Gardening: Trees can bring many benefits to your home landscaping

September and October are the best time of year to plant trees and other woody plants in most of Utah. The soil is still warm enough to encourage root development, and daytime highs are lower so plants are not stressed. Look at your landscape this fall. Are there any gaps you can fill by planting a tree? Consider what trees can add to your landscape and surrounding environment; cooling shade, windbreak, visual screen, aesthetic appeal. In 10 to 20 years, you and future homeowners will appreciate your forward thinking.
"Take a look at our older neighborhoods," says Janet Simonich, vice president of Progressive Plants, a wholesale nursery in Copperton.
"Someone planted a lot of trees. The biggest mistake new homeowners
Learn more about choosing trees is underplanting." New homeowners often delay tree planting, possibly because they cost more than annuals and perennials and don't give immediate gratification with color. Larger homes on smaller lots might discourage some people from planting trees, but more and more tree varieties are available that fit small spaces.
"With columnar trees, you can get plants much closer to the home," Simonich notes. Columnar English oak, for example, is a very good choice for smaller landscapes, providing they won't grow up into power or phone lines. The main drive at Progressive Plants is lined with English oak, creating a formal promenade look. Because it eventually grows quite tall, English oak might be a good choice to plant
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in narrow spaces between homes. Dense dark green foliage provides a good screen for privacy through summer. After winter's first freeze, English oak turns brown. Leaves persist until late winter or early spring so the tree continues to provide windbreak and visual screen. English oak is well adapted to Utah's soil and climate; its leathery leaves withstand drying winds and stay dark green even in high pH soil.
If environmentally conscious homeowners are concerned that trees use too much water, Simonich points out that trees often save landscape water after growing large enough to cast shade on nearby plants. Plus, trees help save energy by shading homes in summer and decreasing wind effects in winter. "You have to consider the trade-offs," Simonich says. Once tree roots are well established, a deep watering every 3 or 4 weeks in summer will keep most trees vigorous and healthy.
The most recently touted benefit of trees is their function of sequestering carbon. Through photosynthesis, trees convert atmospheric carbon into leaves, limbs and trunks. The larger the tree, the more carbon it has stored. Less carbon dioxide in our atmosphere may reduce global warming.
Progressive Plants moved from the east side of the Salt Lake Valley to the far west side in 2005. As the largest wholesale nursery in Utah, they supplied landscaping companies with more than 15,000 plants last year. Many trees for sale at your local garden center were supplied by Progressive Plants.
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