Do these shrubs so close to a house wall pose any future problems for the
house brickwork?

http://tinypic.com/r/2sbtyz5/7

Thanks for advice.

"john hamilton" wrote in message
...
Do these shrubs so close to a house wall pose any future problems for the
house brickwork?

http://tinypic.com/r/2sbtyz5/7

Thanks for advice.




Doesn't look like it: they seem to be in a raised trough of their own in any
case. If this trough is joined to your house wall - which we can't tell
from the pic - with no waterproof membrane between, then the bushes may
actually be keeping the damp out of your house.

High time to get out the sheers and prune it hard and neat back to the
fence, as it is getting very leggy and you do not want
those messy twigs to become messy branches.

S

On 9/2/2010 12:16 PM, john hamilton wrote:
Do these shrubs so close to a house wall pose any future problems for the
house brickwork?

http://tinypic.com/r/2sbtyz5/7

Thanks for advice.



Probably no harm, but, have you not heard the word, prune?
I don't allow any bush to touch my house.

On Sep 2, 2:56*pm, Frank wrote:
On 9/2/2010 12:16 PM, john hamilton wrote: Do these shrubs so close to a house wall pose any future problems for the
house brickwork?

http://tinypic.com/r/2sbtyz5/7

Thanks for advice.

Probably no harm, but, have you not heard the word, prune?
I don't allow any bush to touch my house.

What is that, euonymous, maybe? Should take pruning
wonderfully. I wouldn't use shears, but I don't like an
overly manicured look.

Looks like a little weeding is in order, too. Something
else is growing up in there. Stay on top of it.

My yard is a weedy mess; I've got glossy buckthorn
growing up everywhere. I regret letting it get out of hand.
Now it's going to be a buttload of work to hack it down
and keep it down.

Cindy Hamilton

On 2 Sep, 18:22, "Spamlet" wrote:

If this trough is joined to your house wall - which we can't tell
from the pic - with no waterproof membrane between, then the bushes may
actually be keeping the damp out of your house.

or more likely the complete opposite

Jim K

"Jim K" wrote in message
...
On 2 Sep, 18:22, "Spamlet" wrote:

If this trough is joined to your house wall - which we can't tell
from the pic - with no waterproof membrane between, then the bushes may
actually be keeping the damp out of your house.

or more likely the complete opposite

Jim K

No: bushes transpire a huge amount as you will find if you ever try to dig
up a privet hedge: always bone dry and rock hard beneath. Without the
shrubs, if the trough butts straight to the house wall (which does not look
to be the case.) there is nothing to use up any rain water and some might
get into the house wall. However, if said trough is anything like one
beside my house, the main reason for it being built will have been to get
rid of loads of old bricks and rubble, and there will only be a thin layer
of actual soil on top - as I found when I tried to deep dig it to grow veg!
In that case water just runs straight out the bottom anyway.

S

"Cindy Hamilton" wrote in message
...
On Sep 2, 2:56 pm, Frank wrote:
On 9/2/2010 12:16 PM, john hamilton wrote: Do these shrubs so close to a
house wall pose any future problems for the
house brickwork?

http://tinypic.com/r/2sbtyz5/7

Thanks for advice.

Probably no harm, but, have you not heard the word, prune?
I don't allow any bush to touch my house.

What is that, euonymous, maybe? Should take pruning
wonderfully. I wouldn't use shears, but I don't like an
overly manicured look.

Looks like a little weeding is in order, too. Something
else is growing up in there. Stay on top of it.

My yard is a weedy mess; I've got glossy buckthorn
growing up everywhere. I regret letting it get out of hand.
Now it's going to be a buttload of work to hack it down
and keep it down.

Cindy Hamilton

Not sure what you mean by 'glossy buckthorn' - though I've had terrible
problems with berberis/mahonia which puts out roots all over the place and
is impervious to weedkillers.
With bushes that sucker, digging/winching them up is the only way: the more
you cut the more they spread. Whole hillsides round here have been covered
in dogwood, thanks to well meaning 'scrub bashing' events, just making more
problems for later.

S

On Sep 2, 3:51*pm, "Spamlet" wrote:
"Cindy Hamilton" wrote in message

...
On Sep 2, 2:56 pm, Frank wrote:

On 9/2/2010 12:16 PM, john hamilton wrote: Do these shrubs so close to a
house wall pose any future problems for the
house brickwork?

http://tinypic.com/r/2sbtyz5/7

Thanks for advice.

