When updating your landscaping, trees offer beauty, variety and an environmentally conscious boost.
Ornamental and shade trees are also a cost-conscious option for both your yard and garden. As we approach one of the best times of year to plant trees – the fall – it’s time to start planning.
The Many (Many) Benefits of Adding Trees to Your Landscaping
What could be more beautiful than a stately oak, lush blue spruce or delicate oriental cherry?
As beautiful as landscaping trees are, they bring many other benefits to our lives. They help lessen the heat island effect and purify the air. They offer shelter to native birds, attract pollinators and shade more delicate plants below.
Adding deciduous trees around your home or business provides shade during the heat of summer while allowing the warming sun in during the winter. This helps improve energy efficiency and indoor comfort while reducing power consumption – and the cost that goes along with it.
Choosing the Right Landscaping Trees for Your Location
Which type of trees should you select? This isn’t an easy choice, as our Northern Utah climate provides a friendly environment for hundreds of different varieties of landscaping trees.
The Utah State University Extension offers an exceptional tree browser site, which provides extensive descriptions, photos and growth details for almost 250 different species.
Nothing substitutes for expert advice, however. You can contact a landscape designer or architect for assistance. Or you can visit a local garden center – like Millcreek Gardens – were you can ask an experienced associate for guidance.
Siting and Planting Landscaping Trees
Whether you plan to add landscaping trees to your home or business, choosing the ideal location guarantees the best future for the plants and allows you to enjoy the maximum benefits. It also helps to minimize the time and effort you must invest in care and maintenance.
Once you’re determined where you would like to locate the new plantings, evaluate how much sun, wind, water and traffic the site will experience. Then choose the right size and species for the site.
Be sure you consider the future size and shape of the tree. The biggest mistake gardeners make is not providing enough space for the tree once it reaches full maturity. This means considering any overhead wires, nearby structures and other plants that could interfere with growth.
For more practical advice on the planting process, explore USU’s guide for planting landscape trees. In Salt Lake City, visit Millcreek Gardens for all of the expert advice and assistance you need for your landscaping and garden. We carry locally grown plants, shrubs and flowers along with gardening tools and supplies.
We look forward to seeing you soon, and assisting you with the selection of your new landscaping trees.