round up at the base of the plant did not kill the prior plant ...

i grew up in a neighborhood lined with sycamores.. in z5 .....

but for the bark.. they are messy... ugly.. constantly dropping limbs and twigs.. a homeowners nightmare ....

and god help you when all the fuzz balls start falling...

IMHO...its a park or golf course tree ... not 1/6 of an acre tree ...

ken

I have 2 sycamore and 1 london plane, I love mine but I have no allergies and they haven't seeded yet the oldest is only 6 yrs old, neighbor has an older one, sadly he has a dog on a chain around the trunk and the chain is girdling the tree but he doesn't care, it's loosely chained but rubs as the dog moves. I haven't noticed a lot of fuzz in the past years from the tree.But anyway I love sycamores just my opinion.

I have two young London Planes. My lot is 80x120. I have the trees sited at the very front where they will shade the front yard and the asphalt of the street, hopefully keeping my house cooler in summer. When I planted them last year from 15 gallon pots I predicted I would get decent shade in three years. One of them has outstripped my expectations. That one is the cultivar Columbia. It grew big enough in little over a year to shade my picnic table until noon. The other is Bloodgood. It is not as fast but the leaves color a beautiful gold. That one gives me Fall twice. It will go gold, drop its leaves then grow a new set to do it again. I've seen other Planes in the area do the same thing. In Winter they sit nekkid letting my yard get full sun when it is most welcome.

I am very fond of Sycamores in general. I love the bark and the big leaves. There is also a sort of resiny spicy smell they have too. The mess? That's part of the fun. I get free mulch.

There is a pair of London Planes growing in the parking lot of an industrial building not far from me. They are HUUGE! One of them I call "The Lonely Mountain" after a place in The Hobbit. You can see the tree from a mile and a half away and the canopy is shaped like a steep sided mountain.

My mother in law lives within sight of one of the oldest and biggest California Sycamores in Southern California. The limbs are enormous and kids love to climb it. I love the zig zagging branches.

This time of year in California the London Planes begin to get a bronzy goldish cast. They are the first sign that autumn is approaching. The color is beautiful when the trees are back lit by the sun.

the fuzz problem was related to all the balls falling in the roadway and being pulverized into a fine dusty mist ....

ken

Clearly a large mature planetree can overwhelm a small lot with litter. Large strips of bark that can't easily be run over with the lawn mower and lots of seeds. But you take the bad with the good. Not much else will reach that size in as little time and be as tolerant of conditions. The leaves can be mulch mowed or blown away or collected. They are not a constant year round mess. It will be a long long time before anything planted this year will start making that kind of mess.

Oak acorns and sweetgum seeds can be a nuisance too. And those can't easily be mowed or blown away.

The mexican sycamore(Platanus mexicana) is my favorite. The undersides of the leaves look like white velvet. The top side of the leaves stay dark green late into the season. In central Texas they seem to have less problems than the native.

thank you all for your input. I have seen many of them around town, some young and some really old and some in small lots and some on large. i've even seen a few streetside, so i don't think it will look silly to have such a large tree in our yard.

the back yard seems bigger because our neighbor's back yard backs up to our back yard with no fence in between, so the lot "seems" bigger.

i think a sycamore is a better choice than a live oak. sooooo many people down here plant live oaks in little yards.

anyhow, i think they are beautiful. i like the bright green they are, rather than the usual dark live oak green that is so common here in Louisiana. I also LOVE how the bark looks after it peels. it's such a smooth almost white color.

i guess i'll deal with the litter of leaves when i have to. it won't be so bad. the kids will love playing in piles of leaves.

Kids do love to play with the leaves because they're so big.

If you want the showiest bark and resistance to antractnose, the disease that makes the leaves drop prematurely throughout the growing season, London Planetree (Sycamore hybrid) would be a better alternative but I don't know how they do in your area.

My next door neighbor has a London Plane tree.. or Colombia Sycamore.