Probably no harm, but, have you not heard the word, prune?
I don't allow any bush to touch my house.

What is that, euonymous, maybe? *Should take pruning
wonderfully. *I wouldn't use shears, but I don't like an
overly manicured look.

Looks like a little weeding is in order, too. *Something
else is growing up in there. *Stay on top of it.

My yard is a weedy mess; I've got glossy buckthorn
growing up everywhere. *I regret letting it get out of hand.
Now it's going to be a buttload of work to hack it down
and keep it down.

Cindy Hamilton

Not sure what you mean by 'glossy buckthorn' - though I've had terrible
problems with berberis/mahonia which puts out roots all over the place and
is impervious to weedkillers.
With bushes that sucker, digging/winching them up is the only way: the more
you cut the more they spread. *Whole hillsides round here have been covered
in dogwood, thanks to well meaning 'scrub bashing' events, just making more
problems for later.

S

Here's the enemy (although this page focuses mainly on common
buckthorn,
it also talks about glossy buckthorn):

http://dnr.wi.gov/invasives/fact/buckthorn_com.htm

The problem for me is that the damned birds eat the berries and crap
them out wherever they perch, resulting in buckthorn seedlings under
every tree in my yard, and mixed in with the desirable shrubs.

Cindy Hamilton

On 2 Sep, 20:42, "Spamlet" wrote:
"Jim K" wrote in message

...

On 2 Sep, 18:22, "Spamlet" wrote:

If this trough is joined to your house wall - which we can't tell
from the pic - with no waterproof membrane between, then the bushes may
actually be keeping the damp out of your house.

or more likely the complete opposite

Jim K

No: bushes transpire a huge amount as you will find if you ever try to dig
up a privet hedge: always bone dry and rock hard beneath. Without the
shrubs, if the trough butts straight to the house wall (which does not look
to be the case.) there is nothing to use up any rain water and some might
get into the house wall. However, if said trough is anything like one
beside my house, the main reason for it being built will have been to get
rid of loads of old bricks and rubble, and there will only be a thin layer
of actual soil on top - as I found when I tried to deep dig it to grow veg!
In that case water just runs straight out the bottom anyway.

S

??so your fantasy damp treatment firm would advocate planting privet
around a house?

intelesting...

Jim K

"Jim K" wrote in message
...
On 2 Sep, 20:42, "Spamlet" wrote:
"Jim K" wrote in message

...

On 2 Sep, 18:22, "Spamlet" wrote:

If this trough is joined to your house wall - which we can't tell
from the pic - with no waterproof membrane between, then the bushes
may
actually be keeping the damp out of your house.

or more likely the complete opposite

Jim K

No: bushes transpire a huge amount as you will find if you ever try to
dig
up a privet hedge: always bone dry and rock hard beneath. Without the
shrubs, if the trough butts straight to the house wall (which does not
look
to be the case.) there is nothing to use up any rain water and some might
get into the house wall. However, if said trough is anything like one
beside my house, the main reason for it being built will have been to get
rid of loads of old bricks and rubble, and there will only be a thin
layer
of actual soil on top - as I found when I tried to deep dig it to grow
veg!
In that case water just runs straight out the bottom anyway.

S

??so your fantasy damp treatment firm would advocate planting privet
around a house?

intelesting...

Jim K

Well, in most cases, next to the wall is usually much too dry rather than
too wet for bushes - or plants of any kind in fact. I have runner beans
growing up the back wall, and I could leave the hose on them all day without
waterlogging them: but we are on chalk here. Where there has been damp it's
generally from bad guttering and roof tiling than from below. And our
neighbour's drive is about 8' above the side of our house's side passage, so
we do get rather more of 'his' water than we would like - it's probably the
only thing keeping the bushes on that side alive though so I shouldn't
complain :-)

S

On 9/2/2010 3:21 PM, Jim K wrote:
On 2 Sep, 18:22, wrote:

If this trough is joined to your house wall - which we can't tell
from the pic - with no waterproof membrane between, then the bushes may
actually be keeping the damp out of your house.

or more likely the complete opposite

A cousin of mine had to dig up a lovely plant growing next to the wall
of her house. It's an old crofthouse, with rubble walls, and the roots
crept right through to the living room...

"Cindy Hamilton" wrote in message
...
On Sep 2, 3:51 pm, "Spamlet" wrote:
"Cindy Hamilton" wrote in message

...
On Sep 2, 2:56 pm, Frank wrote:

On 9/2/2010 12:16 PM, john hamilton wrote: Do these shrubs so close to
a
house wall pose any future problems for the
house brickwork?

http://tinypic.com/r/2sbtyz5/7

Thanks for advice.

