Tundraco's Daily Living Guide to Home & Garden Landscaping With Trees

Trees are one of the most prominent features in any landscape plan, and they can serve a number of roles. They can provide shade and privacy as well as acting as windbreaks and a source of food and habitat for wildlife. Trees also add to the value of your property and can help lower your energy costs. The only way you can lose is by not planting a tree.

Types of Trees used in Landscaping

In landscaping, there are no right or wrong plants to use. Your selection will depend upon your aesthetic preferences, the amount of lawn work you want to do, and the dictates of your environment.

When selecting a tree, be sure to consider why you want a tree, as well as how big it will be when full-grown. Next, look at any environmental concerns that will affect your selection.

• What is your hardiness zone? Like plants, different species of trees live only within specific temperature ranges.
• Do you live in an urban environment with a large amount of air pollution? Not all trees can survive in such a condition. In such a place, your choices are limited to hardier varieties such as Sycamores, Maples and Oaks.

Trees are classified as deciduous and coniferous. Deciduous trees are those that loose their leaves in the fall. Conifers are evergreens, such as pines. While both can be used interchangeably in a landscape plan, one may be better for certain purposes than another.

• Shade Trees - On the south side of your house, you may want shade in the summer. However, in the winter, having a shade tree on the south side would be detrimental, as it would block the warming sunlight. In such cases, a deciduous tree would be your best choice. It will give you shade in the summer and then drop its leaves in the fall, providing you with the winter's sun.
  
  
• Windbreaks - When planting a windbreak, you want a tree with thick foliage that will block the wind. In this case, a thickly growing evergreen is your best choice.

Also, when choosing a landscape tree take into consideration any over hanging power lines that the tree might grow into. If this will be a problem, consider a 'short' tree such as a Crabapple or Hedge Maple.

Energy Efficiency:

Trees can help lower your energy bill by providing shade in the summer and by acting as a windbreak in the winter.

• According to the Department of Energy, with the careful placement of three deciduous trees, the average homeowner will have an annual energy savings between $100 - $250.

Placement of Landscaping Trees

As an accent piece or as a shade tree at a distance from the house, the placement is simply a matter of personal preference. If you are planting the trees as a windbreak, or planting a tree near a house or concrete walkway, there are particular considerations:

• Never plant a tree close to the foundation of the house, as its roots may crack the foundation when it grows larger. As a rule of thumb, you can assume that a tree's roots will extend as far out as its branches. Place the tree at a distance from the house equal to at least half of its potential full-grown diameter.
• If you plant a tree near a concrete walkway or patio, eventually it will cause the concrete to crack. This may be a worthwhile tradeoff, as you will get years of shade out the trees.
• Try not to plant trees or shrubs near septic tanks or septic tank lines. Their roots may eventually cause the pipes to become clogged.
• When placing trees for use a windbreak, plant the trees close together. Evergreen trees make a good single row windbreaks.

Whether you plant a single accent specimen or an acre of dense woods, trees add beauty and value to your home and at the same time help the environment.

• Trees help remove pollutants from the air
• They provide habitat and food for wildlife
• Their roots help minimize erosion
• Shade trees lower the ambient air temperature, an important aspect in urban areas with a lot of 'blacktop'
• Trees help improve water quality.

Most important, trees add a sense of permanence to a community - when you plant a tree you are literally, "putting down roots."