nambucca wrote:

"Glen Able" wrote in message
...

Hello all,

I feel like a chump for not knowing this, but how careful do you have to

be

planting near drains?

I'm starting to make some plans for the front garden, which is currently

22

feet square of gravel. I want a nice informal hedge down one side, but

the

neighbour's drain runs right next to the boundary. Is it just trees

that're

a problem, or would it be unsafe to plant medium-sized shrubs along there?

Also, I was hoping to put in something (not sure what) big at the front,

in

the middle - which'd be about 10 feet from the neighbour's drain and 10

feet

from mine. Any idea what sort of size limit I should be thinking of for
this spot?

Thanks for any advice - I would have googled for this, but using 'drains'

as

a query word is hopeless because of all the references to things like

'soil

that drains well'.

cheers,
G.A.

Willow tree roots are the worst culprits for getting into drains


If the drain is a new sealed system one theres less chance of problems but
if its old clay pipe type then its very easy for any shrub or tree roots to
cause trouble


I think it is generally true to say that plants do not harm drains that
are in a good state. However if they have leaks then plant exasperate
the problem by seeking out the water, enlarging any hole and eventually
filling the drain with roots.