I'm not sure the size of my yard to be honest. I'm not really worried about the limbs falling (though maybe I should be), but I'm more worried about the roots upping the concrete near the house or driveway. I seem to remember my mother's tree was very "rooty" on the surface of the yard, but she didn't have a driveway.

Te limb's aren't a concern to me since the wood is usually pretty soft and in bad weather they just bend and sway. My mother's house was in a town where a tornado went through very close, she had hail damage etc... and the tree didn't lose a single limb...that's a good test to me. But the debris from the tree is a concern for gutters.

Looking at Google Maps, I cut out a sat view of my house and the scale. Evidently our yard is awful small!

Northern catalpa is a beautiful tree when in bloom with its large tropical looking flowers. In all honesty, these trees are best suited to large, open spaces. They are relatively fast growing and can reach 40 to 90 feet at maturity. That would mean a root spread of a potential 80 to 180 feet. After many years, of course.

In my experience, these trees are no more prone to surface roots than others. This phenomenon is usually related to overly compacted soil because the roots stay near the surface where the air is.

Perhaps your best course is to plant the trees as far from the house and pavement as practical, enjoy them - even cleaning up the beans - for as long as they remain good garden citizens, then remove them.

One other issue. Again in my experience, these trees are very prone to infestations of black aphids. This may not be true in your area, but if it is you do not want them in a place where the honeydew drips on vehicles, furniture, patios, etc.

Ey Zach,

So if "A" is where u want to plant it I bet the tree is going to be 20 feet from your house. That's scale from an aerial photo and my cell though so measuring might be better.

Akamain brings up a good point or two.

akamainegrower and tornado3800:

Yeah I think I'll have to plant it further away, but my fence line on the back side is pretty shaded, and these trees love sun. I'll have to see what I can do. 50 years is a long time from now and honestly I'm not worried too much about things that far ahead, I'm hoping I don't live there in 50 years!

As for the "A" mark on the map, that's just where Google put it when I searched for my address. It doesn't mean anything really.

Hey zack how are yiur trees doing could you message me on instagram orijanelle28