To me one of the greatest things we can do is plant a tree. Not only are they beautiful but if cited properly and given a chance they’re going to have a positive impact on the environment, long after we’re gone.

I think one of the best examples of this is at Mount Vernon, where George Washington planted this magnificent tulip popper almost 200 years ago.

Planting a tree is something any of us can do and the best time to get many of them in the ground is to fall. You see planting trees while they’re dormant allows them to recover more quickly from being moved around and then it also gives them an opportunity to settle in before they’re next growth phase in the spring.

Aside from the more obvious reasons for planting trees, there’s also a very practical one. Certain reports indicate that planting trees near you house you can reduce the amount of energy consumption into your home up to 40%.

This is done by blocking the amount of solar radiation that hit your house during the summer. But to achieve this results you’ll need to site them on the West side and since sun beaming through windows can really heat up your home it’s a good idea to try to shade them.

Whether you begin with something small or a larger specimen it’s important to know what its height and limb spread will be at maturity. Any guide book can help you with the potential size of trees. Understanding this information will help keep you from making a mistake of planting the tree too close to your house or utilities.

After all if you go to the trouble the plant want, you want to give it the best as possible. From the garden, I’m Allen Smith.