Nominating Worst tree

[Modern Garage]

...for over a deck
Well, it's maybe not the worst tree, but plenty annoying right now.
I have a huge Linden over my deck and it provides wonderful shade but starting about now and for the next 3-4 months I'll be cleaning up these hard little round seeds it drops. They're just the right size to wedge into the space between the deck boards, to the point they can only be removed with a screwdriver or hooked tool. And today I remembered what its like to have little kids in the house because when I walked on the deck barefoot it was like stepping on Mother Nature's own Lego's. YEEOW!
I know, first world problems, but dammit my feet hurt.
Joe

 

[XJSuperman]

I've got an unknown tree in my yard that hangs over the driveway. In the spring it flowers and drops petals everywhere. Then in summer it grows little cherry-sized apple-things that fall off, or squirrels and birds eat, and then they are in little bits n pieces all over the driveway. The wildlife picks them from the tree or the grass and carries them up on cars or trailers and make a mess up there. The leaf blower is now my best friend. Its a daily task almost. Homeowner life is great, wouldn't trade it for renting ever.

 

[4xdog]

There's a crabapple overhanging the deck at my parents' old home. Now you've got small seeds with crushed inedible fruit.

Sweetgum is one of my least favorites. There are a number in my neighborhood, including a street a couple of blocks away that gets covered with those spikey seed balls The d*mned things are a huge pain in the ***. And sweetgums like to lift sidewalks and driveways, too.

But my least favorite has to be silver maple. Short-lived, weak-wooded, dirty tree that loves to clog drains with its roots. No color in autumn. In fact, not a single redeeming feature. They're the bottom of my list.

I love trees, and have planted more than I've removed in my life. But I'll take out sweetgums and silver maples any time.

 

[engineer2]

My downy hawthorn:
In early spring it sheds little pieces of bark and twigs.
Pretty flowers in May, but the sticky petals get on everything.
Random branches entangle, die and sometimes break.
Dropped a large branch on our cars a few years ago, Luckily only minor scratches.
Wicked 2 inch thorns will go through any glove.
Then the sap starts dripping and the little mini fruit falls throughout early summer.
Birds eat the fruit and **** on our cars.
Mid-summer cedar-apple rust disease starts and turns most of the leaves brown.
Carpenter ants love building nests in the trunk.

Makes excellent firewood though.
If it weren't the (likely) largest downy hawthorn in town, I'd probably cut it down.

 

[65ranchero]

Honey locust was my enemy at my other house, profuse growers if you don't keep removing the suckers from the root of the felled tree.
Seems just walking near it will get you scratched by the thorns.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

Here in the ATL-
Sweetgum and Mimosas.

Sweetgums drop those balls- and they're scraggly lookin'. Mimosas are considered weeds- they proliferate like crazy if they're not cut down early! But it's amazing how many people actually like them because of their bloom- if they only knew!

 

[buzzworth]

Cottonwood near the pool. It always HAD something to spew into the water. "HAD" is the keyword...I had it removed.

 

[4xdog]

...and Mimosas.

..Mimosas are considered weeds- they proliferate like crazy if they're not cut down early! But it's amazing how many people actually like them because of their bloom- if they only knew!

That's true! Forgot about that one. I cut down any I could reach on my property, but the neighbors still have a few and they're some of those who like them. grrrr... So I end up plucking probably a thousand volunteers every year from my yard.

 

[WNYflyer]

My house was built by grandfather on a dirt lane with surrounding farmland left to go back to nature. He planted Silver Maples just far enough back on the front lawn to be out of the city's right-of-way in what is now a fully developed neighborhood thus they are my responsibility rather than city's..........great....and they are now huge and throw all kinds of garbage. though they do help cut down on my AC use.
Once our street was well built out the city came in and planted Linden trees within the city right of way in front most of the houses except a few older established houses such as mine and man do those trees throw a lot of garbage also, at least they are much smaller that the Silver Maples. So what with the wind I have the best of both worlds (sarcasm), Silver Maples and Lindens. These days they say Lindens are **** trees must not have been thought of that way back in the day?

 

[niget2002]

Never liked the Bradford Pear. Lived in a neighborhood where they were tossed in on all new builds. Place was full of them. Stupid trees grow real big real fast. Makes neighborhood look good.

