[bobdeb]

Just my opinion, however, I do have some experience with the following.

These are some things I highly recommend you Do Not plant in your yard in The Villages. Please add whatever else you feel is appropriate.

1. Live Oak. Well, you may not have a choice here as one may already exist on your property. I love oak trees, and the shade they offer is welcomed from the heat of the sun.

However, you be forever dealing with relentless and testy little leaves and acorns that are difficult to control and clean up. They will ruin your lawn.

Personally, I would resist buying a home that already had an oak tree in the yard. And your nearby neighbor's live oak tree will also add to your endless yardwork.

They grow slowly but will eventually become enormous and offer yet more leaves and acorns.

2. Magnolia trees. These also grow very large and add to your relentless yard work. The flowers are lovely but I'm not a big fan of the huge leaves.

3. Citrus trees. Don't do it. It's tempting I know. Citrus trees take more care than one might imagine. So many of these grow unattended. There may be exceptions with some folks but the fruit will be beyond your ability to process or give away. It will fall and rot and attrack rats. And, in turn, the rats will attract snakes. Fruit trees are especially problematic for snow birds to manage.

The upside is that many citrus trees are quite attractive and the scent of the blossoms is exquisite.

4. Palm trees. I have four sylvester (king) palms, one pindo and one European fan.

The king and queen palms will grow beyond your ability to prune yourself. You will have to hire a crew annually to do that for you. Also, all palms have incredibly nasty thorns. You could lose an eye if not careful. The immature leaves are sharp spikes. Queen palm pods are extremely heavy and they will fall. The fruit from the king palms is significant to clean up.

European fan palms are full of needle like black slivers.

Face it, these trees evolved to protect themselves. It's tempting but don't plant palm trees. You'll thank me some day.

5. Anything else with nasty thorns unless you want a barrier between your home and your neighbors.

[John_W]

Oak Trees, I bought a new home in Pinellas Park Florida in 1976, that's between Clearwater and St. Pete. Since it was new, the developer had cleared out all the trees as so many do. So I left one year later in '77 there only shrubs in the front yard.

A couple of years ago I googled the address and on google maps street view the front had the biggest oak tree you can fit. I just took a screen shot of the home. This tree did not exist in 1977. A little extra info, I paid $35,500 for the home new and it sold a couple of years ago for $212K, and it was tiny, only 1200 sf, it was tan with dark brown Bahama Shutters over the front two windows.

[Fredman]

When I was looking for a home I eliminated every house with a live oak

[Malsua]

Originally Posted by Fredman

When I was looking for a home I eliminated every house with a live oak

My mother's first home in TV(on Gonzales in Mira Mesa) had a Live Oak. We never heard the end of it. She was out there sweeping every day.

My sister bought her a new house, got mom moved into it. Guess what we never heard the end of then? How much she loved that other house. lol

[Two Bills]

Do not plant husband/wife in garden.
Police these days have dogs trained to sniff out cadavers!

[Bjeanj]

We bought a home that has a magnolia and queen palm. The OP is correct on both his points about these trees. The magnolia dumps its huge leaves twice a year and makes a lot of work (for my husband). The seed pods from the queen palm can kill someone, they’re so heavy, and woe to anyone who lets those pods open up to dump the seeds!

Also, if you’re going to plant Mexican petunias, make sure you plant them in a container. These plants are so invasive it took me three years and a lot of roundup to get rid of them.

We also inherited a growth of bamboo. We cut it all down and dumped roundup on all of it, and now we are dealing with a thatch of interwoven roots that are impossible to dig out, and are slowly breaking off the base of each shoot as it rots. Still don’t know what we’re going to do with the root thatch yet. Set it on fire? Don’t know yet.

We are careful with the roundup, but it definitely has its uses.

[Rosebud2020]

Live oaks are probably my most favorite tree. However, they grow a minimum of 50" tall and 50' wide, and the postage-size lots in TV are not large enough to accommodate them. They will cause a problem as they mature.

Don't worry about leaves from trees ruining your grass. Invest in a blower and you will be happy. You probably have a lawn guy doing your property, so the leaves aren't an issue for you, anyway.

Palm trees??? Rats live in their canopy. Need I say more?

There are many varieties of Magnolias that can be planted here because of their smaller size. Their leaves are easy to simply pick up when they shed.

Sorry, but citrus trees are easy. They don't require a lot of water and only need to be fertilized a couple of times a year. Your neighbors will thank you for what they produce.

[Pricey]

One word: Bougainvilleas.
They have thorns, invade everything, and are impossible to remove unless they're dug up.
Word has it that the crown of thorns placed on the brow of Jesus Christ was the bougainvillea. I believe it.

[bobdeb]

Bougainvillea plants are quite beautiful, at a distance. I meant to add them to my original list.

The thorns on these plants are hard to imagine. I agree with not planting in a small yard.

