Trees play a crucial role in enhancing the beauty and functionality of any landscape. From their aesthetic appeal to their environmental benefits, trees bring numerous advantages to outdoor spaces. In this article, we will explore the various benefits of incorporating trees into landscaping designs. Air Quality: Trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, improving the air quality around your home.
Shade & Cooling: Trees can provide natural shade, helping cool down your yard and even your house during the hotter months. This can reduce the need for air conditioning, saving on energy costs.
Privacy & Noise Reduction: Trees create natural barriers, offering privacy from neighbors and reducing noise pollution.
Wildlife Habitat: Trees provide a home for birds, squirrels, and other wildlife, promoting biodiversity in your local ecosystem.
Aesthetic Appeal: Having trees adds beauty and interest to your yard. They offer seasonal changes, from blooming flowers in spring to vibrant fall colors.
Soil Health: The roots of trees help prevent soil erosion and contribute to maintaining healthy soil by cycling nutrients back into the ground. In addition, certain species of trees can indicate if the soils are wet, sandy or loamy, which can help when walking raw land with clients!
Carbon Sequestration: Trees store carbon, helping mitigate climate change by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Increased Property Value: Well-maintained trees can add value to your property, making it more attractive to potential buyers.
Seasonal Influence: One of my personal favorites, the types of trees planted can have an impact on the seasonal changes. In my yard, I planted Balsam Fir on the northeast side of my property. These conifers keep their needles all year long and provide a great buffer from our famous Nor’ Easters. Conversely, on the south west side of my yard, I went with deciduous trees like maple and aspen that will shed their leaves seasonally and allow the low setting sun rays reach my house for a little bit extra daylight!
I was also very fortunate to have a yard that was very wide open due to its prior use as old farm land. I was able to plant a variety of species, each with different aspects in mind:
-Balsam Fir; Abies Balsemea: We started buying these as our Christmas trees (live with the root ball of course) and they have made a wonderful border as well as a wind screen trees in the winter months
-Sugar and Red Maples; Acer saccarum and Rubrum: These are my absolute favorite trees in the fall, the Autumn blaze variation of the red maple and the oranges and yellows of the Sugar maples cannot be beat. The sugar maples were planted with the full intention of tapping for maple syrup, they are almost ready!
-Quaking Aspen; Populus tremuloides: A very wildlife friendly species
-Paper Birch; Betula papyrifera: Another very wildlife friendly tree, host to many birds and insects.
-Linden; Tilia spp: A welcome shade tree in the summer months
-American Elm; Ulmus americana: Seeded from a neighboring tree, hoping this will make it through after losing one of these majestic trees to Dutch Elm disease. Their crown is unmistakable and they are a very important ecological species
-Canada Redbud; Cercis canadensis: Fantastic landscape tree with incredible pink flowers that bloom early in the spring
-American Hornbeam; Carpinus caroliniana: Also known as musclewood or ironwood, these are super cool looking trees and also very wildlife friendly
-Eastern Larch; Larix laricina: AKA the Hackmatac or tamarack, this is the one that bucks the norms, it is a deciduous conifer, which means that it is one of the only conifers that loses its leaves in the fall! Green needles give way to a gorgeous gold in the fall
-Cherry, Beach Plum and Peach Fruit trees; Prunus spp: Who doesn't love fresh fruit in their yard! Wonderful for the pollinators in the spring, the birds also love to compete with our family when the fruit is ripe!
-Arborviate; Thuja spp: Several different species of these evergreen trees are planted, they are perfect as a privacy screen. Some species grow tall and narrow, some are very wide and fast growing. We have several as border and privacy screens. They added a much bigger appeal than a white plastic privacy fence.
If you have any questions or thoughts about planting trees in your yard, don't hesitate to reach out! This is personally a favorite topic of mine!!
