Question
Last year I had five blue spruces installed in the west part of my yard 15 feet from the property line.  My neighbor planted a willow in the same area, but a foot from the property line.  We live in Northwest part of Illinois.  Will the willows trunk begin to grow onto our property and will the tree over shadow my evergreen trees?

Thank you

Answer
Hello,

The weeping willow has a spread of 35 feet and reaches a mature height of 30 to 40 feet high. Other species of willow can be 10 feet less in spread and height. The blue spruce reaches a mature height of 50 to 75 feet and sometimes reaches a height of 100 feet. Its spread is 25 feet. The spread is the diameter of the tree canopy measured from the center of the trunk. Depending on the species,the branches of the willow could reach 10 to 12 feet onto your property. It is likely that your blue spruce will not be impacted by the willows branches but the willow may compete with the spruce for water.


The average trunk diameter of weeping willow is 2 feet. The roots of willow can be very invasive. The roots will spread far out in search of water and so if you have a sidewalk or pipes near the tree in question you could get damage to these structures. Good luck. Let me know if I can be of further help.


Mark Harshman
http://www.mahdrafting.com
Email: [email protected]

http://www.allexperts.com/ep/724-104627/Landscaping-Design/Mark.htm