Think trees when you think a garden for the ages

We have all heard the saying, "Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime." With all due respect to Lao Tzu, I'd like to offer this metaphor:

Fill a garden with annuals and perennials, create a garden for the season; plant a garden with trees; create a garden for the ages.

Most people think about flowers first when planning a landscape, but trees should be their first consideration. Because they are the largest plants in the landscape, they will have the greatest visual impact.

As they mature, trees give a garden unique character and structure. If you imagine your landscape as a house, the trees form the walls and ceiling. Whether evergreen or deciduous, their presence remains even when winter has forced other plants to retreat.

Trees provide shelter from sun and wind giving gardeners the chance to grow a wider variety of plants. They impede the sun's rays creating a habitat for shade-loving plants. Without trees, you couldn't grow hostas, and I can't imagine a garden without hostas! Plants that need shielding from wind exist happily with their protection. Many ferns look lush and tropical under the shelter of trees; without them, they look worn and tattered.

So, from a design standpoint, trees are a must for a beautiful landscape. But there are more reasons why trees are valuable.

Economic benefits

With declining home values, trees are especially significant. A mature tree in a landscape has an appraised value of $1,000 to $10,000, according to the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers. And Management Information Systems estimates that "landscaping, especially with trees, can increase property values as much as 20 percent."

Trees that shade south and west walls and windows of a home reduce the cost of air conditioning in the summer. Evergreen trees planted to block cold winter winds shrink heating bills in winter.

Environmental benefits

Trees reduce runoff in two ways. Their foliage interrupts falling raindrops, slows their descent, and reduces their impact on the soil below. Their roots hold the soil so groundwater can be replenished and soil, along with chemicals, is not washed into streams.

While trees don't significantly reduce noise, the movement of their branches and leaves offer a pleasant, distracting 'white noise.'

Think of trees as the lungs of the planet. They give off oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the air, helping to fight global warming. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, "One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen - enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people."

Wildlife benefits

Trees, in general, provide nesting habitats, shelter from the elements, and escape cover from predators. Many flowering trees provide food for songbirds. There are trees with delectable fruit that birds relish and eat early; and there are trees with less appealing fruit that serves as emergency food in late winter when birds are hungry and less finicky.

Health benefits

We need trees for our own good health. We all recognize the healthful benefits when we eat the fruits and nuts grown on trees. Herbalists rely on many species of trees to make herbal medicines. But there is research to suggest many other benefits.

Research done at the Landscape and Human Health Lab at the University of Illinois has shown that symptoms of children's ADHD can be reduced when kids perform activities in green settings.

And lab research done by Dr. Roger S. Ulrich of Texas A&M University has shown that visual exposure to settings with trees produces significant recovery from stress within 5 minutes, as indicated by changes in blood pressure and muscle tension. When I've had a rough day, the first thing I do when I get home is take a short walk through my garden. My family benefits as much as I do!

Realizing the value of trees is significant, but the action we take is critical. Let's all plant at least one tree on Arbor Day - for ourselves and our children, for the birds, and for our planet.

Diana Stoll is a horticulturalist and the Retail Manager at The Planter's Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield, IL. Call 630-293-1040 or visit their website at www.planterspalette.com.