Unfortunately, they're real weak. Had a nice big wind storm blow through a few years after moving in and it seemed like half the trees on the street lost huge limbs. Some landed on cars. One landed on a roof.

I was lucky. Previous owner of my house paid extra to have oak trees put in instead of the stock trees.

 

[pcmeiners]

Mimosas are bad news but Mulberry weeds trees are the worst. The fruit does not taste good, fruit stains anything it falls on, and they grow like weeds, they are only good for chainsaw practice.

 

[Yellerdog]

I have a black walnut, July - September it drops tennis ball size projectiles, it's days are numbered

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Damn, you guys REALLY know how to b!tch about, well…..nothing really. Talk about “glass-half-empty”. You get shade, the coolness, flowers, attract birds and you still find the skid mark in the golden shorts, ha ha.

Blow off the little gizmos these trees drop and enjoy the positives.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,...... Weepin' Willow,.......

 

[Bondo]

I have a black walnut, July - September it drops tennis ball size projectiles, it's days are numbered

Ayuh,..... That is Huge money, in the hardwood market,.... $1,000s,....

 

[firebirdparts]

I thought the maple seeds were bad, but I guess some of these do sound worse. What's bad about the maple seeds is they will hunt the deck from 50 feet away. The tree doesn't even need to get close to it.

They are fantastic at plugging a downspout, so I guess it's more that than what they do on the deck.

 

[turbodave]

But my least favorite has to be silver maple. Short-lived, weak-wooded, dirty tree that loves to clog drains with its roots. No color in autumn. In fact, not a single redeeming feature. They're the bottom of my list

I live in a neighborhood full of Silver Maples, Box Elders and Elms, all are overgrown and a nuisance. In spring its the little elm seeds and helicopters that clog the gutters and get caught in the cowl of the cars. Every storm is a mess of branches to clean up. It's enough that our township rolls through the neighborhood once a week with a chipper truck to clean up anything we drag to the curb.

 

[yatg]

Older pine trees. All year long the needles drop, branches drop, sap drips, pinecones drop and the squirrels chew up pinecones and drop the pieces.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

My parents lived on Linden street so my dad planted a Linden tree (the only one on that street). I don't recall it being that bad (like most of the others mentioned in this thread) but it was messy and did occasionally have a smell. Mom had it cut down soon after my father passed.
I have been unfortunate to live near mulberry trees. I currently have several along the edge of my yard. You do not want them anywhere near your house, garage, driveway or anywhere you might walk regularly.

 

[The_Geologist]

Mountain Ash trees are bastards...they produce tons of red berries that birds eat. Then the birds leave reddish **** everywhere.

Secondly, the flowers smell like *** when they are blooming in May to June. I kid you not...they royally stink!

They do litter quite a bit (berries, leaves, branches), at least in my experience. Especially when last year's berries don't come down until the following spring...

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Lindens are one of my favorite trees, actually. I like the flowers and the smell.

 

[Showkey]

In no particular order:

Weeping willow
Buckthorn
poplar
Cotton wood
Jack Pine
Soft maple

 

[flan]

Red oaks (dead leafs hang on til Feb and acorns)
Pine (needles and sap, constant broken branches)
Catalpa (big bean husks and produce a sticky mist)
Shagbark hickory (broken dead twigs and large green nuts)
Spruce (1 gazillion pine cones all year long)

Either way they All make a F’n mess. Best tree, cedar IMHO.

 

[LOW1]

Sycamores drop lots of stuff.

But look good in winter.

 

[PassnThru]

Never liked the Bradford Pear. Lived in a neighborhood where they were tossed in on all new builds. Place was full of them. Stupid trees grow real big real fast. Makes neighborhood look good.

Unfortunately, they're real weak.

When I bought my house my parents decided that two decent sized Bradford Pears would make a nice house warming gift. Oddly I was overseas at the time they brought them over and the neighbor had to water them for me.
I didn't know any better and I planted them. After about 15 or so years they were very large trees - and then things went downhill from there. I didn't know you have to keep cutting them back so it was never done.
I've always joked that I've had the pleasure of planting two trees - cleaning up from them after several storms - and then cutting them down and digging the stumps. And these were at least 25 feet tall. All in around a 20 year time span.
That's just not the way it's supposed to work.

