Which tree to plant close to the house?

[User952539]

My house is wonky. It was extended in the late 70s/early 80s and in the process it became asymmetrical. I can’t change it but would like to visually disguise it by putting a tree in front of it. The problem is it would quite close to the house
Id ideally like something evergreen but that isn’t essential. Any ideas for trees that shouldn’t cause issues with the foundations? I wanted eucalyptus but my googling shows that would be a bad plan..

What soil type do you have? Clay soils will cause issues with the capacity for shrink / swell which can cause foundation problems. Sandy or gravelly soils will be more free draining and you’re less likely to
have issues.

Diffetent types of tree have different water demands - high water demand species include eucalyptus, poplar, willow, elm, oak, cypress.

Choice of tree should be a function of soil type, water demand and mature height.

Trees with the lowest water demand that won’t grow too massive include birch, fig, hazel, laburnum, magnolia and mulberry.

We have clayey gravel soils and a row of pleached limes about 4m from the front of the house which are kept to a modest height.

Soil is quite sandy. The wind does come in from the west but the tree would be effectively in a corner due to where the garage is so it’s sort of sheltered

Soil is also acidic I think. We are surrounded by woodland and have lots of rhododendron, camellias etc

Do you have clayey soil, clay soils and trees are an issue and could cause subsidence. The table below is from NHBC standards and lists most common trees by water demand. Have a look at NHBC standards chapter 4.2. It tells you how deep foundations need to be based on different soils and tree species. Might be worth digging a hole to 1.5-2m to see if the soil is granular or clayey. If it's granular you are probably ok but if you have clay soils then don't plant trees near your house. You can look at BGS website and see if there are any boreholes nearby your house to see if they have clay soils.

Soil is definitely not clay, it’s sandy

You can plant birch in large pots. You can get fastigiate (upright) versions of most birch trees, including silver and Himalayan (the whitest bark of all the birch) if you don't want too big a canopy. With the lovely bark they provide good winter interest.

We have a bay that was cut to about a foot high nearly 3 years ago, I think. It's now close to the first floor. It is right next to the house, just a big bush but I cut it to keep it neat.

I thought they were slow growing. Either I was wrong or this is some mutant variety!

Birch are great and quick growing. I planted a Himalayan birch a few years ago. It's nice but I'd go with a Silver Birch if I were to do it again. The slightly pendulous branches are so much prettier and they the canopy is wider.
Mail order trees used to be great but it may have gone downhill since I last used them.

A rhus tree wouldn't cause any problems. We had one once close to thé house and it was fine. Not evergreen but lovely deep red leaves in autumn and big fruits/seedpods.

Cornus kousa shrub?
Weeping silver pear (pyres salicifolia)
Or something from this list

horticulture.co.uk/narrow-trees-for-small-gardens/

How about concealing the issue by growing a wisteria over the wonky parts of the house? It'll grow fast, and from what I understand the roots grow deep to anchor the plant, which means it hopefully shouldn't interfere with the foundations of your house (I'm thinking of all those 300 year old country houses covered in wisteria that seem to get along just fine!) The smell when its in bloom in the spring is glorious.

We had a wisteria in our last house, and we spent a great deal of time pruning it. It grows so fast you can see it. It's great at first but a nightmare later on. It needs to be pruned severely in February and July/August.

Worth it though! A well established wisteria is one of the great sights of nature!

I think the problem with wisteria is it is unlikely to flower since it wouldn’t get enough sun. We have it on the back of the house already.

Ornamental fruit trees are a good bet near walls. There’s a pear variety “Chanticleer” which is popular as a street tree since it’s upright and ok near houses. Not evergreen but good year round interest.

I’d probably go for a climber in your shoes however. Trees too near houses look a bit squished IMO - with the exception of cypress, but I do wonder if a cypress might just call attention to it.

If a wisteria won't get enough sun how about a climbing hydrangea? They're a bit slow to get going (so it'd probably be worth spending a bit more to buy a larger plant) but they're evergreen and can cope with shade.

One whose roots won't interfere with the house foundations in years to come.

Sorry, not sure which one but one day I would love to grow saplings from seeds but not yet!