How to Choose the Best Trees for Your Backyard Landscape Design

ABEDorb Gardening Tips

Trees can be a beautiful and useful addition to your backyard that add both tangible and intangible value to your home. However, it can take years to reap what you sow. So before you start planting, you should really put some thought into your decision. If you’ve been thinking about transforming your outdoor space with some trees, hear a few things you should consider that will help you discover the best trees for backyard landscape design at your Connecticut home.

Choosing the Best Trees for Backyard Landscape Design in Connecticut

Get in the Zone

Not every tree is suited for every environment. The first thing you must determine is if a tree you like can even thrive in your area. In order to do that, you need to find out what hardiness zone you live in by consulting a hardiness zone map. These maps divided the entire country into zones between 1-13. The number tells you the average range of low temperatures in an area and whether a tree would thrive there.

Just because a tree isn’t best suited for your zone doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t be an option. It means you may need to take special precautions. You may need to winterize the tree in cold weather or plant it in a container that can be moved when temperatures become dangerous to the tree.

Size Matters

People will often plant a tree because they saw it somewhere and liked it. What they didn’t realize is that they were looking at a tree that was early in its growth cycle and the tree will get much bigger. Large trees on small lots can cause many problems, like interfering with power lines and casting too much shade, which encourages moss growth. Prior to planting, you should know how big a tree will be at its most mature.

Trees can have huge, underground, root systems too that can pose problems if they become expansive. They can invade sewer systems and even uproot nearby fixtures. It’s important to know how big a tree will get, both above and below ground before you decide to plant it. Size isn’t much of a problem if there are no nearby dwellings or fixtures. So if you want to plant a tree that will get pretty big, just make sure it has plenty of unobstructed space.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Trees are beautiful and most people admire them for their aesthetic value. However, they offer other benefits as well. Have you thought about all the different reasons planting trees in your yard would be beneficial to you? If not, you should spend some time thinking about why people plant trees before planting your own. It may help in finding the perfect trees for your space.

Establishing Borders and Privacy

Trees can create a beautiful, natural border around your landscaping. They offer privacy but are less intrusive than fences and they last a lot longer too. If creating a border, or privacy, is something that is important to you, you’ll want to consider trees that never lose their leaves so you can have privacy year-round. Evergreens are an obvious choice in this situation.

Growing Fruit

If the idea of making recipes using fruit from your own trees sounds appealing, you may want to consider a fruit-bearing tree. Not only do they provide food but they add color and can pull double duty as a decorative installment. Hardy fruits, like pears and plums, do well in zone 6, but you may be able to grow a more delicate variety with extra special care and attention.

Creating Shade

A shade tree can offer you a cool space to enjoy your beautiful landscaping. They can create a natural canopy for an outdoor space and protect not only from the sun but the rain, too. If you’re looking to create a nice, shady spot, the density and width of the canopy will be important. Trees with colorful leaves not only provide shade but can also set a mood.

Attracting Wildlife

Certain trees attract different birds, animals, and insects. Maybe you’d like to see more little creatures visiting your yard. Maybe you want to keep certain bugs or animals out. Think about how the tree you plant will be a part of the ecosystem around it. Trees support many other lifeforms, and planting a tree means you get a package deal.

Things Change

Another important thing to remember when selecting a tree for your backyard is that trees change throughout the season. If, for example, you want a tree that is going to create a focal point for your landscaping, you might want to consider a tree that looks stunning both with foliage and bare. There are a lot of trees that are coveted because of the beautiful silhouette their bare branches create.

Trees shed leaves, branches, and even bark change in some cases as the seasons change. It’s important to consider not only how your tree will look during different times of the year but also how it will behave. Considering the amount of yard work a tree will create is important. You want to make sure it is something that you can handle either physically or financially.

Getting Into the Routine

Because trees grow freely and unassisted by humans in nature, you may think that they don’t require much maintenance. Trees in nature are just fine because, if they fall over or become infested with pests, they’re in the perfect spot: nature, and not your backyard. But trees near our homes need to be maintained in order to ensure that they are safe and healthy.

Routine maintenance may be necessary. Pruning, controlling pests, and checking for the general health of a tree are things you will need to do regularly. Some trees are more high-maintenance than others. Knowing how much maintenance a tree may require should go into your decision-making when choosing a tree for your home. This is especially true if the maintenance is not something you can do yourself.

The More You Know

When you find the tree, or trees, you would like to plant, read as much about them as you can. Maybe you’ll discover that a particular tree has a lot of pollen and that’s something you might want to avoid. We couldn’t include everything you need to know about selecting a tree in this article and suggest you do more research before putting one in the ground.

Planting a tree isn’t for those looking for instant gratification. It may be years after a tree is planted before you can see the fruits of your labor (pun intended). Learning about a tree before you plant it means you can do your best to avoid mistakes that can take years to correct.

If you read this article and thought to yourself “you’d better leave it to the professionals”, that’s understandable. There’s a lot to learn about selecting the best trees for backyard landscape design. Luckily, there are plenty of knowledgeable people in the field of landscaping that can help you out. Visit Landscaper Locator today to find someone to help you with your yard needs.