ALL TREES MATTER

Ever wonder what your landscape would look like without trees? For starters, there would be less shade to enjoy on those hot, sunny days. Leafy trees, especially those along south and east exposures, also protect your home from the sun and help minimize electric bills caused by running your air conditioner. In the winter, they help insulate your home from cold spells, and again can help save on electricity.

But trees make a difference that goes well beyond blocking sunlight. They add beauty to your yard and provide shelter for songbirds and other wildlife that need a place to nest, perch, and find food. They insulate your home and yard from neighborhood noise and provide a degree of privacy. Their fruit and leaves give off a fragrance and color that spice up the immediate surroundings of any and all landscapes   

There’s a tree for any occasion, too. If you’re looking for color over a longer period of time, you might want to consider a Japanese maple that grows to 15 to 25 feet high or a flowering dogwood that grows up to 30 feet high. American sweetgum has particularly interesting bark whereas Crabapple trees and Japanese tree lilacs offer special olfactory pleasures.

But there’s even more. Trees:

• Provide recreational opportunities for youngsters whose makeshift swings are attached to strong, lower branches.
• Support tree houses for club meetings and other “little” gatherings.
• Add value to your property and increase in value over time.
• Clean the air, reduce the greenhouse effect, and generate oxygen.
• Are an important landscape feature of healing gardens.
• Provide food and building material.
• Help minimize water runoff, soil erosion, and water pollution.

Trees are both aesthetically appealing and functional. But to stay healthy, they require routine maintenance in the form of timely pruning, inspection, and fertilization, along with disease and insect control. Your trees offer value that go well beyond the shade they provide. Your landscape professional and tree care expert can help ensure they continue to be a valuable part of your landscape for years to come.