Pros and Cons of Planting a Tree in your Garden
You think about planting a tree in your yard but are not sure whether this is a good idea or not?
Stick with me since I will show you all the pros and cons of planting a tree in your garden in the following chapters.
Table of Contents
Advantages of Planting a Tree in your Garden
- Trees can provide additional shade
- Trees in your yard can reduce your electricity bill
- You can stabilize the soil
- Trees can store water
- Lower risk of soil erosions
- Trees are natural carbon storage spaces
- You can make your home look nicer
- Planting trees in your yard can increase resale value of your home
- You will get space to place a hammock
- You can attract birds and squirrels with your trees
- Trees can produce a nice smell during flowering time
- You can plant a tree yourself
- You can use the wood from your tree
- You can build a treehouse
Trees can provide additional shade
One advantage of having a tree in your yard is that it can provide you with additional shade.
Especially during summer, it can get really hot and you may want to sit outdoors in your garden but not directly in the sun.
In such a case, planting trees in your garden can be great for you since you will have many different shady spots to relax.
Not only will you feel much more comfortable sitting in the shade compared to full sun, but you will also be protected against sunburn.
In turn, you will also be less likely to suffer from skin cancer or other issues that come along with excessive sun exposure.
Trees in your yard can reduce your electricity bill
Since your trees will provide plenty of shade in your garden, chances are that you will also spend lots of time in this cozy environment in summer.
Consequently, there will be less need to use your air conditioning on maximum level since you will simply not spend that much time inside your house during the day.
In the evening, it will cool down in a natural manner anyway and this means that you will just not have to use your air conditioning as much.
In turn, chances are that your power bill will also be much lower and you can use this saved money on other things instead.
You can stabilize the soil
Another upside of planting a tree in your yard is that you can stabilize the soil.
In some regions, the soil is quite loose and even slow winds can raise dust and soil.
In turn, your yard and your driveway will often look quite messy and will have to be cleaned on a regular basis if you want to keep them tidy.
Yet, if you plant trees in your yard, you can reduce the amount of work you have to put into keeping your driveway clean since the roots of trees will stabilize the soil and will it make less vulnerable to winds and storms.
Consequently, less soil and dust will be raised and you will just have a tidier lawn in general.
Trees can store water
Trees can also be quite helpful in the sense that they can store plenty of water.
In fact, trees are natural water storage spaces and during times of heavy rain, they will soak and conserve plenty of water.
In turn, it will become less likely that your home will be flooded since more water will be used by your trees and less water will be left to cause any serious damage to your house.
Hence, planting trees in your yard can also make quite a lot of sense if you live in regions where heavy rain is quite common and you want to protect your home against floods.
Sure, you may also want to take additional safety measures and also get proper insurance in such a case.
Yet, planting trees at home can be a first simple step to lower the risk.
Lower risk of soil erosions
Another advantage of getting a tree for your garden is that you will also be able to lower the risk of soil erosions in a completely natural manner.
The roots of trees hold the soil together and soil erosions become less likely if you have enough trees around your home.
While this might not be a big thing in some regions, other areas might be at great risk of soil erosion and depending on the region you live in, planting trees can also be beneficial for you in this regard.
Trees are natural carbon storage spaces
You can also do good for our environment by planting trees in your yard.
Trees are natural carbon storage spaces and this means that they can take away plenty of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
In turn, the global warming problem and related issues can be mitigated to a certain extent.
Hence, planting trees in your garden can also be a great way to make your contribution to a livable future for the next generations.
You can make your home look nicer
Trees will not only be quite helpful for various reasons, but they can also make your home look much nicer.
Especially during flowering time, your trees will look awesome and your neighbors will often be really envious about the visual appearance of your home.
Especially if you live in an urban area, it can be nice to have some trees around your home since you can bring back the feeling to live in a natural environment.
Planting trees in your yard can increase resale value of your home
Since your home will look much nicer with trees and those trees will also improve your quality of life at home, chances are that planting trees can also increase the property value of your home.
People will be more inclined to buy your house and you will often also be able to sell it in a shorter period of time.
Sure, you might not think about selling your home at this point in time.
Yet, the time may come sooner or later and doing things that can improve your property value will often be the right way to go since you will profit from those things later on in your life.
You will get space to place a hammock
Planting trees in your garden can also be right for you if you are the type of person who really loves to relax and to hang out in a hammock.
I know some people who could just not live without a hammock and who even sleep in those cozy helpers.
