortunately, I don't have to worry about interferring with any city services. I think I am going to plant it near the horse shoe pit which is not within 100 yards of anybody's house!