Don't quote me on this but I'm pretty sure that Ficus Nitida has very invasive roots. I would not plant it close to a pool or a house or any structure. They also grow very large. Anyone else hear this about Ficus trees? Am I correct? Don't want to give out bad info.

I always get a kick outta "evergreen" It loses all of it's leaves!! AAARRGGHHHHHHHH

I have read that's not a huge concern in Az because of our climate. In other states ficus of all kinds have terribly invasive root systems, but it's a little drier here and they stay a little more contained. You never want to plant any tree TOO close to a pool, but I don't think you should worry about it busting up your pool shell. We just planted one about 4 ft away from our pool.

Ficus roots are MUCH more of a problem in places like south Florida where you have a layer of limestone with a thin layer of soil over that. It forces the roots to grow very shallow and thus damage a lot of things like foundations, driveways, ect...Any big tree planted too close to your house or pool can cause problems. They have lots of mature ficus planted along Mill Avenue in Tempe and I haven't noticed any damage to the street or sidewalk. Overall Ficus do really well in Phoenix-they give you lots of cool shade, don't have a problem with breaking or blowing over like other trees and absolutly love the heat. Evergreen elms are beautiful too-they have a slightly weeping look with a really pretty textured trunk. The best ones are the ones planted in lawns or ares that get flood irrigation. And yes, they can get very wide but are a great shade tree.

Our Chinese Elm is planted next to the front lawn. It is a beautiful tree. There are different cultivars. Our's has a much fuller and lush canopy than some of the ones I have seen on ASU's campus so if you are interested in this tree look for the different culitvars and see which you like. In the winter it still loses quite a but of it's foilage and what remains turns brownish but it fills in with new growth really fast and early. The roots on it have torn up the brick work around the lawn but it is planted right next to it.

Ficus: Where I work there is a 30 year old Ficus. 35 foot tall, 40 foot wide canopy; the multiple trunks are all at least 2 feet around, so the trunk takes up roughly 15 feet. Nothing grows under it. Beauty or beast?.... HOW close to your pool? Oh, and it has lifted large blocks of flagstone throughout the area with its roots. Ficus in general: for the first 2 years can be totally killed by a good hard frost (later, will at worst only lose branches in what we get in the winter typically.) Need to water, water, and water.

Ulmus Parvifolia (chinese elm.) The "fruit" is about the size of "old fashioned oatmeal" (not chopped instant) and about the same shape: an almost paper-thin flat oval. A big tree will leave LOTS of it on the ground (or pool.) Each tree has its own genetics; I have 2, one weeps and loses leaves, one is more horizontal and loses only about half its leaves, and they are from the same nursery at the same time. Very tolerant of heat, sun, alkalinity, and drying out (if deep watered the rest of the time.)
Neither near a pool, but I do love the chinese elm.

Chinese elm watch out. We have these where I work. People take a week or Two off around the middle of October or beginning of November to stay away from them when they starts dropping pollen and all the other stuff. For some it is worse than being around cats.

chicago90
i am a huge fan of the ficus. I've had them at the last 2 houses i have had. Beautiful and easy to maintain.

If you are going to get one, check out lowes or HD, they usually have nice 16" boxes for $70. They grow nicely.

Dear all, we have a chinese elm that a couple of years old, and it's doing terrific. it seems to be the weeping kind that looses all it's leaves. my fear is that it is doing too well. the branches are so long, they are looking really droopy. i should just leave it alone. right?

Hi,
Hope you get a response . . . this thread is almost 3 years old and chances are, these folks no longer reside here. :) You may want to start a new one.

I will be interested in the responses you get, John.

We have a Chinese elm, the kind that drops all its leaves in December and greens up again in March. It's a beautiful tree and I love the shape of it. But you want to get all the droppings raked out of your yard as soon as they drop (generally a very heavy drop after rainfall) so that new trees don't grow. I think I would go crazy if I had one of these next to a pool.

We received two stories on how to care for a Chinese Elm in which I just had planted here in AZ, a desert climate over the weekend. One tree person said to water every day, and the other said to only water twice a week, for a total of 15 gallons of water per week. The leaves are already weeping after just three-days of planting this tree; therefore I have now given the tree some Super Thrive Liquid Vitamins. Any comments would be helpful.