BEWARE! They are fast growing , messy trees, that can easily damage sidewalks, cars, sewer lines, and wreak havoc with allergies.

These trees are messy year round. First it’s leaves dropping, and twigs, then the fuzz starts, and never seems to stop. The Colombia sycamore has round seed pods that grow in clusters, like cherries, which means they produce FOUR times the amount of fuzz as a regular sycamore, which has sinle stemmed pods. And because this tree grows 80’ to 100 ‘ tall , when the wind blows it produces PILES of fuzz, not unIke snow drifts. Fuzz is on AND IN EVERYTHING year round. It blows in through the window and door screens, it’s in my garage, in the dogs paws, and looks like fiberglass insulation when I clean my pool filter.

The dog and I have become highly allergic to this tree over time. f I could move, I would.

i really do not think this is an appropriate city street tree. It is better suited to acreage.

not much better than a gum tree, and the only reason I give then that much credit is because they do look nice in a snow covered landscape. Ken is absolutely correct in the dropping of branches. Also, in older tress the branches tend to grow down looking like a vine handing down from the tree.

I am in east Texas. I planted one roughly 10 years ago. Currently it is over 20- 30 ft tall. Beautiful tree. Love the bark. No problem with the leaves. Helps the soil if you have a mower that mulches. That is one thing I look forward to in the fall, the leaves off our sycamore tree. Love to mulch those up. Sometimes two or three passes. Rake? Whats that? Just plant away from the house. Brittle branches. Has been through 2 hurricanes (Ike and Harvey) and numerous tropical disturbances. Just don't plant near house especially as it matures. Good luck.

I have mine (just 1 London plane tree now, my 2 Sycamores are dead) far from the house. But, the London plane doesn't get that beautiful white bark, it's more a tan color, but, I have a seedling Sycamore from the neighbors tree, the one the dog was chained up to. He moved the dog, the tree is still growing well.

I'll be digging up the volunteer seedling and planting it in my yard in fall.

Know that it will eventually get huge, needs alot of room and, tho the wood is strong, it sheds shaded branches (typically small to medium size). Accepting these things, it is a commanding and dominant tree. Mine is far away from the house, so no real issues, but you wouldn't want this too close to your house or a neighbor's:

Even if you don't have allergy issues with it, and don't mind the litter, consider that it could be a nightmare for allergy-suffering neighbors, and not everyone may be enthused with your tree's waste blowing into their yard.

There may not be a legal obstacle to you planting the allergy-provoking fast-growing mega tree in your modest lot (that I take it is in the suburbs?), but is that the 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you' neighbor thing to do?

Up to you.

Richard.

I kinda wonder how much the Sycamore really makes such an issue, My neighbors planted a row of Silver Maples several years ago, I have to put up with many little seedlings from those little helicopter seeds, and their trees shed big ole branches onto my side of the property line, and the roots are so huge that I run over them with my lawn tractor, and, most times it cuts into the top of the root, and it isn't really so easy on my tractor, most times I have to stop and get off the tractor, and heave their big ass branches back over to their side, or my tractors blades will have to risk cutting them, which could result in the blades being dulled or maybe even my belt coming off the blades, etc. I am fine with these neighbors, but, not happy with these trees, but, I try to not complain. AS far as these allergy sufferers, I am sure they are allergic to many things, and I'm not unsympathetic, but, a Sycamore will shed it's seedballs in early winter, or late winter. I have personally seen them shed in LATE winter here last year in SW Pa. And maybe last year was not the USUAL time, but, it sure seemed like a short amount of time to warrant all of this commenting about them and allergies. Am I wrong, and most years these seedballs are causing allergies? Maybe in the south this seeddrop, and the seeds actually breaking apart and the wind dispersing these allergenic fluffballs takes much more time than here in SW Pa. I know that it may seem like I'm being a jerk, and nobody in a small yard area with neighbors close by should EVER plant this tree, and that just may be correct. But, I just am wondering just how horrible the Sycamores fluffballs really are.

