pyracantha's

hi all members.
i am a new arrival and have a problem, can any one give me advise. i have a very well established [about 20 years]pyracantha growing hard up against the front of my house. the base and trunk are quite thick and i am concerned if this can do any damage particulary to the house foundations. i have heard the pyracantha roots are quite shallow therefore do not threated in any way best wishes to you all.

 

Pyracantha as far as I am aware, is not a problem close to the house i.e. breaking into drains etc. However, if your on clay - it could be a problem with its water uptake in dry weather - increasing the cracking that normally occurs.

If you want to keep the tree - and it is an attractive plant - then I would suggest checking with an tree specialist - your local garden centre should be able to advise you. Twould be worth doing that anyway - as insurance companies can be quite paranoid in this area.

 

A pyracantha as large as you describe is probably not going to give you a lot of pleasure. They grow big, so you prune them back, so they do not flower so well, so you do not get the berries - get the idea.

My red berry is not to bad, but the orange one is huge and I will probably establish something at the side of it, then didg it out, but as Fran says it will not do your house any harm.

 

many thanks to fran and waco for your pyracantha advise, my house is built on clay so it makes sense to dig it out and plant somethig ligter that is evergreen and buds regular. any ideas;

 

How about a ceanothus or hebe?

 

Jasmine nudifolium

what aspect? makes a big difference to what you can plant.