Planting a tree should be an easy decision. Ask yourself a few key questions will help you to decide what tree to plant and where to plant it.
#1 Choosing the Tree Planting Location
Where do I want a tree?
Trees can help with myriad landscape goals for the average American backyard. For example, trees can:
provide shade for a structure or play area
create privacy
protect your yard from prevailing winds,
tie together a planting
act as a visual centerpiece in your landscape
provide seasonal color (spring blossoms, summer fruit, fall foliage)
create interesting winter structure
All of these different uses (and more) will help guide where to locate your tree.
Here the property owner chose to create a private screen using White Cedar.
Consider the location you’ve chosen
Once you have chosen a location that meets the goals you have in mind, think about how this physical location will effect the tree’s health.
Is it a low-lying area that tends to remain wet in the spring or after a rain?
Is it shaded by other trees or structures, or does it get sun all day?
Is it close to structures, like a house or power lines?
Are you replacing a tree that was previously cut down?
Your tree choice should match your location. Fortunately, there is a suitable tree for every situation! A lowland tree like a larch, cypress, or elm can thrive in the wettest spots of most yards. Shade-tolerant trees like hemlock, sugar maple, or ironwood can actually benefit from some shade during their lifecycle.
Consider how high your tree may grow
Consider the mature size of a tree and try to choose a spot where it won’t interfere with buildings or power lines as it grows. We want your tree to live for a hundred years or more; avoid having the next homeowner cut the tree down in 80 years because it was “too close to the house.”
Tree replacement considerations
When you are replacing a tree that was cut down, it helps to locate the new tree at least two feet from the stump edge of the previous tree (more is better when possible).
Even when the old stump is ground down, the digging is more difficult and there will be less soil to anchor and provide nutrients for the new tree’s roots. Planting in the same spot as the old tree requires additional stump grinding which increases time and cost.
Zach is planting a concolor fir under some dying spruce, establishing some screening before cutting the older, dying trees down.
#2 Ensure the Soil is Right
What tree will thrive in your dirt?
There is a wide range of soil types and quality in the greater Madison area, and the soil in your yard has a strong influence on which tree will grow best. But be assured, most of the trees we sell will work in most soils.
For example, an ironwood prefers well-drained, sandy soils, but won’t do quite as well in a very heavy soil or wet spot in your yard. On the other hand a bur oak is a soil champion, and tolerates clay soil, dry sites, and even occasional flooding.
Typical modern construction practices remove two to three feet of native topsoil, often leaving only hard clay remaining. The clay is then covered with a few inches of soil and sod. This practice wreaks havoc on the soil. The subsoil underneath is so compacted that it essentially acts like concrete and anything other than turfgrass must struggle to survive.
Older neighborhoods were usually built using less impactful practices and equipment, and have had more time to rebuild soil structure and restore life and organic matter to their soils.
So grab a shovel and take a look at your soil
Is it heavy and full of clay?
Is it sandy?
Or is it dark, damp and crumble easily in your hand?
Most of the trees we offer will do well in a range of soils, but there are some that can be more picky. Do a little “digging” about the trees you have in mind. The Morton Arboretum is one excellent resource for researching trees, and has information on mature size, soil and light requirements and more for most trees.
#3 Don’t Sweat It!
Trees are tough. They have to be to survive being in one place for decades to hundreds (sometimes thousands!) of years at a time. Do some homework, but remember there is room for flexibility when deciding what tree to plant, and where.
We want your tree to have a long and happy life, and are happy to answer questions and offer suggestions. Please contact us with any questions, or leave comments below and we will do our best to get you answers.