[Polar Bear]

I love our oak tree. (Might be Laurel Oak.) And it’s far enough from our house it’s no threat. Yep, a little leaf raking or blowing for a short time each year. But it’s beautiful and well worth it. And it provides shade and filtering of direct sunlight for our west facing house. We sit on our porch and watch the sunsets regularly. Beautiful.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by bobdeb

Just my opinion, however, I do have some experience with the following.

These are some things I highly recommend you Do Not plant in your yard in The Villages. Please add whatever else you feel is appropriate.

1. Live Oak. Well, you may not have a choice here as one may already exist on your property. I love oak trees, and the shade they offer is welcomed from the heat of the sun.

However, you be forever dealing with relentless and testy little leaves and acorns that are difficult to control and clean up. They will ruin your lawn.

Personally, I would resist buying a home that already had an oak tree in the yard. And your nearby neighbor's live oak tree will also add to your endless yardwork.

They grow slowly but will eventually become enormous and offer yet more leaves and acorns.

2. Magnolia trees. These also grow very large and add to your relentless yard work. The flowers are lovely but I'm not a big fan of the huge leaves.

3. Citrus trees. Don't do it. It's tempting I know. Citrus trees take more care than one might imagine. So many of these grow unattended. There may be exceptions with some folks but the fruit will be beyond your ability to process or give away. It will fall and rot and attrack rats. And, in turn, the rats will attract snakes. Fruit trees are especially problematic for snow birds to manage.

The upside is that many citrus trees are quite attractive and the scent of the blossoms is exquisite.

4. Palm trees. I have four sylvester (king) palms, one pindo and one European fan.

The king and queen palms will grow beyond your ability to prune yourself. You will have to hire a crew annually to do that for you. Also, all palms have incredibly nasty thorns. You could lose an eye if not careful. The immature leaves are sharp spikes. Queen palm pods are extremely heavy and they will fall. The fruit from the king palms is significant to clean up.

European fan palms are full of needle like black slivers.

Face it, these trees evolved to protect themselves. It's tempting but don't plant palm trees. You'll thank me some day.

5. Anything else with nasty thorns unless you want a barrier between your home and your neighbors.

I agree with every one. Good advice.

[Villageswimmer]

Originally Posted by bobdeb

Just my opinion, however, I do have some experience with the following.

These are some things I highly recommend you Do Not plant in your yard in The Villages. Please add whatever else you feel is appropriate.

1. Live Oak. Well, you may not have a choice here as one may already exist on your property. I love oak trees, and the shade they offer is welcomed from the heat of the sun.

However, you be forever dealing with relentless and testy little leaves and acorns that are difficult to control and clean up. They will ruin your lawn.

Personally, I would resist buying a home that already had an oak tree in the yard. And your nearby neighbor's live oak tree will also add to your endless yardwork.

They grow slowly but will eventually become enormous and offer yet more leaves and acorns.

2. Magnolia trees. These also grow very large and add to your relentless yard work. The flowers are lovely but I'm not a big fan of the huge leaves.

3. Citrus trees. Don't do it. It's tempting I know. Citrus trees take more care than one might imagine. So many of these grow unattended. There may be exceptions with some folks but the fruit will be beyond your ability to process or give away. It will fall and rot and attrack rats. And, in turn, the rats will attract snakes. Fruit trees are especially problematic for snow birds to manage.

The upside is that many citrus trees are quite attractive and the scent of the blossoms is exquisite.

4. Palm trees. I have four sylvester (king) palms, one pindo and one European fan.

The king and queen palms will grow beyond your ability to prune yourself. You will have to hire a crew annually to do that for you. Also, all palms have incredibly nasty thorns. You could lose an eye if not careful. The immature leaves are sharp spikes. Queen palm pods are extremely heavy and they will fall. The fruit from the king palms is significant to clean up.

European fan palms are full of needle like black slivers.

Face it, these trees evolved to protect themselves. It's tempting but don't plant palm trees. You'll thank me some day.

5. Anything else with nasty thorns unless you want a barrier between your home and your neighbors.

You nailed it. And if anyone says their magnolia is “dwarf,” we’re talking 40 feet. I think TV has stopped planting them (and others) in residential yards. Right plant, right place.

Like an up thread poster, I would not buy a home with a live oak.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by Pricey

One word: Bougainvilleas.
They have thorns, invade everything, and are impossible to remove unless they're dug up.
Word has it that the crown of thorns placed on the brow of Jesus Christ was the bougainvillea. I believe it.

I agree, I’ve got two. Every time I trim them I pull out bloodily stub of hand along with scratched up arms.

[Bjeanj]

Originally Posted by Topspinmo

I agree, I’ve got two. Every time I trim them I pull out bloodily stub of hand along with scratched up arms.

Yep.

[tsmall22204]

It appears your glass is half empty.