[the digger]

Hi
Would appreciate help and advice on what trees to plant in my garden that is currently just in lawn.Want something to break up the area without taking over the garden and want to know how it will look in 5 years so i wont end up taking it out .Dont want anything with too deep roots as i have geothermal heating buried in the garden

[Sive]

I remember in a previous garden of mine that I found it very difficult to cultivate around silver birches as their roots were close to the surface. This would suggest that maybe they are shallow rooting.....and they would certainly be very beautiful trees to grow in your lawn.

[Grovey]

Hi
I got some good advice on suitable species & got over 200 trees planted this year from future forests in Cork. I put in Birch, Alder and Guelder Rose & also some Ash that I got free locally. You will inevitably need to do some removal in the future and the advice I got from a number of gardeners is to overplant slightly and adjust tree numbers when the shape of the planting emerges in a few years. I have about an acre and it is mostly rough ground of which I plan to cover at least 50% with trees. Check out future forests at http://www.futureforests.net/
Regards
Conor

[cooler]

[Grovey]

Hi again Cooler
I don't have geothermal heating so it's not an issue for me, was just letting you know what trees I have put in. Maybe if you talk to the people at future forests they might be able to advise you on what would be most suitable. I found them very helpful on the phone.
Best of luck with it
Conor

[tippben]

whatever species you plant, you should NEVER cultivate underneath the limit of the branches. Trees important roots are very close to the surface,
the top metre, and usually extend beyond the drip line. Trees don't like compaction either. Bear this in mind when considering what to plant.

[medieval knievel]

trees are more shallow rooting than people generally think - look at the rootplate of any windblown tree.

how deep is the workings of the geothermal system?