That doesn't sound like the right planting scenario for a willow. They really need to be way out next to a pond on the moor if you catch my drift and yes you can have problesm with the roots. I'm afraid I tend not to make recommendations without seeing the site however I do chime in when someone is about to make a mistake.

A willow might ba a nice tree. As for the water pipe--if it is a solid pipe and does not have any leak of any kind, willow roots should not bother it. They can be a problem for a pipe that already has some kind of leak, even if just a small seep. But willow tree roots are not special things that can detect and go after water that is completely enclosed in a pipe. This is one of those "urban myths."

If you choose a willow tree for this spot, you will have to do quite a bit of pruning as it grows to make sure that it grows a good strong central trunk, and you probably want to have the trunk grow tall enough so you can prune up the limbs so you can have room under the crown to walk, etc., if this is what you will want. My concern about a weeping willow for a front yard is that it is difficult to get them high enough so the weeping branches are not too low.

If you do choose willow, consider the golden weeping willow--it is more hardy than the Babylon willow, even in Z7, and I think the color at all seasons is a special feature.

Willows can be easily grown from cuttings. You can search this site for "fast growing shade tree" and find my detailed instructions for how to do that. I have a golden weeping willow in my side yard that I started just 4 years ago and it is already about 16 feet tall and over 4 inches in diameter. It is already a landscape accent!

--Spruce

The invasive roots are just the tip of the iceberg. They are weak wooded, short lived and drop a lot of litter in the wind. I'll trade you some alternatives for a photo of the site.

We love our weeping willow tree.Contrary to popular negative opinions and like anything else thats worth growing/owning,they need care and attention,especially if grown on a 'average city lot'.You just can't put them in the ground and forget about them,like other tree varieties.We've had ours for 5 years now,we bought it when it was a 8 foot 'twig' in the clearance aisle at the local greenhouse for $5 bucks.We live on a 1/2 acre lot and planted it in the back yard.Its now 20' tall with a 16" trunk and is a source of great pride for us.Its a beautiful tree in the Summer when fully loaded with leaves and long thin branches and even my neighbors admire it/compliment on its beauty,especially on warm windy days.We always look forward to sitting under its long branches and its never had a bug problem.Ants like it,but thats fine with me.
The only tools I use to keep it this way are telescopic pole pruners and hand pruners.I prune it thoroughly every other Fall when the leaves have fallen off to keep it manageable and around 20'height give or take a few feet.Its VERY Full in the Summer with an overall nice lush 'body' due to this.
These hardy trees have a tendency to root at ground level in some spots,but its not a major problem.You'll just see a root poking through your grass/turf and if you don't like it,just shave it down with a sharp hand axe.It won't hurt the tree.
Also as previously mentioned,they can get a little messy as they grow and lose the thin old branches.Harbor Freight stores sell a 2.5 HP electric Chipper/Shredder that are PERFECT for willow tree branches/leaves for under $100 when on sale.
All in all,in my experience,Weeping Willow trees are wonderful trees when properly cared for and managed.I'll post some old 'newborn'pics of mine in a couple months so you can see the tree when planted and how it looks now. Lone

Here is what another Garden Web member had to say about your choice of fast growing trees Chippy:

Posted by cascadians Oregon City, 8 (My Page) on Thu, Jan 25, 07 at 11:17

Being able to plant a 30' weeping willow is impressive. Nursery stock is of course skinnier, but still, 30' is 3X taller than my house. I planted 3 weeping willows a year ago that were skinny sticks with no branches, about 6' tall. After 1 year they're both thriving, especially one which has continued to grow through fall winter and even snow. I have a serious water run-off problem and have planted oodles of willows of all sorts. Maybe I'll need a machete in a few years to try to get through the yard. A neighbor planted a little weeping willow 3 1/2 years ago, 4'. He said it didn't do much until just after the 3rd year when it shot up and branched out dramatically. He's 2 houses downhill from me and I watch his weeping willow growing noticeably daily over his fence.
Willows need a LOT of water. Nothing quite so entrancing as sitting against the trunk of a massive weeping willow and being curtained by its swaying green curtain of leaves. Beautiful!

There's a massive curly willow in my front yard smack over the neighborhood 8" PVC sewer pipe. The public works guy in charge of sewers said it won't be a problem. That surprised me. It's near the fire hydrant, water meter, and sidewalk too. Very beautiful tree. It's not in a standing water area so I water it a lot so its roots don't seek more water other places.

A huge branch fell off beginning of fall so we put 15 thick long branches in water for 2 weeks, then planted them. Looks like all have rooted and taken. Planted 12 of them in the uphill neighbor's yard where the water comes gushing out of the ground in copious amounts.

Yes willows are a bit a work, dropping twigs all the time, but if watered they give a lot of growth fast and a lot of greenery. The birds LOVE my willows!

