More Trees in Your Landscaping
Trees then and now
When I was a boy I was surrounded by trees. One step out my back door and there they were, trees of all sizes and shapes.. But where are those trees now? New homes have so much stone, so much grey, and so little green, they are surrounded by walls, brick fortresses, built to keep us safe. Trees aren’t safe, there fun, they’re beautiful, they don’t tell others to keep out, not like a brick wall does. A tree is welcoming, and that does not seem to be popular these days. They take time to care for, time to water, time to prune. Stone
doesn’t need us to care for it, stone is happy alone.
My father and trees
My father was always so enthusiastic about the trees in our yard, he took special care to explain the different varieties to anyone who would listen. He would tell them about a certain tree and where it came from, when he planted it, and how much fruit it had given to him. I dare say he spoke more about the trees than he did me. Of course I didn’t give him buckets of fresh fruit, and I cost a lot more to raise than the few dollars it took to fertilize a tree. Dad would often arrive home from the office, change out of his stuffy suit, grab his pruning shears, and head outside to give his trees a little trim. He was at his happiest then.
Why plant more trees?
We all know how trees benefit the environment and how they give us clean air to breathe. Did you know that one tree releases enough oxygen into the atmosphere to support two people? Other than clean air, trees supply us with food in the form of fruit. One apple tree in your back yard can supply an apple a day to a family of five. Apples are just the beginning though, depending on your local climate, you can plant plum trees, apricot trees, citrus or pear trees, and a host of others. As well, a fruit tree will feed the local bird population and keep small animals fed and happy. Besides providing fruit, trees give us shade, privacy, and nesting areas for the local bird population. There is so much a tree can offer to you and your family. We need trees to feel something softer than stone, something only a tree can give, a connection to something outside of ourselves. So today I am going to plant a tree, and I hope you’ll do the same.
