In article ,
David wrote:
We are trying to decide where to plant a couple of fruit trees, on semi-
dwarfing root stock.

One location is by a West facing wall which has a soil pipe (and power and
water) running fairly close to it.

How close? If close enough that a root could get between the wall
and it, then it's a potentially serious problem. It's amazing how
much force growing roots can exert.

Other than that, the type of soil makes a difference, because friable
soils move more easily, but semi-dwarfing rootstocks work by having
a feeble root system, so are not a major problem.

I will be searching the usual suspects, but is there any reliable guide to
how close to underground pipes and cables you can safely plant trees and
shrubs?

No. All simplistic rules are nonsense, anyway.

We may want to plant a Wisteria at the back of the house as well, with
similar constraints.

They are rather more vigorous, so I would be more cautious. But there
are a zillion planted in similar locations.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.