On Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:40:54 +0100, Spider wrote:

A friend and neighbour of mine arrived home yesterday evening with a
Eucalytpus. I'm not sure which one, but it's one of those whose young
foliage is round.

She wants to plant it in front of her sitting room window on the site of
a dead Cordyline. She intends to keep it as a low shrub so it doesn't
exclude light. So far, no problem. Unfortunately, her chosen planting
site is about 1m (3ft) in front of the house. I was alarmed. I have
always believed that Eucalypts were drain-strangling
foundation-wreckers, and advised her to think again. Am I right? Even
if she keeps it trimmed, I would have thought the roots would be too
invasive. I don't want to spoil her plans, but she doesn't want to harm
her house, either.

I would be most grateful for your opinions, urglers all.

As urg's token Aussie (even if Anglicised almost to the point of
cultural genocide) I love gum trees. But not the way your neighbour
wants to use one: your misgivings are wholly justified, and it would
be totally insane to plant it so close to a house. And pruning the top
doesn't prune the roots. Personally, I don't think anybody with a
garden of less than an acre should ever plant a Eucalyptus gunnii,
which is what this presumably is.

I used to have the URL of a table of distances from structures which
the insurance business regarded as safe: it should be easy to Ggl, and
I'd recommend you to do so.

(OTish. Many years ago, my mother was asked over drinks at a
not-quite-statelyish home, "What do your famous gum trees _look_
like?" She looked out the French windows, and pointed out a suitable
comparison: "Oh," responded the not entirely impressed Poms, "that
one's been struck by lightning.")

--
Mike.