Hence, if you are one of those people who want to spend plenty of time in a hammock instead of sitting in a normal chair, chances are that you should plants some trees in your yard since you can place your hammock between two of those trees and have a great spot to relax.
You can attract birds and squirrels with your trees
By planting trees at your home, you will also have more natural space in general.
In turn, chances are that you will also attract more squirrels and birds and this can be great since you will feel like in the middle of nature even though you are still at your place.
Consequently, there will be less need to go on weekend trips since you can create your own natural environment at home and while many other people get stuck in traffic jams and have to spend plenty of money on fuel, you can just sit in your nice natural home and enjoy the atmosphere.
Trees can produce a nice smell during flowering time
Another benefit of planting trees in your yard is that they will also smell pretty nice during flowering time.
Of course, this is not true for all trees and you should therefore consult your local gardening center to figure out what trees you should plant to get the best out of them in this regard.
If you choose the right ones, chances are that your yard will not only look nice, but that it will also smell a little bit like heaven.
For instance, apple trees are great in this regard since they look good, smell good and you can even use the crops to eat them later on in the year.
You can plant a tree yourself
You also don’t need someone who plants the trees for you.
Especially if you want to get rather small trees, you can often plant them by yourself.
Sure, this will take some physical work and you may sweat a little bit.
However, you will still also learn a lot in this regard.
In turn, chances are that you will also be able to help out your family and friends and you may even be able to start your own specialized gardening business since many other people search for someone who can plant trees in their yards in a proper manner.
You can use the wood from your tree
If you plant the right trees and also know what you are doing, chances are that you will also be able to use the wood from your trees for various purposes.
For instance, you can just use the branches of your trees for firewood or you can also use them to make nice furniture out of them.
Opportunities are almost endless and you will also find many ideas what to do with your wood on the internet.
You can build a treehouse
If you are skilled at home improvement and also have plenty of leisure, you could also build a treehouse on one of your trees.
While this would take a lot of work, having a treehouse can also have many advantages.
Especially if you have children, it can be great since your kids will get additional room to play and to hide.
Treehouses can also make your home unique and you should definitely think about combining your trees in your yard with a nice treehouse.
If you want to learn more about treehouses, make sure to also check out my article where I show you all the pros and cons of treehouses.
As you can see, there are many important upsides to planting trees in your yard.
However, like everything in life, planting trees in your garden also implies some problems which I want to discuss in the following so that you get a better idea of what having trees at your home really looks like.
Disadvantages of Planting Trees in Your Yard
- You have to invest some money in your trees
- Trees may fall during heavy winds
- Insurance problems
- Trees in your yard may not fit into the overall landscape
- You may choose the wrong trees for your garden
- Trees will take away plenty of space in your garden
- You may have more shade than you like
- You have to maintain your trees
- Problems with your neighbor
- Risk of serious accidents
- It will take time to grow trees in your garden
- Your tree may suffer from diseases
- Removing big trees can be problematic
You have to invest some money in your trees
One problem with planting trees in your yard is that you will have to invest some money.
Depending on the number of trees you want to get and also on the size of those trees, you will have to invest several hundred or even thousands of dollars.
If you don’t want to plant them yourself, you will also have to pay workers who can do the job for you.
Consequently, you should have some money in your bank account so that you don’t have to get into debt for your tree planting project.
Trees may fall during heavy winds
You should also not take for granted that your trees will be able to withstand heavy winds or even tornados.
While some trees are more resistant to wind than others, all of them will be vulnerable to storms, especially if they get bigger since the wind will have more impact on them.
Therefore, your trees may fall during heavy winds and may cause serious damage to your property or also to the property of your neighbors.
Insurance problems
If your trees fall down and damage the property of third parties, you will often also be liable for this damage and will have to pay for repairs in this regard.
If you are unlucky, your neighbors may also get hurt and may have to go to the hospital.
Those costs can be enormous and may ruin you financially.
Thus, before planting trees at your home, make sure that you get proper insurance so that you are covered in case of emergency.
Trees in your yard may not fit into the overall landscape
Before buying trees for your garden, also make sure that those trees fit into the overall pictures in your neighborhood.
While some trees will not be a problem in this regard, you should make sure that you don’t get any exotic ones that don’t fit into the overall landscape.
Moreover, you should also not plant trees that are far bigger than everything else in your neighborhood since this will just look strange.
You may choose the wrong trees for your garden
You should also inform yourself regarding what trees you can plant in your climatic zone and what trees will not be suitable at all.
