Keep it Clean

April 30, 2012 6:10 PM

Need an evergreen tree/ shrub for the corner of the house- the catch is that the sewer clean out is about 3ft from the front of the house and about 4ft on the diagonal from the corner of the house. We need something whose roots won't invade the clean out.
posted by MayNicholas to Home & Garden (8 answers total)

Your profile does not indicate where you live. For this question, that is key information.

I would suggest a rhododendron, if your climate will support it.
posted by Danf at 6:13 PM on April 30, 2012

Response by poster: Good call. We are in zone 7B. The area gets full to partial sun in the afternoon. It is the north west corner of the house.
posted by MayNicholas at 6:21 PM on April 30, 2012

A large azalea. It will give nice blooms, this time of year, and be OK the rest of the year, and they have shallow root systems.
posted by Danf at 6:55 PM on April 30, 2012

Response by poster: No azaleas. We have rhododendrons on the other side of the house and they never seem to grow evenly.

Any thoughts or insight on the root systems of either Camellias or Japanese Maples?
posted by MayNicholas at 7:01 PM on April 30, 2012

Japanese maples are supposed to have particularly shallow, non-invasive root systems, unless they're grafted onto another kind of maple with deep roots. On the other hand, they're not evergreen.
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 4:09 AM on May 1, 2012

How about an evergreen blueberry? The right variety should survive the cold, they have weak, non-invasive roots and they are of course delicious (and pretty).
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 4:19 AM on May 1, 2012

Response by poster: I forgot my requirement of evergreen. Hadn't considered a blueberry! Might that stain the brick on the house?
posted by MayNicholas at 4:39 AM on May 1, 2012

In a building in which I lived, the sewer line keep getting blocked by bay laurel roots. The Roto Rooter guy who came out said that if we poured a cup of bleach in the toilet once a week and flushed it, it would kill the root hairs that were creeping through the cracks in the sewer line and prevent them from growing into actual roots. This is what I was told. I know this: we tried it thereafter and Roto Rooter was never called again while I lived there.
posted by y2karl at 10:45 PM on May 1, 2012