 

[D100CMB]

How has no one said crape myrtle?! I despise those trees.

 

[XJSuperman]

Doing some searching....turns out I've got one of those lindens too. Dammit. Still not as bad as that cherry apple thing.

 

[Firebrick43]

I don't know if I would say persimmons for the the stealthy size sticky fruit that sticks to your shoes and is tracked everywhere or the honey locust. I had to clear 40 acres of that **** one winter.

 

[mervyn]

But my least favorite has to be silver maple. Short-lived, weak-wooded, dirty tree that loves to clog drains with its roots. No color in autumn. In fact, not a single redeeming feature. They're the bottom of my list.

Don't forget the little helicopter seed things they produce by the millions in the spring. Clog my gutters up every year.
Had a big one on one side of the house that granddad planted many years ago. It' developed a bad spot in the trunk so I had it cut mostly down.

Edit. Beaten to the punch by @ turbodave

 

[HenryAZ]

Acacia tree (more like a large bush), sometimes called the "wait a minute" tree. It has hooked thorns that grab your clothing and take a while to get yourself loose. Typically when you get one unhooked, you find yourself hooked to several more thorns. I have learned to keep my distance from the few we have on our property.

 

[Uncle murph]

My downy hawthorn:
In early spring it sheds little pieces of bark and twigs.
Pretty flowers in May, but the sticky petals get on everything.
Random branches entangle, die and sometimes break.
Dropped a large branch on our cars a few years ago, Luckily only minor scratches.
Wicked 2 inch thorns will go through any glove.
Then the sap starts dripping and the little mini fruit falls throughout early summer.
Birds eat the fruit and **** on our cars.
Mid-summer cedar-apple rust disease starts and turns most of the leaves brown.
Carpenter ants love building nests in the trunk.

Makes excellent firewood though.
If it weren't the (likely) largest downy hawthorn in town, I'd probably cut it down.

Hawthorn,right from Satans garden!

 

[jar944]

Here in the ATL-
Sweetgum and Mimosas.

. Mimosas are considered weeds- they proliferate like crazy if they're not cut down early!

I hate mimosas... those and tree of heaven are super prolific invasives around here.

 

[jar944]

Ayuh,..... That is Huge money, in the hardwood market,.... $1,000s,....

Lol

 

[jar944]

Its funny how most of the trees here people listed as dislike, are the ones I've planted intentionally.

Silver maple
Poplar
Sycamore
Mulberry
Blackwalnut
Crape myrtle

 

[RPH]

Box elders with the whirlybird seeds in the spring and the box elder bug collections in the fall.
Cottonwoods any time of the year.

 

[budget76]

your back will thank you. i know mine does

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[Zeke]

If you have concrete nearby there are trees that invade and trees that don't. Ficus trees are not a good choice. I think half the root system is above ground on more mature trees. For some reason, here in SoCal there are lots of palms. They are not native but do well and have a very small footprint. In fact, they hardly, if ever, get up rooted in high winds. They can be messy though, depending on the variety.

 

[Lucky Llama]

Chinese Tallow aka. Popcorn tree

 

[f121]

Silver birch. Catkins in the spring, leaves in the fall, sticks all year round

 

[73project]

Not so much the worst tree, but the worst planting of a tree. I have a neighbors blue spruce that was planted 5' from the property line, and fast forward 50 years, now we have a 100' tree that drops sap, pine cones, and needles within a huge radius. My house is close enough on that side of the lot that it was paying the price. Everything on that side of my property was a sticky mess. I finally had to hire out a guy to cut the limbs off at the property line last year because the tree was dropping cones and sap all over my roof. Think about what your trees will look like when they are mature!

 

[DGersic]

Mimosas are bad news but Mulberry weeds trees are the worst. The fruit does not taste good, fruit stains anything it falls on, and they grow like weeds, they are only good for chainsaw practice.

I wouldn’t want a mulberry, they’re messy. But I gotta disagree on the fruit. I love mulberries. I grab a few off any mulberry tree I pass.