Find the right trees for your garden!

Asha Bogenfuerst Asha Bogenfuerst
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Trees provide an enormous asset to the garden, but do not require much care and attention from the gardener compared to plants and flowers. The best thing about planting trees is that they will be a part of the home for generations to come. Trees can provide windbreaks, shade, and food for the inhabitants of the home and also other plants in the garden. They also filter dust and can provide materials for the garden such as branches for building trellis or dry leaves for mulching. Other than that, trees are beautiful and can enhance the aesthetics of your garden tremendously.

Since there are so many different types of trees that you could possibly choose from, finding the right trees for your garden can prove to be a real challenge. One way to decide which trees are ideal for your garden is to identify why you want the trees in your garden in the first place. Do you need shade in your garden, or are you just looking for some tasty fruit?  Let's browse through this idea guide together and gather some useful information which will make the decision-making process easier. 

Colourful leaves and blossoms

If you're looking for a tree that will add life to the garden, choose a tree with colourful leaves and blossoms. For example, trees such as Frangipani, Flowering Dogwood, and Forsythia all have beautiful blossoms in bright white, pastel pink, and striking yellow. Choose a flowering tree with the right colour to suit your garden and your house. For example, if your house exteriors are a sunny yellow, you might not want to have a tree with yellow flowers in your garden. 

Choosing a tree for your garden is like choosing a partner because it's a decision you have to live with for years. So don't just fall in love with the most beautiful tree, rather consider how it might be like to live with this tree. Does the tree attract unwanted insects or animals to the garden? Find out more about the tree you are attracted to before plunging in. 

Eye-catching bark

Trees are often used as a focal point in the garden as they are larger and also significantly more attention grabbing than plants and flowers. A focal point is usually used to enhance the beauty of a place or to block a particular area from view. If you're looking to plant a tree in your garden for this purpose, choose a tree that is unique, for example, a tree with an eye-catching bark might do the trick. 

Unusual tree barks are excellent for adding interest to the garden, especially in the cool winter months when deciduous trees loose their leaves. Some examples of trees with eye-catching barks are Silver Birch, Pride of India, Fever Tree, and Paperbark Thorn. 

Striking shape of trunk or leaves

Some trees look magical because of a certain striking shape of their trunk or their leaves. Remember to think of the plants in your garden not just in terms of their size or their color, but also their shape. Some trees have awkwardly shaped trunks that just might not fit in your garden. While other might have just the right shape, and be able to provide support for a hammock or perhaps become part of a trellis. 

Other things to consider are such as the growing rate of the trees. Will the trees grow in time to provide you with what you need? If you're looking for a fast-growing tree that can provide you with building material, your best option would be bamboo. 

Tasty fruit

The joy of gardening is most evident when there are results or outcomes such as flowers or fruits. Growing fruit trees can be very satisfying, but make sure you know what you're getting yourself into. Every tree comes with its own set of problems to solve. 

First of all, identify what kind of soil you have in your garden. Is it predominantly clay or does it have a very high pH level? Is the area mostly wet or dry? Once you know what the conditions are in your garden, you can choose the most suitable fruit trees for your garden. Remember, trees thrive when they are planted in the right place and in the right conditions, so do the research it takes to help them grow. 

These garden and landscape suppliers are from Joanne Alderson Design, based in Newbury, United Kingdom. 

Shade

We can all appreciate the beauty of trees, but the shade they provide on a hot day is something we really will be thankful for. Choose a tropical tree with dense foliage and wide-spread branches such as the Rain Tree for shade. These trees will make your house cooler by providing shade from the sun. They can also provide privacy by blocking the view of the neighbor's house or the street in front of your house. Some people also use tree to create a screen or a hedge type fencing around the house. 

Browse through garden designs here on homify for more ideas and inspiration. 

Other helpful information

Other things to consider when choosing the right tree for your garden are, what impact the trees will have on the area to be planted. Do you know that some trees actually release toxins into the ground to prevent other plants from growing? Trees that have large spread-out roots can even damage your house, so be careful that you don't plant trees too close to your house. 

We hope you have gathered sufficient information from this idea guide to help you make your decision on which trees to plant in your garden. For more related inspiration and ideas, have a look at this ideabook get your garden ready for March

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