Get Your Green On

When looking at your yard, are there any trees? If not, there are many benefits you and your landscaping are losing out on. Trees are nature’s way of helping you reduce your power bill, be more “green”, improve your curb appeal and create memories to be share throughout a lifetime.

As seen on many popular television shows, curb appeal requires plant life and color. Adding saplings to your yard will not only beautify your home with what may looks like shrubs today, but in years to come, will give you robust trees with gorgeous foliage to relax under.

Studies prove this investment into your home?s property value is something that, from the first day planted, will bring you financial returns. You also want to keep an eye on the trees you may already have. Check the general health and life expectancy of your present trees. If they have already reached their prime or show signs of disease, think about planting new trees, giving the baby tree?s time to grow before having to remove the older ones.

To be more – green – is a world wide effort to reduce energy costs and what better way than through something green like a tree. When strategically planted within your landscape, trees can lower your power bill.

Protecting your home’s southwest side with a tall shade tree will give you shade during the hot summer months, yet during the winter, they will lose their beautiful autumn leaves to let the sun shine through with its warmth. Another option, for homes in primarily wintry climates, may be to protect your home from blistering winds with Evergreens. By doing this, you will lower your heating costs. Going green will pay off in energy saved, anyway you look at it.

Did you know trees can help to tackle other common green issues, like greenhouse gases and global warming? Yes, nature to the rescue again. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas of top concern, and use it in the photosynthesis process. It is assimilated into the leaves, wood and cells of the tree which all play into a tree’s life cycle. Leaves fall and decompose, adding carbon to the soil and in turn, make a rich soil for the tree to grow in. This tidy succession is like a storage system which lasts for many years inside a tree’s trunk or through the use of its lumber in our everyday furniture, fences, and homes.

Being friendly to the creatures around you is something else you can add to your list of reasons to plant trees in the backyard landscape. Although building a bird house with your family may bring some birds into your vicinity, planting a sanctuary where they can live, find food and escape from dangers could be a wealth of observations and memories.

This habitat in the form of a tree will attract birds, squirrels and a variety of other wildlife. In addition, if you already know which animals are native to your area, you may want to research which trees will attract them or will benefit their diets.

Family participation in planting trees can provide many scrapbook moments. Planting a tree in memory of a family member, pet, or in celebration of an event are all good reasons to bring a family together.

Watching your grandchildren playing in piles of leaves or seeing who can swing the highest in the tire swing, can be memories you can make from the tree you planted with their mother when she was a child. Pictures you snap and place in your scrapbook are waiting to be taken and stored as memories to share from generation to generation.

Source: Landscaping

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