Anyone have thoughts about a safe separation? In trying to create a little urban orchard on my condo site, I'm encouraging my neighbors to let me plant a few trees in their little yards to match my two espallied pears. The two best spots are two S facing walls with no windows, archetectural or vegative aesthetic accents -- perfect for espallier. Trees would pretty up their boring wall and take up little space. But owers say "what about the foundation"?

In a brief intranet survey, tree risk for foundations is for large or multiple medium trees drying out a foundation on tree side in comparison to other sides of foundation. The foundation friendly rule of thumb is to plant trees "mature height away from foundation". Seems to me that a little M9 apple shouldn't draw that much water. Also, adding the tree and some garden plants would cause owner to water the spot that now is an oven in summer and a bog in winter*.

How close can it go? I planned 2.5 to 3 ft to allow the buiding to be painted.

Rufus.

*tree will get a nice enhanced hole with soil a bit above grade (~ 4"?) for ~ 3 ft all the way around.