4 Reasons To Plant Trees If You Have Kids
If you have children and own your own home, you're probably open to home improvement or landscaping projects that can make your home a better environment for kids. Here are a few reasons why your home improvement and landscaping projects should include planting trees.
1. Give kids planting experience
Children are often fascinated with nature. Planting a tree with your children can be not only a fun family activity but also a great way to teach your kids about what a tree needs to stay healthy and a great opportunity to teach them about trees' importance to the environment.
2. Easily produce homegrown fruit or nuts
Many fruit trees can also function as attractive landscape features. For instance, mulberry trees are often used in landscaping, and some varieties of cherry, apple, and plum have attractive maroon or purple foliage. Talk to your tree care experts about the types of trees available that offer both beauty and productivity.
While a fruit tree will need residential tree care such as professional pruning every year and irrigation for the first couple of years, trees are still a relatively hands-off way to produce fruit in your own backyard. You can even choose a dwarf variety of fruit tree, which may take as little as three to five years to start fruiting.
3. Provide summer shade and play place
Even if you're not interested in producing fruit and don't feel the need to teach your children about the environment, planting a tree in your backyard can still be a worthwhile endeavor. For example, if you live in an area with hot summers, a shade tree could provide a cool outdoor play spot for your kids.
You'll want to look for a fast-growing and non-toxic tree, such as a tulip tree. Your residential tree care experts can help you find the best tree options that meet these criteria and grow well in your climate.
4. Boost privacy
Some types of trees can be used as a privacy hedge rather than as shade or fruit trees. For instance, the bay laurel and the Virescens Western Red Cedar are both evergreen trees that can be kept trimmed into shrub or hedge shapes.
These and other common hedge tree varieties grow quickly. Under the expert oversight of residential tree care professionals, these types of trees can form a functioning hedge within just a couple of years. Use caution, though; you don't want to choose a potentially toxic variety of hedge such as cherry laurel.
These points show how adding trees to your yard can often help to enrich your kids' outdoor living opportunities. For more information about how trees can help improve your backyard for your kids, contact your local residential tree care company today.