How do I include Cottonwoods in my backyard landscape?

[Anonymous]

I love the sound and look of the Cottonwoods that I have seen along the streets in Venice, CA. I would love to plant a few of them in my 40 x 40 ft. yard in Santa Monica. Yet--everyone warns me that I will regret this because their 'cotton' sticks to everything I have lived across the street from one such tree for 6 months now and I have yet to witness this and their roots cannot be controlled. No one does any maintenance of these trees, so I am hopeful that there is a way to control them if I wanted to in a yard.How do I prevent their roots from destroying my foundation and can they coexist next to a lawn? Any experienced Cottonwood witnesses would be helpful here. thanx</p>

[Anonymous]

Tnanks to everybody's help here . . . my search to find the perfect trees to cover telephone wires in Santa Monica has finally led me to Cottonwoods. I am not sure which ones I have seen in the area but they have light grey bark and almost heart shaped looking leaves. They make a great rushing sound with just the slightest breezes. 'Fremont' cottonwoods I presume? They easily cover the wires around here. But here are my concerns . . . how much of the year are their branches bare?Is there a way to prevent their roots from reaching my foundation, once planted? My yard is 40 x 30ft. And, how close can I plant them to my lawn? Any Cottonwood witnesses are encouraged to share your experience here. thanx. laura</p>

[Anonymous]

My guess is they are not the native cottonwood.I grow black cottonwood, Populus balsamifera and love the refreshing balsam smell they produce in the early spring and the cotton in the late spring. They would dominate a small garden very fast.

Pete</p>

[Anonymous]

Fremont cottonwoods have light green leaves with an unusual 'serration' that is 's' shaped. Black cottonwoods have leaves that are very dark green on the top and light on the bottom with almost straight edges. The 'cotton' comes from the seed distribution of the female trees. Fremont Cottonwoods are easily propagated from cuttings from the male trees and you should be able to find these in a nursery. These will not distribute the 'cotton'. I can not tell you how far from your foundation the trees need to be but I can tell you that how the roots are trained in the first few years after the tree is planted will make a huge difference. The roots can be trained to grow downward with deep, infrequent watering. Use a water wand found at any nursery. This can be placed two feet into the soil with the water running slowly for a long period of time. Do this at two-foot intervals around the drip line of the tree or where the roots are growing. Remember, roots only grow new growth where there is water! If you have a water table and can train the roots to grow down to it, you are unlikely to have problems. A lawn will not hurt the cottonwood but it would encourage root growth where the soil is wet. You may be able to get away with it if you wait until the Cottonwood has deeply established roots and then plant a type of grass that thrives on deep infrequent watering. See Article 185, posted below, for more Cottonwood information.</p>

[Anonymous]

Article 185 has been moved to: Re: Can native trees cover telephone wires in Santa Monica??? 7/20/00</p>

[Anonymous]

There are enough 'wild' cottonwoods here already.Haven't you seen them when they spew their cotton throughtout the neighborhood and the neighbors can't breath? Why cottonwood, there are so many 'pleasant' trees out there. Cottonwood on 40 acres is good.</p>