I think they'd start growing in humid air. As its name implies, the disease only affects elm trees, so if you see a tree with the symptoms of Dutch elm disease, you can safely conclude it is an elm. American sweetgum is so called because of the seed pods or "gumballs" that it drops, which make it quite messy. These seed pods are round, hard, and spiky, as are those dropped by another high-maintenance plant, the horse chestnut​ (Aesculus hippocastanum). and the above-mentioned slips and falls. Gum balls may sound appetizing, but in reality, they are neither sweet nor edible. I have used the sweet gum balls in craft projects and the people were HAPPY to have me collect them from their yard. What are these little flakes and what are their purpose? I've been told that now the only kind of Cottonwood you can buy is "cottonless" but, boy, the older trees are horrible. Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on October 13, 2012: @Billy--Thank you very much! Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on October 15, 2012: Thank you, Les Trois Chenes for the great comment. By the way, you can remove this pitch from your skin by rubbing it with mayonnaise on your hands to remove it (the vinegar in this product acts as a solvent). Yet strangely difficult to pick off. Others are monsters. Whereas the wood, flowers, and leaves would all burn easily (the leaves sound like fire-crackers, by the way, if anyone would like to try) the cones would not burn. When I was younger, we moved to a farm with five of these elegant belles. If you want a truly no-maintenance tree, you'll have to go artificial! And as a final gift, you may find your yard covered in tons of baby pecan trees. Hit one with the mower? Male trees do not shed the fleshy, stinky golden balls (shown in the picture) that bring Ginkgo biloba into this discussion of messy trees. The reasons for regret when it comes to selecting a tree can be varied, but the main reasons cited when afterthoughts occur are: Think hard about these nine landscape trees before planting them on your property. This pollen/sap mixture can actually be sticky enough to rip apart a windshield wiper blade if you accidentally turn on the wipers before scraping the glass! And that fall I was impressed with the color. We actually began growing Triumph Elm by accident, having received the tree in a shipment of the highly favored Accolade Elm, Ulmus japonica x wilsoniana ‘Morton’, that we had ordered. Golden Rain Trees - horrible mess all year long. Nor are the fallen leaves pretty enough that you'll be tempted to let them lie where they fall to contribute autumn color to your yard: By the time catalpa leaves fall, they will likely have been blackened by the frost, transforming what had hitherto been respectable foliage into something hideous. Magnolia leaves are crisp and waxy even when green, which made raking them very difficult. A large, mature elm tree produces prolific amounts of seed pods, which cause a mess on yards, driveways and walkways. Chinese Elms were introduced as a response to this devastation and with fantastic results. But take heart: Horticulturalists have developed seedless versions of this tree. Spray the sweet gums with a growth regulator (Florel for one) in the spring when they are flowering. Fallen limbs from the oak tree. Obviously they have never fallen on a pile of them! Not only can they wound you if you slip and fall onto them, but they can also roll unexpectedly, causing sprained ankles . Like every pretty thing though, trees require maintenance. Thanks for sharing! or they can be a nightmare. Liquidambers are awesome looking trees. Tree sap can do extensive damage to the paint on your house and car. I mean.. when I bought the house I though, that's a cool maple. Cleaning up the magnolia litter was a dreaded chore. Magnolias are my personal least favorite. ‘Frontier’ is a smaller elm shade tree introduced by the National Arboretum. I could not stand the thing. Now 1 month in but I been taking my time. If the outer shells have already fallen off, then you will have a million of these too. If you love pecans, then having your own tree is probably worth the work for you. At the bottom of the page, you will find a list of more messy trees to avoid, as well as a list of comparatively low-maintenance trees. Cost was plenty ER, Doctors, pain... My neighbor told my husband he should have sprayed that sweet gum tree to stop it from seeding and making balls. Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on October 30, 2012: @Lipnancy--Thanks for stopping by.. Thank you for the chuckles. In fact, I didn't even realize they were magnolias until spring when the blossoms came out. I hate them!!!!! 50 or so of these seed pods can be glued together to form a topiary, basket, or wreath for a Thanksgiving decoration. Great hub. They gave us a very reasonable price to cut down a huge, dead elm tree, trim branches off … Because lurking under that innocent carpet lay the dreaded magnolia cones. Not to mention the sticky pollen that coated the sap and created a pasty substance that will eventually eat the paint. But pecans don't fall off the tree looking like the un-shelled versions you buy at the store for the holidays. . They are a weed tree, grow faster than fast, almost impossible to get rid of, and when it is done dropping its golden balls in the spring it starts dropping large seed pods (12"+ x 3/4") and then the seeds just pour out of those and they seem to be the most fertile seed ever. The male gingko tree can be distinguished by the small cone-like structure that appears at the point where flowers develop, just above the leaves. I did not realize until I lived in NC that there are actually two types of magnolia trees. Try looking up a Flamboyant tree. . If you want to keep any nice enough to eat, you will have to string bird-netting under and make a hobby of it, but who can eat hundreds of plums, anyway? Really, I bought the property for the beautiful, gigantic, mature trees, which include 1 catalpa, 1 pecan, 1 mimosa, and 3 texas umbrellas. I've got 3 crape myrtles and they don't drop much and are gorgeous. There aren’t a lot of negatives when it comes to lacebark … This is no doubt why people thought it was handy to plant pecan trees close to their houses. 3 total hours stacking. 46 reviews of Tree People "We are extremely happy with the work James did with our large Elm tree. Magnolia leaves may be gorgeous, but they're a pain in the butt to clean up. Dutch Elm disease devastated many American Elm trees – millions in North America. 'Accolade' ( Ulmus davidiana var. It makes a distinct sound when the wind blows through the leaves and it produces large, white flowers that fill the air with sweet perfume. Plus, the pollen in the center of the flower left the whole yard covered in what looked to be little matchsticks. I agree, I would never have the heart to cut down a Magnolia, but I wouldn't plant one close to the house either. These trees also like to drop twigs constantly but they provide wonderful shade so I won't be getting rid of them. Joined Dec 15, 2007 Messages 1,502 Age 38 Location The catalpa tree sheds the large green leaves all year in heavy breezes. What a mess! Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. Almost everyone loves a beautiful tree. Voted up for interesting! Make that worms. It is a totally failure. I do know we never had to gather kindling wood for the winter because it was always available just outside the door. Ugh! Find out which trees require the least maintenance. The bark is rough with deep grooves. Aphids are tiny insects that insert their straw-like mouthparts into the tree to drink the sap. The tree is a Camperdown elm. Hundreds of cones a week were collected and eventually piled on a back acre. Fall is the best time of the year to plant a tree, but look before you leap. They also shed twigs and bark, and in the spring, those pretty white flowers explode across the lawn, making it look as though a Styrofoam bead factory exploded on your grass. But there is a problem: This maiden is an awful slob. The sweet gum tree is often planted as an ornamental tree. I have also written a tree hub so I will link yours to that one. . Its a lovely oak, and a bee tree, but I'm glad it's not my job to clean off the sidewalk. There are two main kinds of tree: deciduous and evergreen. One strong selling point is that lacebark elm has proven to be more resistant to Dutch elm disease, a deadly disease that often befalls other types of elm trees. . Like magnolia cones, the balls don't break down easily in compost or a rubbish pile. It is likely that your elm is infested with elm leaf beetles. Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on June 15, 2014: @moofish. Tree Huggers should read, then come rake my large yard ! Yes it has beautiful pink flowers in spring and red berries for winter interest but what a mess and a lot of work to remove seedlings and saplings that sprout up through out the spring and summer. After a small rain shower with light winds. Our Services. To take down and cut up and grind trunk. Ouch! Then came the Dutch elm disease, actually a fungus, that essentially destroyed all … What are the common problems of each of these trees? A Tree of Heaven is an invasive weed tree that grows really quickly. A nightmare tree not mentioned was cork screw willow. You forgot to mention Texas Umbrella (China Berry) trees. If you don't, you might walk in one day to find the nuts are speckled with holes, and your centerpiece crawling with little worms. Had a wooden privacy screen put in at edge of patio. Some people are so fond of the shape and appearance of oaks that they are willing to tolerate the messiness. Its large leaves add to the litter. Tree man came saw the tips of leaves burned and knew that tree was done, lightning hit top of tree and traveled down thru middle of trunk. Even if they aren't close, they are tall enough to reach quite a distance if the split, shatter, or fall. They poop out honeydew, which falls as tiny, sticky droplets, making a mess of any cars, buildings, or decks below. Choices for hypoallergenic trees include: American Sweetgum. Thank you Denise! What a mistake. I rated it up and am sharing. Keep scrolling to learn why these trees are such a pain. Adult elm leaf beetles and worm-like beetle larvae feed on elm leaves which cause leaves to turn brown and prematurely fall from the tree in mid to late summer. Whether this is due to their height, or the fact that there are more species of oaks in some places than other trees, it is still something to take into consideration if you have an oak planted too close to your house. My husband said Thanks, then cut it down himself. Denise Handlon from North Carolina on October 15, 2012: Hi Sharkye11-I just added your hub to my Tree hub. Or, messiness can take the form of falling flowers, shedding bark, dropped fruit that rots on the ground, and more. If you'd rather cook than craft, you can also make your own acorn flour. I don't know about cooler climates, but in the Oklahoman heat, sweet gum trees ooze amber sap that sticks to your shoes when you walk across the yard. The owner declared that it took the entire family two weeks every year to pick up only the majority of balls. Second one very Large Oak during Ice storm 2009 broke limbs... one when thru patio swing top, one thru husbands truck window, one when thru roof of house. Fast growing and adaptable, this is a good choice when you want a shade tree for a small landscape. NOTE: Pecan trees are also inviting to web worms, and you will often find worms and other bugs under the dense carpet of leaves, inside the husks, and burrowed into the pecans. Maybe the developer thought this was a great idea. But should a particularly harsh winter come along to dump heavy snow and ice on the branches, two or three major branches can easily break off, disfiguring your beautiful tree forever. They were still there after a decade, and I suppose they are still there now. Subsidence is more likely to occur with shallower foundations, more severe droughts, and higher tree water requirements. It serves as one of the best alternatives to Bradford pear. I love trees anyhow, and the video, the music, the humor and the info here is outstanding. What a horrendous and almost impossible to clean up mess those trees made with their golf ball sized spikey balls that were as hard as rocks! As an arborist, he understands what is best for the tree and also took into consideration all of our concerns with the branches right over our roof. The one in our front lawn in Michigan was a very small tree that stayed small and the branches grew out. However, the tree has some beneficial properties. A landscape standout, the lacebark elm has distinctive bark, which is mottled and often creates colorful patterns in its trunk. A good alternative tree that has roughly the same shape and shade-producing habit is the linden tree or one of several maples. Nancy Yager from Hamburg, New York on October 17, 2012: Great pictures you used as examples of these trees. If you have one of the non-sterile varieties, it will shed not only its leaves, but also thousands of "gum balls". So how could a pecan tree be bad? and recommend that you don't either, unless you are a glutton for punishment... and these trees WILL punish you. Sweet gum balls can be a major yard hazard, and they're not easy to clean up. I actually read an article defending those trees, saying that sweet gum balls were soft and pretty. I have seen some reasonably young, supposedly supple pecans drop branches in just a light thunderstorm. Japanese loquats--filthy mess with something dying and dropping all year long--and I don't mean the leaves, which are voluminous, but at least not moldy, filthy, or squishy, like the fruit. Now only 1 weed sapling (it’s life unsured ) First one Elm tree died, back with Dutch Elm disease, cost us to have removed from city street where it fell. 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