For instance, if you live in a rather cool climatic zone, chances are that most palms will not grow well.
Consequently, make sure to inform yourself in this regard so that you don’t get any trees that are not suitable for the climatic conditions you live in.
Trees will take away plenty of space in your garden
Another disadvantage of planting trees in your garden is that they will simply take away plenty of space.
Not only can your trees grow quite big over the years, but also their roots will need lots of space to develop in a healthy manner.
Consequently, you will lose plenty of space that you could have used for growing other plants or also for installing a backyard pond, a backyard fire pit, a slide or other things that can make your home nicer.
Thus, before getting trees for your garden, make sure that you are really willing to sacrifice plenty of space for them.
You may have more shade than you like
While having shade trees can be nice in summer when it is hot outside, too many of those trees can also take away plenty of sunlight.
Also if you plant your trees near your house, chances are that your home will be darker inside.
Hence, it is also crucial that you pick the right spot for planting your trees so that you can minimize the negative effects that might come along with it.
You have to maintain your trees
Another downside of getting trees for your yard is that you will also have to maintain those trees.
Sure, you can also hire people to do the job for you.
Yet, this implies that you will have to pay those people and in the long run, tree maintenance costs can be significant.
If you don’t want to invest this money into a tree caring service, you have to do the work by yourself and this means that you will have to spend plenty of time cutting back trees, collect branches that have fallen down and so on.
Problems with your neighbor
Your neighbors may also not be happy about your trees, especially if they have a direct negative effect on their quality of life.
For instance, if you plant big trees in your yard and those trees take away plenty of sun from your neighbor’s garden, your neighbor will likely not be happy about it at all and may even sue you.
Risk of serious accidents
You should also not underestimate the risks related to trees in your yard.
Trees may fall down during heavy storms and can damage your property or the property of your neighbors.
Moreover, also branches can fall down and can fall on your head. In addition, you may also make mistakes during your tree maintenance work which can lead to serious accidents with your chainsaw or other tools.
As you can see, there are certain risks involved in growing trees in your garden and you should make sure that you are willing to take on this risk before ordering those trees.
It will take time to grow trees in your garden
It will also take quite a long time to grow small trees to a certain size.
In fact, most trees grow quite slow and some of them even only grow a few inches per year.
In turn, you have to wait for many years or even decades to get sizable trees, especially if you have planted rather small versions.
Your tree may suffer from diseases
Similar to humans, your trees will also not stay healthy forever.
While you don’t have to go to the tree doctor, you still have to take some measures in case this happens.
Trees usually suffer from diseases when they don’t have the right conditions to grow and this means that you might have to adjust the soil mix or also the drainage which can take additional time and money.
Removing big trees can be problematic
You should also not underestimate how difficult it can be to remove trees from your yard.
Especially if those trees are big, they are hard to carry away and their roots will also be deeply anchored in the ground.
In fact, removing trees can be quite costly and you should therefore make sure that you want to have trees in your garden for a long period of time before ordering those trees so that you don’t have to deal with removal issues.
Top 10 Yard Trees Pros & Cons – Summary List
| Yard Trees Pros | Yard Trees Cons |
|---|---|
| Planting trees can increase property value | Yard trees can be expensive |
| Yard trees can make your home look nicer | You have to maintain your trees |
| Can provide you with shade | Risk of accidents related to your trees |
| You can build a treehouse | Planting trees can be exhausting |
| Trees can store water | Removing trees can be a problem |
| Reduced risk of soil erosion | Your trees may get sick |
| Trees can smell nice | Not all trees will be suitable for your climate |
| You can use the wood from your trees | Insurance problems in case of accidents |
| You can attract squirrels and birds | Trees take time to grow |
| You can slow down global warming | Your neighbors may not like it |
Should You Plant A Tree in your Garden?
Now that you know all the advantages and disadvantages of planting trees in your yard, you should evaluate all the arguments carefully so that you can make a profound decision in this regard.
You should also take your time to choose the right spot for your garden and to choose the right tree variety for the climatic zone you live in to avoid any issues in this regard.
Sources
https://www.arborday.org/trees/index-choosing.cfm
https://www.pinterest.de/pin/56787645291636400/
About the Author
My name is Andreas and I’m really passionate about our environment and also about growing plants. In fact, I have grown several different plants over many years. I love to see my plants grow and also always try new things to improve my overall conditions at home.
In my blog posts, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can become successful in growing various different plants and improving your home as well, even though you might still be a beginner right now.