Local nurseries no longer even sell weeping willows - they are just too large and aggressive for an average urban/suburban garden. A 20 footer is still just a baby. They can be expected to reach twice that height and as wide, provided they live that long. And the root spread will be 2-3 times that. All the negatives QQ mentions are correct, plus the fact that they are prone to a host of disease and insect issues as well. And those horror stories you hear of them invading water and sewer pipes are based in large part on truth - they aggressively seek out sources of water and have the persistance to weasel those roots into hairline fractures, tiny cracks or not well-sealed joints of pipes rather handily. And forget it if you have a septic system!

A large corkscrew willow (diseased) was on the edge of our property when we moved in. We had it removed almost immediately. Some 10 years later we had a problem with sewage backing up into our groundfloor shower/bath. When the city water & sewer crews and the plumbing contractor got through, there was a 3 foot long twisted mass of still flexible willow roots in the exact shape and size of the pipe that was jamming the works, a good 50 feet away from where the tree had been located. Somehow the roots had found a leak or crack or whatever and had invaded and actually ruptured the pipe. A nasty and rather expensive experience.

So I'm not sure how mythical that "urban myth" really is - I still have the photos to prove it:-)

RE: urban myth--if there is some crack and the tree can get to some water leaking from a pipe, Yes. But if the pipe is really sound, a willow will not bother it.

--Spruce

Wow! Thanks for all the replies. Good info here!
Well, I bought up the idea of putting a tree in the front to my wife and she shot it down. It appears to her that shes likes the "open" look.
To me, it seems so plain, like it needs something. The only other thing I can thing of is perhaps planting trees in the grass along the side walk.
I still want to plant something in the grass, don't know if I could persuade my wife.
If I get the go ahead lol, to plant them in the sidewalk grass, what do people recommend? Dogwood? I would want something that only grows upwards but not too fat. I would plant two of them.
Here is a pic of my house (not the best shot). Any further suggestions will be appreciated! And wish me luck on convincing the wife.... :-)
{{gwi:10147}}

A tree in the sidewalk grass sounds good. Dogwoods are spreaders, at maturity if not as they grow, so might not be the best bet. Better would be a columnar tree of some kind, preferably one with fall color, since the only flowering tree I can think of at the moment that is taller than wide is flowering pear, and we WON"T GO THERE!

You might check with the municipal officials, and see if they have any recommendations or no-no's. I don't say to FOLLOW their recommendations, necessarily, as some lists have been really ill-thought-out, but as a starting point....

A weeping willow would have grown FAR too big in 8-10 years, and would have swallowed up the front walkway and the driveway. If you REALLY want a weeping tree, there are any number of grafted ones that won't get much bigger than they are now - mulberry, redbud, cherry, etc., etc.. There are even grafted, weeping cultivars of willows, just not the one you wanted. Maybe you could talk your wife into one of them?

I have to agree with you - if the house faces south, you NEED a shade tree. Maybe after your wife has lived in the house for another few summers, and if you can find a few articles about how shade trees save on AC bills... Some electric companies have reprints of articles and information, so you might start there? I am assuming you just moved in in the last year or two? If you only planted one tree, in the SW quadrant of the front lawn, maybe she would go along? Putting it there would give the best bang for your buck, shadewise. And it would give shade to the bow-window.

Let me just say that because of the angle of the sun, a tree placed to the south of the house will not shade the house in summer unless it is a very large tree with branches that hang over the house. The place to put a tree for summer shade is to the west. So whatever you put in your yard will not provide shade to the house.

That said, let's consider what trees might work for you. If you are interested in a fastigiate tree (columnar), look at Parrotia persica 'Vanessa', beautiful fall color as well. There is also a fastigiate ginkgo I think. If the house were mine, I would put a small tree in the front on the side with the bow window. Heptacodium miconioides (Seven Son Flower) would be an interesting choice.

Seeing the site, a golden weeping willow is not the tree. I love these things, and I just got back from a drive to my timberland and there are a number of really spectacular golden weeping willows along the way. This time of year these trees would be a number one candidate for the most beautiful trees in the world. And these trees I saw along my route are very large and well-formed. There has been no serious wind or ice damage to these trees in their lifetimes. I am tired of hearing how weak they are! Stop it! They are amazing weeping pure golden domes that draw the eye from hundreds of yards away.

But way too large for the site in question here!

--Spruce

Chippy, can you persuade your neighbor to the west to plant a tree? If he plants a large enough one, it will shade your house. And that way your wife will be happy and so will you. I wouldn't tell your neighbor WHY you really think planting a tree is a good idea so maybe saying that you really like trees, but your wife doesn't want one planted in front of your house, so could he "share" the site with you....? I can't tell from your photo if the neighbor's garage is on that side of his property or not, so... If you can't get it one way, try another.