Plant a Tree this Arbor Day 2020

Friday, April 24, 2020, is Arbor Day. Won’t you plant a tree and not only beautify your yard, but also help the environment?

Did you know?

Trees do more than just look aesthetically pleasing and beautify our yards and neighborhoods. Did you know that they also help us to stay healthy by creating oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide? Check out these great facts about trees at https://www.arborday.org/trees/treefacts/.

My Challenge to You…

This Arbor Day, I’d like to challenge you to plant a tree or bush and send us your photos.

• Why not add a tree or flowering bush to your yard?
• Give the gift of  a tree to your parents or grandparents to look at while they may be homebound.
• Plant a tree in memory of a loved one who passed too soon.
• Teach your child/children about gardening and the benefits of trees.

With the current Coronavirus situation, many garden centers are offering curbside pickup of plants and trees. Don’t let that stop you from getting outdoors this Arbor Day and planting a tree. To me, there is nothing more relaxing than getting my hands dirty, planting flowers, and beautifying my yard.

Many trees do double duty:

Aside from providing shade, there are many trees that produce colorful flowers and later set fruit or berries. In addition to benefiting humans, trees also provide homes and food sources for birds and other small critters.

Here are some of my favorite trees to consider adding to your yard.

Austrian Pine: Relatively fast-growing evergreen. Grows about 6-12 inches each year. (Photo: Karen Hance)

Common Lilac, Purple: These come in a variety of colors from purple (dark & light, as well as with white edges), to white, pink, and even deep red. (Very fragrant) (Photo: Karen Hance)

Common Lilac Blossoms, Purple (Photo: Karen Hance)

Snowball Bush Viburnum- these come in tree form or a bush. The trees are more compact as the bushes will get quite large. (Photo: Karen Hance)

Snowball Bush Viburnum Blossoms (Photo: Karen Hance)

Purple Prince Crabapple- these come in a variety of colors as well; some with fragrant blossoms and birds love the berries. (Photo: Karen Hance)

Purple Prince Crabapple Blossoms (Photo: Karen Hance)

Dwarf Alberta Spruce- A very slow-growing evergreen, perfect for small spaces. Deer resistant too! (Photo: Karen Hance)

Kousa Dogwood- has pretty flowers that turn to large red berries. The birds don’t eat the berries so they are more for show. If you want a Dogwood that the birds will love the berries, try the Flowering Dogwood- in pink or white. (Photo: Karen Hance)

Kousa Dogwood Blossoms (Photo: Karen Hance)

Juniper Shrub- this evergreen is deer resistant and grows at a medium rate- not too fast or slow. (Photo: Karen Hance)

Pussy Willow- produces fuzzy catkins in the spring. Grows quite large, fairly quickly. Plant away from the house for best results. (Photo: Karen Hance)

Pussy Willow Catkins (Photo: Karen Hance)

Golden Raindrops Crabapple- this is another favorite with the birds. Not only do they love the berries, but the branches form an excellent place for birds to build their nest. The first year we planted this, a mother American Robin chose it for her nest and raised three babies. (Photo: Karen Hance)

Golden Raindrops Crabapple Blossoms (Photo: Karen Hance)

Golden Raindrops Crabapple Berries (Photo: Karen Hance)

I hope this gives you some good ideas as to which tree you will plant this Arbor Day. This is just a sampling of the trees on my property, there are so many others that I could have shown you. Some other trees and bushes to think about are the Maples which include Japanese, Sugar, Norway, Red and Silver Maples (great for shade). Rose of Sharon and Arborvitae make great specimen trees or put multiple trees together to create a privacy fence (Arborvitae is NOT deer resistant). There are a variety of fruit-producing trees (for humans) such as cherry, apple, plum, pear and so many more. Oftentimes you will need at least two or more of these to cross-pollinate in order for them to bear fruit.

Before buying any tree, do your homework.

Find out the light, water and soil requirements. Check on the final size of the tree and make sure you have adequate space for it. There’s nothing worse than planting a tree and 5-10 years later you find out it has outgrown it’s home next to your house. See my post regarding 3 mistakes to avoid when planting a new tree.

Good luck and happy planting!