I say this because I've never really seen a TON of FLUFFBALLS when the Sycamores in my area drop and these seedballs get loosened and start to blow in the wind.

I will also say that I've never actually seen any Sycamore seedballs actually take to the wind and fly around. I have walked my dog in an area that has several Sycamores, and the seedballs tend to stay on the ground there. Maybe someone can shed light in how these seedballs have actually taken to the air and made someones allergies flare up. It hasn't ever happened to me, and I've never seen this happen here. Maybe in the west, a Sycamore native to the west, where it's dry, and sometimes their are winds that may kick this stuff up, Sorry, I don't mean to be nasty, but, I am not seeing anything here in SW Pa, with Sycamore seedballs actually taking to the wind anytime. And they only drop and then dry out, or open up at a very brief timeline here. And during that time, it has to be dry enough for these seedballs to take to the wind, it's usually wet and rainy in late winter here, which is when I've seen the seedballs drop.

I'm not so sure it's just about the seed balls. I was under the impression the leaves could be an issue, and saw where somebody posted online claiming there's a dust on the underside of the leaves that can be a respiratory irritant in the Spring, potentially serious. I have no idea how credible this assertion is. Link to source

So, while the seed balls may stay put for you, what about the leaves and what happens when you mow?

Richard.

I have a roughly 160 year old sycamore in front of my house. I just spent a half hour on saturday raking up all the bark it shed. This tree drops litter of some kind year round, leaves, seed balls, bark, twigs, and larger branches in the winter. Its a beautiful tree but I wouldnt plant one. I get a ton of tree seedlings coming up from other trees but I havent seen any seedlings from this sycamore FWIW, and it is dropping seed balls currently. Might just be an age thing.

Dont know about irritant on the underside of the leaves but sycamores are a high VOC emitting tree which contributes to poor air quality.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-paradox-of-pollution-producing-trees/

https://earthdata.nasa.gov/user-resources/sensing-our-planet/volatile-trees

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/units/urban/local-resources/downloads/vocrates.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiDxN6ov7zcAhWM6lMKHUKmDIwQFjADegQIAxAB&usg=AOvVaw25UsJtEmJ-FMJdozFyf5yX

We planted a sycamore tree on our property last year in an area that tends to accumulate water. We read that they will drink up a lot of water. I love the smell emitted from them in the summertime and the appearance of their bark in the winter. I think they are beautiful trees. We also have other trees which are considered to be messy such as a red oak, a couple catalpa trees and honey locusts. As long as you have a riding mower and don't have to hand mow, the mess the trees make isn't a big deal.

One thing I've noticed about my sycamore is that the annual anthracnose on the leaves usually kills off the flowers & so no seeds develop. On the occasional year that the anthracnose doesn't occur, the seeds do indeed develop and float down the next spring. But I have far more seedlings of black walnut, black cherry, Siberian elm and sugar maple than sycamore....

Wow, according to that info about allergies, my yard is a risky place for asthmatics, the neighbors have mature Black Walnut trees, I have 2 White oaks and there are 2 Sycamores and 1 London plane tree here, but, seriously, I am shocked that a Sycamores leaves can kill someone, but, I'm sure it's rare that someone is that allergic, but, surely it should'nt be planted close to property lines in small yards. I have really no problems with litter or leaves as far as really being messy, but, I am in a rural area and my yard has some "wild areas" and I don't mind admitting there are some weedy patches, so in other words my yard isn't a super tidy place, so shedding bark and leaves are just mowed over, it's not damaging to my tractor blades to mow over some sheets of thin bark and lottsa leaves, not like the neighbors big ole branches from the Silver Maple. I never rake my leaves, I just mow over them, I actually like if some leaves stay in the mulch zone of my trees, it's what nature does, I have a few trees with shade plants and pretty big mulch zones, leaves staying there are great for the soil, those are mostly oaks though. and I'm sure that most oaks pollen is rough on asthmatics and those who are really allergic to pollens of many kinds.