Probably no harm, but, have you not heard the word, prune?
I don't allow any bush to touch my house.

What is that, euonymous, maybe? Should take pruning
wonderfully. I wouldn't use shears, but I don't like an
overly manicured look.

Looks like a little weeding is in order, too. Something
else is growing up in there. Stay on top of it.

My yard is a weedy mess; I've got glossy buckthorn
growing up everywhere. I regret letting it get out of hand.
Now it's going to be a buttload of work to hack it down
and keep it down.

Cindy Hamilton

Not sure what you mean by 'glossy buckthorn' - though I've had terrible
problems with berberis/mahonia which puts out roots all over the place and
is impervious to weedkillers.
With bushes that sucker, digging/winching them up is the only way: the
more
you cut the more they spread. Whole hillsides round here have been covered
in dogwood, thanks to well meaning 'scrub bashing' events, just making
more
problems for later.

S

Here's the enemy (although this page focuses mainly on common
buckthorn,
it also talks about glossy buckthorn):

http://dnr.wi.gov/invasives/fact/buckthorn_com.htm

The problem for me is that the damned birds eat the berries and crap
them out wherever they perch, resulting in buckthorn seedlings under
every tree in my yard, and mixed in with the desirable shrubs.

Cindy Hamilton


Ah, well this is supposed to be *UK* d-i-y, but what an excellent website
your Wisconsin DNR has produced! (US authorities seem to be very clear and
open with botanical data compared with the UK where 'traditionally'
collectors of such data have been rather reluctant to share. They are
improving though.)

Here (Luton UK) we have similar problems with the pigeons and ivy berries,
but the ivy flowers are so important for the bees and late (Red Admiral)
butterflies, I put up with a little more weeding than I might otherwise
like: just wish the pigeons didn't seem to specifically target one
particular hellebore though - it's only supposed to have white *flowers*!

A teaspoon of buckthorn berries is supposed to be an effective laxative if I
recall correctly. Here, the plant is only really common along chalky
hillsides, where the unwary will often confuse it with dogwood (which is
much more problematic, because of the suckers.).

Nice to hear from you,

S

"S Viemeister" wrote in message
...
On 9/2/2010 3:21 PM, Jim K wrote:
On 2 Sep, 18:22, wrote:

If this trough is joined to your house wall - which we can't tell
from the pic - with no waterproof membrane between, then the bushes may
actually be keeping the damp out of your house.

or more likely the complete opposite

A cousin of mine had to dig up a lovely plant growing next to the wall of
her house. It's an old crofthouse, with rubble walls, and the roots crept
right through to the living room...

Which rather indicates there may have been some damp in there - perhaps a
weeping pipe - or the house was built where the water table was rather
higher than ideal. In a croft, perhaps unsurprising. Under such conditions
any plant with rhizomes or suckers is going to spread that way. That said:
plenty of old dry stone walls look so much the better for the plants that
have bound them all together over centuries.

Cheers,

S

"john hamilton" wrote in message
...
Do these shrubs so close to a house wall pose any future problems for the
house brickwork?

http://tinypic.com/r/2sbtyz5/7

Thanks for advice.


You should be ok. If you had this shrub/bush near your place, it may be
ruined. Rumor has it, this shrub did a lot of damage in the USA.
http://www.rumormillnews.com/pix4/8_bush_chgh111.jpg

On 9/2/2010 7:19 PM, Spamlet wrote:
"S wrote
On 9/2/2010 3:21 PM, Jim K wrote:
On 2 Sep, 18:22, wrote:

If this trough is joined to your house wall - which we can't tell
from the pic - with no waterproof membrane between, then the bushes may
actually be keeping the damp out of your house.

or more likely the complete opposite

A cousin of mine had to dig up a lovely plant growing next to the wall of
her house. It's an old crofthouse, with rubble walls, and the roots crept
right through to the living room...

Which rather indicates there may have been some damp in there - perhaps a
weeping pipe - or the house was built where the water table was rather
higher than ideal. In a croft, perhaps unsurprising. Under such conditions
any plant with rhizomes or suckers is going to spread that way. That said:
plenty of old dry stone walls look so much the better for the plants that
have bound them all together over centuries.

I've seen more drystane dykes pushed apart by plants, than held together
by them!