Trees are beautiful additions to any landscaping design. Large shade trees and smaller ornamental trees both enhance your yard and boost curb appeal. If you’re interested in adding trees to your property, here are a few tips for deciding which ones work well.

How to Choose a Tree to Plant

1. Size & Shade

First, decide what size the tree should be. Small areas with limited space require shorter trees, while a wide-open yard has more room for any size. Ornamental trees, such as Japanese maples, can grow from 3 feet to 20 feet tall and offer beautiful colors.

Also, consider how much shade you want. Shade trees tend to have dense, broad leaves that have rounded or vase-shaped canopies with plenty of space underneath. Choose among beech, maple, oak, sycamore, and others if shade is the goal.

2. Deciduous or Coniferous

Deciduous trees lose their leaves in the fall and remain bare in winter, while conifers are usually evergreen and produce year-round needle-like foliage and pine cones. If you desire privacy, conifers are ideal since they retain their foliage no matter the weather. If you love the changing colors and falling leaves in autumn, choose deciduous. Popular evergreens include arborvitae, pine, and spruce. For deciduous, try maple, oak, birch, or poplar.

3. Flowers

Some trees provide beautiful, colorful blooms and lovely scents for your property. Popular options include cherry, crabapple, dogwood, hawthorn, and redbud. Ensure you know how to care for these types of trees since they may require more pruning and pest control than other species.

4. Soil Type

Most trees do well in rich, moist soil that is slightly acidic, like magnolias or dogwoods, but other varieties prefer drier, alkaline ground. Take a look at what your landscape has, specifically in the area where you plan to plant.

5. Growth Rate

How quickly do you want your trees to mature? Some trees are slow growers, such as hardwoods like some oaks, but they have long life spans. If you need shade or privacy quickly, softwoods like spruce or pine are ideal, but they won’t necessarily live as long.

When you are ready to spruce up your landscaping, head over to the tree farm at Glynn Young’s Landscaping & Nursery Center. Serving Lexington, KY, since 1988, the family-owned garden center offers more than 3,000 shade, flowering, and other trees from which to choose. They also provide gardening essentials like mulch, topsoil, and more. Their team of landscape designers is ready to help with your property. Call (859) 885-6100 for more on their landscaping services, or visit them online for more on their tree farm.