I'm sure those allergic would need to stay inside many times of the year, and maybe stay where there aren't many plants around, that would suck.

Skip, your info was really interesting. I just can't see how unless someone is asthmatic or has allergies, that certain trees would be bad to plant, I can see if there are things like hairs that fall all the growing season long, and constantly falling or airborne debris, there an issue, but, lets say oak trees, yes, in spring or whenever they have pollen floating around, they are a potential source of trouble, but, What about after the pollen is over with? I think that after pollen has done it's job, many trees are no longer a problem. I had problems with Tulip tree or Liriodendron Tulipfera, or whatever the spelling is, but, it was on my skin after we had to get one cut down, when I handled the chipped up wood I got a rash, but, I can't help but think of the fact of how many woodlands with oaks, Maples, Tulip trees and many other trees that may produce some horrible pollen in spring make up many areas that have great air quality. Up in the mountains near me, the air is great, my yard had air quality that is good enough for my trees to have lichen growing on the trunks. I may be wrong, but, I've always heard if you have lichens on your tree trunks or stones in your yard, your air quality is great. Mayb e that doesn't include these volatile compounds? There should be signs warning that in the times when the pollen is at it's worse that those with allergies need to wear masks or not go in these areas yet, until after the pollen count is lower, well, really, my newstation has this allert in spring/early fall. It's interesting to read this stuff though. I just think to do away with oaks especially would be a great loss, oaks are the most spectacular and long lived trees around. Of course Sycamores are great trees, but, I guess if people could die from their pollen and other debris, maybe in parks they should be in places where you could stay away from them if you need to, maybe there should be warnings about their air quality status. I have no other thought on what these parks should do. Maybe allergic people need to wear masks after they choose to walk through an area where they know certain trees are. I am against the park chopping down large specimens of these trees so I guess those allergic stay away, or wear a mask.

I am just not so sure I believe that trees are poisoning the air. As far as the Smoky mountains being Smoky from trees sending out things that are harmful, I think the "Smokyness" is moisture rising up from the trees, maybe some pollen in the air when trees have pollen around them to help with pollination, and seed making, but, I think this info is just not something I believe. I do believe that trees can make many people with allergies sick, and maybe even to the point of death, if they have a bad issue with their lungs, but, saying trees have been causing pollution issues, I just don't believe this, I have seen on a show on TV that you can see where corn fields show the photosynthesis of the corn, and it makes these fields show up on a certain machine they have (sorry for the non specificness) I didn't know I'd be mentioning this to anyone, but, I would think there would be something mentioned about all these corn fields and pollen or volitile compounds with that also. Even if the corn doesn't do what the trees do, I can't help but think these articles that folks have posted on here can't be correct, and I think that whatever these trees are doing is so minuscule compared to the real pollution causers. Now, if I see something more about these volatile compounds on a Tv show like 20/20 or a real news source, maybe I'll believe if it seems it may be true, I just can't believe trees are polluting our environment. Trees used to take up most of our country when the settlers arrived, my state Pa was "Penns woods" Pennsylvania, and it wasn't until people cut down most of the trees and used coal and cars, etc, that the air quality became horrible. I think this info is misleading, I don't care what they say, I would believe it if I heard about it more. If it was true,I'm sure that many people who would be served well if fossil fuels weren't so much to blame would be shouting it from the rooftops.

Sorry if I made more out of this info than I should've. It just seems unnatural to say trees cause pollution, other than when they release their pollen, which is mostly over a 2-3 month timeline.

I do know that blooms on some plants (flowers) produce volitile compounds, maybe that's what they meant, but, real pollution, I will be waiting on more info before I buy into it.l Those in the industries that are being blamed for "global warming" should be jumping on this big time if it's really true. I believe if there are any issues with trees causing real pollution, we'll all hear about it everywhere. I am sure it is really not any real issue for us, sorry for getting so passionate about it, I'll shut up now.

