Shrub beds planted to look
full will become overgrown when they reach mature size, resulting in excessive maintenance
cost and/or loss of valuable plants.
If planted to close to the
building large shrubs like butterfly bush and other plants used as foundation
shrubs become one-sided.
Bradford pear and
Leyland Cypress (except if the later is in windbreaks) are to close if than have grow together rather than being
isolated specimens.
Large mass plantings where plants are to close together are susceptible to disease
and/or insect infestations due to competitive stress.
Wrong Plant in the Wrong Place
Leyland cypress is sometimes used as a foundation shrub despite being known to reach over 150 feet in 125 years, but maximum potential size is unknown.
Bradford pear,
which can reach 80 feet and has very weakly attached branches, is often planted under
power lines even by power companies.
Trees that have root near the surface, including maple and bald cypress, should not be planted
near pavement such as patios, sidewalks, and driveways.
Invasive Exotics
Any “free” plants should be suspect because
what you may be getting could actually be a noxious weed, which has already
taken over the landscape of the giver who is trying to get rid them while
ingratiating themselves.
Just like kudzu plants such as Chinese privet, English ivy, Japanese honeysuckle, and many others spread widely and strangle native flora.
Bradford
pear seed are spread by birds, but it is a cloned variety were the seeds are not true to type thus reverting back to the species, which becomes like a
privet thicket that grows up to 80 feet tall and full of 2 inch thorns. A reported quote to bush-hog a 2 acre infestation included 4 new tractor tires.
