On Fri, 20 May 2005 13:05:41 GMT, wrote:

Does anyone know where I can find root depth information on Azealas,
Camillas, Red Bud, Crepe Myrtle, Shrub Hollies, Blueberries, and Oak
Leaf Hydrangeas spefically.

After 25 years the Town of Cary thinks some of my azealeas might some
day clog the sewerline. Funny they did not mention it 5 years ago on
that clearing project. I know the lines are 5 or more feet deep so if
I can find some documentation on how deep these plants roots go, I may
have a chance of saving them. I think most of these are shallow rooted.

There have been no clogs that I am aware of except where vandals filled
up a manhole with rocks, limbbs and dirt and that was down stream of me
at least a hundred yards. They solved the problem by bolting the man
hole covers down.

There are easements on my property and I was aware of that. I figured
the lines would last 25-50 years and I was prepared to lose the plants
if the lines had to be totally replaced, but I will fight an ordinance
that they have not enforced in 25 years.

I just put a chunk of money in the front yard to have it landscaped. I
am prepared to spend as much on lawyers to save the back yard. If
necessary. Wish me luck.

I will take a less belligerent approach initially though.

--
Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please.

is a garbage address.


Here is an example for you. My parents' have a next door neighbor.
They both live in Eastern NC (Jacksonville, NC) The neighbors decided
to re-landscape their front yard. The house, built in 1961, had 30-35
year old Formosa azaleas, which were beautiful in the spring. They
also had the smaller flowered azaleas which were probably 20 years
old. These azaleas were very very healthy (and very big). They were
removed in one afternoon with a shovel and a chain attached to a
pickup truck. All were shallow rooted (as they should be). Azaleas
spread by dropping their limbs to the ground and rooting on contact.
This is typical of a shallow rooted plant. I have taken several of the
larger ones, which still had a decent rootball, and have taken them
home. I have kept them moist and they are still alive 2 weeks later.
They would not have done so well if they were deep rooted, especially
since they were basically jerked out of the ground with some trunk
damage. I need to figure out where I will put them in my yard but I
hated for them to go to waste.

Also my neighbors decided to do what they did since my parents had
done something similar two years ago. My mom took some of her 25 year
old Formosas and smaller flowered azaleas and they were dug up with
only a shovel. They had a nice rootball but not huge. She moved them
to the backyard but didn't put them into the ground. They have rooted
from sitting in the yard and have flowered each year, losing very
little foilage when initially dug up. A deep rooted plant could not
have survived such a 'transplant'.

Roots on each situation probably didn't go more than 2 feet deep in
the soil if that.

whatsup!