Poaky1, its not the trees that are really to blame for the reduction in air quality, its just that when high VOC emitting trees are placed in an urban environment, the VOCs they emit react with NOx emissions from cars and other combustion sources to create higher levels of ozone. Ozone at the ground level it bad for air quality.

The VOCs dont matter and dont create air quality problems out in the forest or rural areas because there are no NOx emissions for the VOCs to react with.

Edit: now that Im re-reading the NASA link it does look like forests produce aerosol emissions of their own.

Hey skip, I am wondering about those aerosol emmisions, maybe they are from when some trees flower? I looked up what "aerosols" are, and they are fog, haze and forest exudates, Geyser steam, particulate air pollutants, smoke, hell if you are breathing the air around you, you are spreading "aerosols", so really, being alive, if you are trees or people, you are spreading "aerosols" around.

I will admit that if you plant a Sycamore in a densely populated area, if somebody has allergies, or even someone who is close to a tree when it is raining leaf hairs, and those leaves somehow have their hairs come into the wind, and/or the seedpods, some people may be hacking their butts off until those things settle down, I actually started to cough here just thinking about it all, I'm not even joking. But, if you have a nice big yard, and this tree can grow, and not really make somebody with asthma have abig problem, I would say it fine to plant. I really love Sycamores, their bark in winter, and their fast growth just makes them worth it to someone who has no problems with the tree in most of it's growth cycle. I would hope that those with severe allergies, and asthma would be really open with their health criteria before they buy a plot of land, or a home with many trees there.

London Planes are planted all over London, New York City, Paris and Rome on boulevards along major streets. They don’t seem to cause many problems at all in those cities. They are the predominant tree species in those citie.

I understand what everyone who commented about the Sycamore air debris meant now, I had been drinking when I made all of those posts about it way back. Sorry.

Anyway, I wonder what the OP decided to plant in their yard.

I've had my London planes ten years now. The Columbia is biiiig. I get sniffles at times when they're dropping fuzz but they also make huge difference in how cool my house stays in hot weather. There is like a 15 degree difference between under the trees and out by the gate. I can be perfectly comfortable under the trees on hot days. I sit under them every day in the mornings now. I m willing to put up with some sneezing to stay cool and comfortable.

As I read this thread I was thinking exactly what HU numbers said. There are magnificent plane trees all over my city, many over 200 years old. They’re living things, not plastic decor. They drop leaves and seeds but compared to their contribution to our wellbeing that’s a minor issue. Regarding allergies, even that doesn’t seem to be clear cut https://theconversation.com/plane-trees-getting-on-your-nose-the-truth-about-hay-fever-9223

Interesting article and experiment.

I would say mine contribute significantly to my well being. The trees and mature arborvitae hedge make my front yard into a private woodland. I have a pergola with café lights and table and chairs. It made being stuck at home during lockdowns much more tolerable. Sitting in my shady garden kept the gloomies away.

Gawd , I DETEST my neighbor’s Colombia Sycamore tree. It produces five times the amount of seed balls as a reg sycamore. It’s messy all year round. But the fuzz is THE WORST! It gets in EVERYTHING. Nothing in the yard can remain uncovered. It clogs the pool filter , and when I clean it, it looks JUST LIKE fiberglass insulation. YECH. I wish I had the time back that I’ve spent cleaning up after that thing, and the wages I’ve lost from sinuses triggering a migraine . Even the dog had to get a biologic injection for the itchies.

i do understand that it produces shade, but so do many other trees. A/C works, too,. The neighbor doesn’t have AC , but its a GOOD THING I DO BECAUSE I CANNOT OPEN THE WINDOWS!

And god knows I cannot even leave the garage open for five minutes.

REALLY THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW.

my Covid induced time off has taught me this: if I had to stay home all day for the rest of my life.. ID HAFTA MOVE AWAY FROM THIS DAMN COLOMBIA SYCAMORE TREE!.

heres a tip for those suffering from sycamore fuzz hacking and sneezing...

I do not use a blower in the yard. I mean .. what’s the point of blowing that crap from one point to another?

