How to Landscape a Yard: Trees and Shrubs not to Buy

Landscape your yard with shrubs and trees that are easy maintenance and disease-resistant.

There are some shrubs and trees that are not suitable for a lawn or yard, and most of the home improvement stores and nurseries will not tell you which ones are messy or not suitable. There are some trees and shrubs not to buy for landscaping your yard.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Know the shrubs that are easily diseased. Variegated Euonymus is a shrub that gets a powdery mildew and scale. It is not recommended by many of the horticulturalists in Texas because of the disease propensities.

2. Realize that fruit trees are messy if they bear fruit, and are not very suitable for a landscape or yard. These trees are fine for an orchard or a farm where they can be a distance from the house.

3. Watch out for trees like cypress that will develop knees and bumps in the yard. Willow trees often damage sewer lines in town, and are not recommended in some areas.

4. Older crepe myrtle trees and gardenia shrubs get diseases easily. The newest crepe myrtle shrubs are more disease resistant, since they are a hybrid developed to combat disease and powdery mildew.

5. Check for disease-resistant roses. Many of the climbing roses get disease. The new knockout roses are resistant to black spot and other rose diseases. Choose a hardy cultivar that is a newer hybrid if you want to keep your landscape and roses disease-free.

6. Select trees and shrubs that will create less work for you, and less expense. The more trees and shrubs you purchase that take disease treatments and constant care, the more expense and work will be involved. Make it easy on yourself and landscape with trees and shrubs that will not break the budget or disappoint you with constant care, spraying, and attention. Landscape a yard with trees and shrubs now that you know what not to buy.

Tips & Warnings

• We often write about landscape and yard care, and landscaping on a budget. See other articles in Resources below.
• copyright 2009 Linda H. Richard
• Feel free to link to this article or send it to a friend.

Resources

• Feed Flowers and Shrubs on a Budget
• Landscape a Perennial Yard
• Grow Knockout Roses
• Grow Chrysanthemum Pacifica
• Grow Oxalis Shamrock Plant
• Fix Bare Spots in a Yard or Landscaping
• Grow Texas Star Swamp Hibiscus
• Grow Ruellia Dwarf Mexican Petunia
• Landscape a Yard with Flowers and Shrubs on a Budget
• Grow Liriope as a Flower Bed Border
• Modernize a Seventies Landscape ro Yard
• Grow Red Bird Plant
• Grow Shrimp Plant
• Grow Esperanza Yellow Bells
• Make Money Selling Plants and Flowers

[jenroering]

on 9/29/2009 This is a wonderful article. As someone not blessed with a green thumb I need all the help I can get! 5*

[ruf1950]

on 9/25/2009 Thanks for the pointers on landscaping and which trees and shrubs NOT to buy! 5*****

[ruf1950]

on 9/25/2009 Thanks for the pointers on landscaping and which trees and shrubs NOT to buy! 5*****

[bellerose]

on 9/24/2009 Great tips on how to landscape a yard: trees and shrubs not to buy. Fruit trees are messy if they're not pruned to the right size. Fifty or 100 foot pear or mulberry trees may be very popular with birds but are a major mess on your lawn. 5*

[kristara]

on 9/24/2009 Excellent information, very helpful 5*