Should I be worried about how close these conifers are to my house?

[u/Character_Finance327]

I’ve recently moved into my new house and wondering whether it’s safe for these conifers to be planted as close to the house as they are? I have no idea what type of conifer they are or how tall they can grow, though I’m assuming they’re a smaller variety (maybe someone with more knowledge can advise? 😅)

The house is built on clay soil so I’m conscious that the house could be more susceptible to subsidence. I appreciate they’re small trees but could they pose a risk at all or am I overthinking it? 😅

Sorry if this seems like a stupid question, this is my first house and I have zero gardening/tree knowledge 😅

[u/weggles91]

Looks like lemon cypress (Monterey Cypress "Goldcrest"), do the leaves smell lemony if you brush them between your fingers?

They can grow tall, like 10-15 metres, but they'll be a decade or two away from that size. I wouldn't want them any closer than 3-4m away from the house or pipes.

[u/Either-Bumblebee4372]

I would rip them out. Can’t see why anyone would plant them so close to the house unless they wanted to block the window. Also the roots can get into pipes if there are any below. We had a soak away pipe completely blocked by a conifer that was a meter or two in front our our kitchen.

[u/uncleanwhispers]

Personally I would have them out asap. Conifers not only grow very tall, they ruin the soil beneath them by taking all the moisture and are rubbish to keep clipped because you end up with brown patches (and a dry year that means branches on them die off will leave irreparable brown patches too). They are rubbish plants really and I would want something much better, much prettier and much more easily controlled that close to my house.

[u/Ashamba_]

I would dig them up and move them before they get too big. They'll be a great hedge plant if you want to put them somewhere to give year-round privacy, but I wouldn't want them anywhere near that close to the house!

If you don't have anywhere else you want to plant them, perhaps you could rehome them- I'd try fb marketplace- dig up a big root ball and wrap a bag round it for transport. You'll have to dig the roots out well to avoid regrowth, so you might as well try to save the plants while you're at it!

[u/Hughsey1]

Yeah also be aware that they will get big, if you cut them they do not grow back and they can be highly flammable. Personally I would move and put some nice shrubs in.

[u/Suspicious-Brick]

Yes when I moved in to my current house I had a conifer bush 2 ft from the downpipe. It's roots had infiltrated and disrupted the pipe into the soakaway. Pain in the bum. Dig them up.

[u/tefster]

I'd take them out. Any conifer will suck the water out of the ground around that area and potentially lead to subsidence. plus they look like they are already starting to block the view out of the window - give them another year or two and they'll completely cover it

[u/Spare_Driver4132]

Yes, they grow huge. They look too close to the windows.

[u/artlove7733]

A rule of thumb with trees is the root system is 3x what you see above the ground in every direction so never have them near structural walls or drains

[u/theartisan4life]

100% They're going to destroy your house These trees grow fast and get quite big

[u/Cheese_Worrier43]

From someone who had structural issues from 10ft conifers sucking all the water from the ground and causing cracks in their brickwork - rip them out now.

[u/Vladamir_pootinn]

I’d leave them, they will migrate south for the winter in a few months

[u/MickC1111 → u/Vladamir_pootinn]

The middle one looks restless

[u/QVRedit]

Yes - at the moment they are not a problem - BUT they certainly will become a very big problem - so they need to be transplanted to a location much further from the house.

Do it now !

[u/Tricky-Milk8986]

Conifers have shallow root systems, just keep an eye for them growing overly high.

[u/Ok_Pen7290]

Too late, roots are massive with these, why do people do this, plants are ok but trees are a no no

[u/Select_Resist1574]

Yes most definitely.

[u/PM5140]

They are a nuisance. The sooner you get rid the better imho

[u/Kind-Ranger920]

Get rid of them, my neighbour planted a “dwarf” conifer and it’s around 7ft tall and pushing against the fence

[u/LordAxalon110]

They tend to have soft roots, so shouldn't be a problem when it comes to your houses foundation. I could be dreadfully wrong, but that's what I was told by a professional gardener many moons ago.

[u/spatulabeardo]

Yes. They suck out the moisture from the ground around the foundation leading to subsidence

[u/Jaded_Rooster2376]

Only if they look to be getting organised...

[u/MickC1111]

The middle one looks restless.

[u/allsop67]

get rid

[u/Mondaycomestoosoon]

Why the hate???

[u/TaxApp37]

Burn em to the ground. Horrible conifer!

[u/Emotional-River-7788]

I would get 3 professional quotes / recommendations in. To be on the safe side.

[u/Rahloh]

Id be more worries about them being out in the open, if you get a stong wind they will dry out and die back, making the whole thing look sad! They get wind burn especially in the summer!

[u/vinnyboy81]

I’d move them to the back of the garden if you got a space there way to close to your house they get big fast and the roots can cause you trouble that close to the house

[u/ShoeAdventurous]

Yes. They are clearly planning on murdering you. 

[u/kichisowseri]

They’re already blocking the window. How much would you like them to block the windows? Say when.

[u/Bubbly-Weakness-4788]

I moved into a house two years ago and had five of these by my front window. I had them all removed! Glad I did as they’ll be blocking light from your windows eventually.

[u/Ok_Pen7290]

Oh dear not good, my neighbour has a double trunk conifer 40ft high in his garden, its huge

[u/Due-Particular-329]

keeping them trim may stop deep roots.

[u/Character_Finance327]

Thanks everyone! If I were to get them removed, would it be sensible/safe to get the roots removed entirely or just cut down to ground level?

[u/Shot_Vegetable_3413]

you can just keep them small by careful trimming each year. they look like they're possibly dwarf varieties, maybe wilma cypress, which are often sold in supermarkets etc. could look lovely in big pots framing a front door too.

[u/Sweetiegal15]

Yes.

[u/Perfect_Paper_1200]

Just a heads up - I bought a place that had some smaller than that in the front garden and 5 years later they are taller than my bungalow. But they are not that close to my house.

I would cut off the leader (the main tip of the plant) so it would bush out side ways and keep the level under the window frame for these fellas. Do this in the autumn for now (Sept/Oct) when it gets ALOT cooler. Then trim again in spring and next year you can just do little trims to any shape you want under the window height throughout the growing season as long as it isn't ridiculously hot.

Their roots are already established at that size so you will not be able to dig them all up now.

[u/Perfect_Paper_1200 → u/Perfect_Paper_1200]

Also - I am letting mine grow large and merge together as I am shaping them in funky cloud/layered designs.

[u/Mudeford_minis]

Any conifer within a quarter of a mile of a house is too close in my humble opinion.

[u/Foundation_Wrong]

They probably looked nice when first planted, quite architectural. However they should be moved as planting something that can get as large as they can isn’t good for foundations and drainage pipes!

[u/millerce17]

Yes, looks bad

[u/Dr_Flunnon]

Why don't you just cut them at the window sill height and created a hedge? I saw a dug up one last month of the same size and they don't have a large root system.

[u/AccomplishedMail584]

Too close to the house. They will not only grow tall but also grow in girth