GET A LEAF MULCHER AND SUCK IT RIGHT UP.

ive tried many brands, but the best one I have is a cheap harbor freight 50- 70 $ one. (Get the coupons! LOL) when the bag breaks, HF doesn’t sell replacements but Amazon does.

and for those who love your sycamores: hopefully your neighbor loves YOU as much as I love my neighbor...because IM POSITIVE YOUR NEIGHBORS HATE YOUR TREES!

I think my neighbors like my trees. They park under them in front of my house instead of in the hot sun in front of theirs. Sometimes my family has to park across the street or around the corner because the shady spots are all taken.

I am in a rural area and my London Plane is NOT close to my house nor my neighbors, the seedballs tend to get stuck in the grass and soil when they fall. Maybe IF I lived where there was lottsa cement pavement there WOULD be an issue with the fuzz, but, there isn't, and I just mow the leaves and let them stay where they are. I NEVER rake leaves, and I have MANY trees, BUT, I am on 3 acres of land in a rural setting, so, I can get away with leaves and fuzzballs.

IF I lived in a suburb or city, the London plane and Sycamore WOULD be troublesome I guess.

I have a neighbor with a Sycamore. After racking and picking up the leaves that fall in my yard, I developed itchy eyes and respitory problems. As it turns out, I learned every part of a Sycamore is poisonous including smoke from burning the wood. I would avoid planting any unless you have acreage.

Wow, so burning ANY parts of the Sycamore (the Eastern US one) Platanus Occidentalis is poisonous? I has NO idea. I am guessing that the London Plane tree is also?

I have both, BUT,. I am not close to the tree, neither are my neighbors.

IF my neighbors are bothered by it, they haven't said anything. They would only be close to it while they move their sheep around that area in the yard.

Many oaks are great for lottsa shade, and usually have no horrible pollen or pollen-like debris, except for in spring, those who are of acorn bearing age will have some pollen shed into the air for a brief time, and usually NOT every year will they do that. Even the White oak group that usually bear acorns every year will have years when they will bear none or few acorns. Red oak family oaks will bear every other year usually, oak pollen MAY be a lot easier to deal with, BUT, Sycamores and London planes will grow much faster, BUT, if the pollen and debris makes you miserable, that, of course doesn't matter.

I love Sycamore trees planted in riparian, rural settings, along the banks of rivers, lakes, etc.., but would never tolerate one in my yard. This has gotta be one of the messiest trees ever created. There are suburban streets overplanted with these trees around me and streets are always covered in their debris.

I'd really like to see some cites or documentation that supports the contention that sycamore wood is toxic to burn (or that all parts are poisonous, at least to humans) as I can find nothing to support that. Various comments addressing toxicity related to some livestock species - as with many other trees - but there are even instruction for making a syrup out of sycamore sap, much like maple syrup.

Sycamores do not make great firewood as they are hard to split and do not burn very hot but if you got 'em and need to chop down, I would not be concerned that burning them is going to poison your family :-) It just ain't so!!

https://www.wood-database.com/sycamore/

Sycamores are non-toxic, definitively, when burned. However, the rumor probably got started because sycamore helicopters are very toxic to horses.

Sycamore actually makes for a moderately hot, moderately good fire as long as the wood's properly seasoned (green or unseasoned wood, of course, doesn't burn well). It's comparable to walnut or maple, a bit inferior to oak or elm. Of course, I don't know too many people who burn oakwood--although we did at one point when a four hundred year old oak had to come down on our property. It was that or onto the house.

Sycamore also makes very good working wood for many other things. It's not often used because it's very slow-growing and expensive, but you'll see it. The wood is naturally light and beautiful, with a moderate grain.

Sycamores in the home setting...just don't. :-) They're nice trees, but they shed bark, they shed leaves, they shed helicopters, they shed, shed, shed all year long. My grandfather struggled to keep it neat under his trees. It's not possible. Even the dreaded sweet gum tree is easier.

