Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Worst trees! Says Who?
I discovered a list of trees that a site says are the WORST. After reading it I took issue with some of their “worst”. Frankly, one person’s “weed”, is another person’s “flower”. Take the dandelion.
That said, I’ll share some of their “worst” and my “not so”. There are a lot of reasons a tree isn’t fun to have around. They may be messy or weak and prone to damage… maybe they’re susceptible to disease or some where their roots love water and they shouldn’t be planted near septic tanks. THAT is a good reason not to plant an Aspen tree. Bummer, as I love them. Again, that’s ONLY a problem if you have a septic tank…
Now to the ones I’d risk a little messiness for. The Northern Catalpa tree!
Okay, so their leaves, once fallen aren’t very pretty, but in my opinion, those orchid-like flowers are WELL worth the fuss of ugly leaves and huge bean pods.
One tree that’s similar is the Black Locust, which is invasive and not wanted! While native to parts of the U.S., that does not include the Upper Midwest.
The Horse Chestnut is on their ICK list because of it’s spiky seedpods. You can see more on MN Wildflowers too.
Okay, they’re pretty wicked BUT, the tree itself is fantastic for our northern climate.
It provides plenty of shade, tolerates clay and alkaline soils and is also amenable to urban landscapes.
Honey Locust trees are another that many people do not like. Here’s a good reason…
Their small leaves aren’t much of an issue but the flattened seepods are a pain to rake up.
However, there is a cultivar called ‘Sunburst’ that doesn’t have those seedpods and it’s very pretty.
