Shade trees are a wonderful way to add habitats for wildlife and beauty to your landscape design. However, there are several other benefits to well-placed shade trees. They’re an excellent way to cool down your home during the hot summer months, and this saves you both energy and money. In turn, this can slowly reduce
An attractive and unusual specimen, the leathery green foliage of the avocado tree is a great way to add interest to a garden or houseplant collection. And, with a little care and patience, many varieties can even be encouraged to bear fruit. Originating in southern Mexico, the popular pear shaped fruit of the avocado tree
If you’re looking for something small to fill in your front yard landscaping that gives you visual interest all year-round, dwarf evergreen trees are a great option to consider. They have virtually no maintenance needs except moderate watering, and this allows them to look nice without adding a lot of stress on you to constantly
The crabapple tree is often unfairly maligned. An attractive addition to any garden or fruit tree collection, its buds tend to be darker than the flowers, giving the tree an attractive, multi-colored appearance as the flowers open. The ornamental attraction doesn’t end with the flowers. The foliage of the plant, green in spring, slowly changes
The juniper tree is a pleasingly versatile plant. An evergreen, coniferous tree, the scaly foliage of the juniper helps to make it a distinctive addition to the garden. The plants dense foliage remains thick and green from winter until high summer, providing year round greenery and interest. Most evergreen cultivars enjoy prickly needle-like growth. This
A banana tree is a great way to bring a tropical feel to your home or garden. These attractive specimens are also a good way to introduce structure and shade to an open space. Gardeners in cooler climates will enjoy more success with hardy banana tree varieties. While, these are unlikely to bear fruit the
Graceful and elegant, the weeping willow is a great way to add drama and interest to a landscape. The drooping branches of these weeping trees cascade down to the ground, creating a showy spectacle. The trees sweeping branches are also a natural way to introduce shade and privacy to outdoor spaces. Originating in Asia the
One of the earliest trees to wake up in the late winter garden, pussy willows add structure and color to a space. The plants’ unusual furry catkins bring interest to otherwise dull winter gardens. Continuing the interest, the catkins are quickly followed in spring by white-yellow flowers and attractive oval shaped leaves. Pussy willows are
Tall and elegant, the poplar tree is an ideal way to bring structure, focus and shade into your garden. An attractive deciduous plant, the poplar tree is a great choice if you want to introduce privacy or shelter to an outdoor space. Thriving in warm weather and moist soil, most varieties are hardy in USDA
A redbud tree is a reliable way to add color and structure to your landscape. As well as being an attractive ornamental plant, the redbud tree is also pleasingly easy to care for. Native to many parts of North America, the redbud tree (Cercsis canadensis) is suitable for USDA planting zones 4 to 9. Also
Sycamore tree, aka the “Tree of Life” according to ancient Egyptian mythology, is a glorious vision. It is the largest deciduous tree found in the Eastern part of the United States. In addition to making handsome shade trees for large landscapes, they provide a storage area for birds that need a place to house food
Have you always dreamed of growing your own lemon tree but worried that your garden isn’t hot enough? Luckily, there is a solution. The lemon tree is perfectly happy to grow in a container. This means that you can grow these attractive plants indoors. Unlike some houseplants, the lemon tree provides year round interest thanks
If you’re searching for a fun and elegant way to draw more attention to your backyard or pond design, try weeping trees. With these types of trees, the branches will droop downward to create a graceful and whimsical look. This drooping look comes from mutations that you get through selective propagation where you take cuttings
Hawthorn tree (Crataegus) is a reliable and stately addition to most spaces. A deciduous ornamental plant, it’s glossy foliage and white flowers provide interest from early spring through the height of summer and into fall. The hawthorn tree is also known as May blossom, or May flowers. The rhyme “here we go gathering knots of
The weeping cherry tree is one of the most elegant ornamental plants. At its best in the spring when its arching branches are covered with white or pink flowers. The weeping cherry tree is a great way to add height and structure to a garden. They are also an elegant way of introducing soft focus
The magnolia tree is prized for its fragrant, showy flowers and glossy green foliage. It’s attractive appearance makes it easy to see why this is one of the most popular plants amongst floral and ornamental gardeners. Prized for their large flowers, some varieties come into flower before they have produced any foliage for the year.
Dogwood trees have an intriguing and storied history. It has been said that Native Americans would make daggers from the tree. Its very name seems to confirm that. Dogwood is derived from dagwood, a name that connects the material used with the tool created. The exceptionally strong wood made great swords, walking sticks, and other
Ficus Elastica, also known as the Rubber Plant is a great choice if you want to add some drama and color to your home. An easy going plant, Ficus Elastica is a great choice for new or nervous gardeners. Ficus Elastica is part of the larger Ficus genus, of which there are around 900 different
Maple trees offer some of the best fall color you’ll ever find, putting on a showy display as the weather turns cold. They are also one of the easiest trees to grow and will stay standing for generations. There are over 100 different species of maple, ranging in size from small specimens to large shade
The fig tree (ficus carica) has large, beautiful leaves that are able to provide a lot of tree shade, and the tree produces a very sweet fruit. Fortunately, fig tree care is easy to help them grow and maintain, but you may run into trouble if you forget to water them or don’t have the
The art of growing and cultivating Bonsai trees is well over 1,000 years old. This tends to scare some people off because they believe that these unique plants are very difficult to maintain. The most popular way to get a Bonsai is to buy one already grown online, but this can be expensive. It’s more
Wondering how are cashews grown and looking to grow your own cashew tree? The cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) is a flowering evergreen. Despite its ornamental attraction it is primarily grown for its fruit, the cashew nut and cashew apple. This versatility makes it a popular choice for people when choosing fruit trees for their garden.
Ah, the humble coconut tree. Having originated somewhere in Indonesia or Malaysia (we think), coconut palms are the VIPs of trees in the tropics. Their long and storied history in this region dates back thousands of years, but only of late has the west caught on to just how precious to our health the coconut
Planting fruit trees in your garden is a great choice. Planting any tree is great for you, and for the planet. But a fruit tree gives you even more. They provide a bountiful yield. When cared for, they can continue to do so year after year. They are great for wildlife too. Did you know
Want to grow a plum tree? Growing plums can be a valuable addition to a home-grown diet. These fruits are delicious either fresh or cooked in a wide range of recipes. The right plum trees, placed in the right location, can provide an abundant source of these healthy fruits for many years to come. Some