Tips for Selecting and Planting Trees and Shrubs

Trees and shrubs in your backyard can be home to many different types of wildlife. Trees and shrubs also can reduce your heating and cooling costs, help clean the air, add beauty and color, provide shelter from the wind and the sun, and add value to your home.

Choose a tree or shrub that will provide enjoyment for you and that fits your landscape. Before buying and planting a tree or shrub, you should find out:
  1. If a tree or shrub is appropriate for your area
  2. How big it will get?
  3. How long it will live?
  4. Its leaf color in the fall
  5. Any nuts or fruit it may bear
  6. Proper planting instructions and care for that species.

Make a conscious effort to select trees and shrubs native to your area. They will live longer, be more tolerant of local weather and soil conditions, enhance natural biodiversity in your neighborhood, and be more beneficial to wildlife than non-native trees and shrubs. Avoid exotic trees and shrubs that can invade other areas, crowd out native plants, and harm natural ecosystems.

Below you will find some helpful tree and shrub planting tips:
  1. Plant a variety of tree and shrub species. For wildlife, choose trees and shrubs that bloom and bear fruit or nuts at different times of the year.
  2. Trees and shrubs can be planted almost any time of the year as long as the soil is not frozen. However, early fall is the optimum time to plant trees and shrubs. Your second choice for planting is late winter or early spring.

A properly planted and maintained tree or shrub will grow much faster and live much longer than one that is incorrectly planted.

Planting one or more trees or shrubs to provide shade for your yard and house can lead to significant savings on your energy bill. In fact, according to the US Department of Energy, properly positioned trees and shrubs can save up to 25 percent of a household’s energy use for heating and cooling.

For example, large, deciduous trees planted on the south and west sides of your home will provide cooling shade in the summer and will allow the low winter sun to provide some warmth. Evergreen trees planted on the north and east sides of your house can provide protection from cold winter winds.

Benefits of planting trees and shrubs include the following:
  1. Reduce consumption of water and pesticides
  2. Lower use of fuel for landscaping and lawn maintenance
  3. Control noise and air pollution
  4. Offers substantial environmental benefits as they help to control erosion, protect water supplies and provide food and habitat for wildlife, in addition to helping clean the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.

Sources: USDA, US Dept of Energy

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