How to Decide On a Tree Arrangement for Your Property

One of the most enjoyable parts about owning a new home, or doing extensive work on an existing home is creating an attractively landscaped exterior. Before you start digging up the ground however it is important to have a clear design goal in mind so as to avoid any lengthy delays or complications once you begin work. It is also beneficial to consult as many reference books and garden professionals as possible before committing any final project details; these sources will help alert you to any potential conflicts between different plant growth habits. With these cautionary tips in mind it is now time to start focusing on designing a landscape.

There are three areas to be concerned with what landscaping your home. There are the small plans (annuals and perennials), the hardscape features (ponds or statues), and is there are the trees and shrubs which we will be focusing on in this article. Deciding which aspects you want to start your design process with is a bit like the chicken and egg scenario, you will largely find that each of these three areas will have a great effect on each other so rather than focusing on designing them in chronological order instead to keep an open mind and be willing to go back and reevaluate certain features as it becomes apparent that you need to tweak your design.

It is generally a good practice to start your design process by focusing on the larger landscape features like the trees and shrubs. You should start with the trees and shrubs not only because they are the largest features in your yard, but also because they are considered structural elements of the landscape, and just like you would build the frame of a house before you add the tiles so too would you use structural elements in your landscape design before adding the final touches. Trees and shrubs to not only provide decorative structure, but they also serve a number of other different purposes that are practical as well as visually appealing.

You are going to want to plant a variety of trees around your home not only to help draw the eye visually to the area, but also because trees planted around the home provide a good amount of energy savings. In the winter trees planted around the home help to stave off some of the biting winter winds that would otherwise rattle against the side of the house and cause you to turn up your heater. Likewise in the summer trees provide shade to your home and thus keeps the sun off of the walls and roof so that you do not have to run the air conditioner as high or as long.

If you own a larger plot of land directly next to a neighbor's plot of land you may wish to consider using tall narrow trees as property dividers. Generally Cyprus is a good species for this purpose, and depending on the region in which you live it is likely you will be able to find a species of Cyprus that will fit your needs as well as flourish in your climate. Understand however that Cyprus trees will not provide a perfect privacy screening, but rather just make for a very clear, and tall, visual divide of the property line. If ultimate privacy is what you are after you'll probably want to choose a hedge rather than trees, as hedges grow lower to the ground and much more densely offering thicker cover.

It is important that you plan specifically where you wish to plant your trees because they will have a huge impact on the surrounding landscape. Trees act as natural focal points so rather than distributing them willy-nilly across your property you should instead plan for each tree to be a small focal point surrounded by accessory plants that help complete the picture. It is important to remember however that larger trees will directly effect the micro climate around them; so what was one a hot and sunny location will now become a warm or cool shady location. This is important because if you have pre-existing plantings they will likely be affected by the introduction of a large tree. Rather then looking at this as a negative it should instead be seen as an opportunity to expand your current plant collection and branch out in to some new species that you previously could not have used on your property.

Lastly it should be noted that ornamental trees can make for a very splashy addition to your landscape design. Unfortunately flowering trees tend to have short flowering seasons so instead of planting an entire grove of flowering cherry trees you may wish to consider planting several different species of flowering trees so that the flowers are spread thought the growing season. With these tips in hand you are well on your way to adding some great trees to your landscape design.

About Author:
Craig Elliott is a freelance writer frequently writing about lawn care | lawn service

Title:
How to Decide On a Tree Arrangement for Your Property
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