Questions & Answers

The house into which we are about to move has a very large monkey puzzle tree in the garden. It is approximately 50ft high and is 25ft from the house. I am afraid the root system could damage the foundations.

The monkey puzzle tree, or Chilean pine, is a native of Chile and Argentina where specimens have been known to grow to 150ft. It's unlikely to achieve that in your garden, although it sounds already to be a decent-sized tree. At 25ft from the house, it's also unlikely to be a great threat – I have seen monkey puzzles planted much nearer to buildings. They aren't great foragers for moisture – in the wild, they prefer free-draining volcanic soils. During Victorian times, it became very fashionable to plant a Monkey Puzzle – but in those days, many gardens were more than big enough to accommodate one – or more. Nowadays, no-one would recommend planting a tree which will ultimately grow so large, in an ordinary garden. If you still have doubts, get in touch with your local council and ask them to recommend an arborealist to take a look at the tree. For information, the common name of the monkey puzzle (Araucaria araucana) is reputed to have come from a comment made by an Englishman, who upon seeing the tree said it would be a puzzle for a monkey to climb.