Never plant an oak or any tree next to your home
 

Planting an Oak next to your home's foundation is one of the dumbest things anyone could ever do. All trees such as this need to be at least sixty or more feet away from your house due to root structure and the destruction of your foundation. I see people do this all the time and just am baffled by the lack of knowledge about planting. Oaks will grow to over 150 feet wide and very tall and will dwarf a home. If you move into a new home that has a new Oak tree get rid of it as soon as possible and substitute a small hedge bush or something that looks nice and doesn't get too large. Yard parcels in the villages generally cannot accommodate anything other than palms and in some cases not even palm trees. Be kind to your neighbors too. They do NOT like to sweep up oak leaves or enjoy the stains they will leave on your driveway, rooftops and gutters will be clogged. GET RID OF OAKS before they grow. A word to the wise.

Not only that, but those magnificent live oaks make a mess all over everything. The drop acorns, Spanish moss and leaves every where. It's also very difficult to grow grass under them.

Never plant an oak or any tree next to your home
 

Boy...is much of this ever a matter of opinion. Except for the don't-plant-one-near-the-house-part. (That is the title of the thread and very sound advice...although the 60 feet part is a bit extreme.)

I love oaks and the work required to keep things looking good is minimal and well worth it. Even the grass under the oak will be fine if you make sure it's a compatible type and gets reasonable care.

But like the OP says...keep them away from the house.

Oaks are soooo messy it will effect your neighbors several houses away.

Reasons the poster is right:
The limb that fell through the bedroom ceiling
The oaks that fell all over the neighborhood during a hurricane soaking
The cost of having trees pruned or removed
The roots that caused a sewage backup
Acorns big as golf balls falling on the house, denting vehicles, hurled by lawn mower
Squirrels wintering in the attic.
Grass next to impossible to grow under them
Mower blades whacking lifted roots
Leaf falling season here lasts from November to March
Mildew and tree trash on roof
Edited...one more as duffysmom says....roots lifted both sidewalk and driveway....sigh

I love oaks and bought a lot with them in view...over yonder..is great!!

Not just oaks
 

I agree that trees as large as oaks and maples do not belong near your house. My court yard villa backs to another villa that has a medium size maple in their back yard. The branches of which will soon be hanging over our joint wall. The problem with maples is the leaves falling in the fall, and the winged seeds in the spring. However, my main concern, is the roots, maples have surface roots that bulge up through the surface. This could be detrimental to our shared wall. What are people thinking when they plant such big trees in tiny yards?

We had a palm tree removed because the roots were lifting up the side walk and driveway.

We have oaks, maples and birch all around the house in the north but they grow slowly and are at least 20' from the foundation.
When we came to Florida we found a lovely little tree called an African Orchid, full of beautiful blooms. We planted it 3/4 down on the other side of the driveway. In a few years that "little" tree abundant with orchids dwarfed our house. Everyone stopped to admire it. One day while standing on the driveway we heard a big c r a c k I n g sound. We looked and saw the driveway cracked from side to side! We followed it to the edge and there was a root growing from the now giant tree measuring about 10 inches wide that grew slightly above ground and under the driveway towards our septic tank! The root was huge. Down came that gorgeous tree though we hated to do it. In Florida everything grows quicker. Now we plant bushes and small trees/plants to feed the birds and butterflies and get information about what we plant and purchase beforehand. We notice many here plant decorator trees that don't help feed the world outside our door and wonder where all the butterflies, hummingbirds and birds have gone that most of us love to have around.

I purchased a home across the street from a neighbor who has a humongous oak tree next to his home. This oak tree is a pain in the a**, when it strews leaves and other debris onto the street into my yard. The neighbors wife wants to pour poison on it and kill it, but if you ask her husband, the tree is wonderful as it provides shade for his home.

Maybe they didn't have a choice either, as it seems like the tree was here before they built the house. I agree that large trees should not be planted, next to a home. I personally would be concerned if a storm came through and caused damage to homes, but that's me.

My understanding is that the roots of most trees extend roughly to the drip line. As long as the drip line is not extending over your foundation or driveway you should be OK.

That being said. roots will seek a water supply and nitrogen. So if your house or driveway is on the downhill side of a tree, the roots may, depending on several factors, gravitate toward your concrete.

I don't know where the 60 feet comes from. I think that it all depends on the size of the tree. I don't think that a ten foot Crepe Myrtle 20 feet from your house is going to cause a problem. If I'm not mistaken, Palms do not have a very wide root system so unless they are very close to a driveway or house, they shouldn't be a problem.

As far as Live Oaks. I like to look at them as well. To me the pruning, clean up and all of the other work associated with them is not worth the effort. I love them as long as they are not within a few hundred yards of my property. As has been pointed out, they will make a mess on your neighbors property as well, especially if not properly trimmed and maintained. Yes, some types of grasses will grow under them so you have to be prepared to spend some money having your lawn re-sodded with that type of grass.
As far as I'm concerned, they should not be allowed on house lots. I'll go down to the park to appreciate their majestic beauty.

Why has The Villages planted these huge trees in most of our yards?

The oak trees you see on the golf courses and out in the fields are standard live oak trees and grow tall and very wide, as we all know. There are other live oak trees that have been cloned from smaller oaks that were found in the wild that grow smaller or narrower. One clone type is called "Cathedral Oak" and this forms a smaller rounded oak tree. I believe some of these Cathedral Oaks are planted on Buena Vista Blvd. and up at some of the shopping centers around Spanish Springs. Another variety that is getting more play south of 466A is the 'Highrise Oak." This grows very narrow, like a pin oak. I believe these are planted around the Pinellas shopping center as well as in many of the the yards landscaped by The Villages. One of these Highrise Oaks is planted right across the street from my house. These tees will never get as large as a standard oak tree. They may be an option for places where you need smaller trees such as in residential yards and shopping centers. There is a nursery west of Gainesville that sells these two clone varieties of live oaks. They have row after row of them.

Oaks
 

I was told they were required by law?? If you live on an acre or two they are fine because you can plant them far away from your driveway and house. On our small TV lots they should never be planted and, if it's required, that should be changed.

Thank you. I had hoped our trees weren't the huge live oaks. Where I live they're probably the Cathedral Oak.

It is hard to even get past your first sentence to read the rest of your post. Palm trees or a hedge plant? Is that your solution? No, you don't offer solutions other than to say no oak trees. Not saying you aren't right. Just saying the way you say it leaves a lot to be desired. From your anger I presume you were one of the dumb people who either planted an oak or bought a house with or next to an oak.