Morpheuspa, The Sycamores that grow in the Eastern part of the country do NOT have "helicopters" or those seed pods that are like Maples have. They have seedballs.

Those seedballs will shed the small "tufts" that have seeds in them. Right now I can NOT recall when they do that. I THINK it happens in spring. I THINK they hang on all winter.

Do not under any circumstances plant a Sycamore anywhere near anything you want to not be destroyed by roots. Plumbing, sewer lines, concrete slabs, retaining walls...all will be destroyed by the roots of the Sycamore costing you immense amounts of damage. Then there is the leaf drop which after a fall windstorm can produce drifts of leaves many feet high, all of which are a fire hazard. Then there is the high allergen factor of Sycamore Pollen. Then the tree is also prone to rot on the inside, so that the tree falls on your house when you least expect it. What's worse is the tree is hard to kill even after you've cut it down, ground the stump, burned it, dumped round up on it, it'll still grow back. The only thing a Sycamore tree is good for is firewood and maybe woodworking. We recently bought a property with 7 Sycamores on it and so far they've cost us about $50,000 in damages. I've cut down half of them, the others will be gone by the end of the year.

Wow, I had NO IDEA just how BAD Sycamore TREES COULD BE to people who are even sorta close to them.

I have heard that for SOME people a Sycamore tree can REALLY agitate them IF they have ALLERGIES.

I have seen that a Sycamore TREE can live to be 500 years old. And so, I am confused when I am hearing about them having ROT "in the inside", BUT, it just MAY be true. I have just 1 Sycamore KINDA close to me. BUT, I DO want a tree in my yard that will be where the soil will be wet some times, and DRY sometimes. I have TRIED a Willow oak there before and it had NOT done so good. I had been so sure the Sycamore would be perfect, a TREE that would be okay with wet and sometimes dry soil. And, Sycamores are growing every damn place here in my area.

Hi! Iwe live in South East London, uk. We have two sycamores overhanging our garden which aren't ours. We get the Autumn helicopters and falling leaves but worse still during the growing season the sap from the leaves leaves ugly black stains on garden furniture, patio slabs, and lawn. So beware!.

HU-393, American sycamore & Plane trees are Platanus, not Acer (maples) such as sycamore maple. Platanus do not produce "helicopters" -- that is what maples produce.

I realize this post is quite old, but I live in a residential neighborhood, with small- to average-sized lots. Three of the neighbors have large sycamore trees and sweet gum trees. If I could, I would remove them in a heartbeat. They are messy year-round, and in the Fall, it becomes unbearable. The giant leaves take over everyone’s lawns, long after our own trees have stopped dropping their leaves. They clog the storm sewers, disrupt sette sewer lines, and the incessant dusting drives our allergies crazy. Anyone considering planting these in a residential area should have their head examined. PLEASE …NO!!!!

Omg !! I was JUST telling someone I have a migraine today from the damned sycamore leaves I sucked up w the vacuum mulcher yesterday! I don’t even blow that crap anymore!
Just came on this app to check on an order , and saw your comment.
Brother , I hear ya!
HATE THEM! OUGHTA BE A LAW‼️😝
LOL!!!

I can see how they could be annoying in a city. I am more in the country. We have a Sycamore outside of our goat pen. It drops large leaves that are crunchy when dry. The goats love to crunch them up like potato chips lol. When one drops they all run to fight over it.

Gum tree leaves are also a favorite.

I like them for the Luna Moths that eat their leaves as well.

It's been twelve years since I planted my three. They're huge now and keep my house comfortable in summer. We have about a month's worth of days that are 110+. When they were small summers felt very roasty.

I like mine too, it's not close to the house, but it's a nice huge tree that gives me great shade when I am mowing the lawn. I have a Pin oak near my house that shades near the house though, but the downward branch habit makes it hard to keep up with pruning the lower branches so you don't lose an eye when walking and mowing beneath it. As they grow you have to get up further and further up on a ladder to keep pruning lower branches.

That is the Pin oak, NOT Sycamore.