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| Shade | 46% | 208 votes | Total: 453 votes | |
| Ornamental | 54% | 245 votes |
Shade
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Add to FavoritesObviously, everyone's front-yard is the same and that would mean that a great shade tree would be the only choice. Well, they really should have had an "it depends" option, because there are so many factors in making the choice between a shade or ornamental tree for your front yard and you could even use both depending on your site conditions.
Ornamenta l trees typically provide you with some sort of showy flowering season and possibly fruits that attract more wildlife. The shade tree is most likely going to provide more shade and be a larger, more statuesque tree.
You should really start by analyzing your site and determining what you are trying to accomplish. Do you have a space for a small or large tree? Are you trying to add color? Do you want color in all seasons? Do you want lots of shade or filtered shade? Do you want to attract wildlife? Do you care about large fruits dropping on the ground or do you want no mess from the tree? Are you adding shrubs, perennials or other plantings beneath the trees or will it be lawn? Do you want to cool your home in summer? Do you want to do a lot of cleanup in the fall?
These are just a few of the questions you may start to ask as yourself when making a choice between shade and ornamental trees. Once you have some idea of the size of your space and have made a list of some of your priorities, I would then recommend speaking with a horticulturist or landscape architect to help you make the right choice.
Many local garden centers employ horticulturists who can show you the trees at their store and tell you the pros and cons of each. You could also hire a landscape architect, who can not only help you with choosing a shade or ornamental tree, but also provide you with a complete site plan for all your landscape ideas. By utilizing the knowledge of a horticulturist or landscape architect, you can be more certain that the shade or ornamental tree you plant is going to be suitable for your site conditions.
If you are a "do-it-yourselfer", these experts can also give you advice on how to properly plant and locate your new tree. There is nothing worse than finding out your tree branches are going to grow into your home five years after planting the tree.
Whether you choose shade or ornamental trees, planting a tree is a great thing for the environment and a great way to add life to your front yard. Take time to make the right decision and you will have a great addition to your home for years to come.
Learn more about this author, mtkiff.
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Ornamental
One cannot deny that ornamental trees are the spectacular beauties among trees. Specimens such as the weeping cherry, dogwood, and Japanese maple offer us much more than just their breath taking beauty, though. Ornamental trees generally are much smaller trees than shade trees and, over the course of years of living in the same dwelling, cause far less problems for the homeowner. Given time to grow, ornamental trees also provide us with shade.
So often young people will do their own landscaping to avoid the high cost of hiring a landscaper. While they save money by doing so, they usually do not think about the reprecussions of planting trees which reach great heights too close to the dwelling. It is not out of the ordinary for maples and other large shade trees to reach heights of fifty feet or more. As a general rule, a tree's main root system will extend in the ground as far outward as the height the tree reaches. The smaller feeder roots extend even beyond that main root system. Tree roots of large maples and other tall shade trees have been known to break through water lines and weaken, or even crack, the foundation of the dwelling. These roots have also broken the ground surface, causing an uneven lawn and major mowing problems. The shade of these oversized trees can actually obscure the sun so much that it is difficult or impossible for grass to grow. Patches of moss and bare dirt often replace grass in the dampness. Mold and mildew also grow on the dwelling's siding due to the dampness drawn from constant shade.
In addition to the above problems with shade trees, dampness is a breeding ground for termites and dwellings can become infested and devastating damage occur before the homeowner is aware of their presence. Also, the trees must eventually be topped as the height becomes a danger to the dwelling. It is not advisable to have a large tree topped more than one tme. Once topped, a tree is more susceptible to infestations of bugs and often die as a result. The expense of tree topping can be quite expensive and tree removable even more so. Some companies do not do stump removal and the homeowner incurs yet another expense in the tree removal. Far greater expense can occur if the oversized trees are left untopped during high wind storms. The limbs or the whole tree may come down on the house.
Autumn painfully reminds of yet another problem with owning large shade trees. As the leaves begin to fall, the homeowner's yard work increases tremendously. Leaf removal usually is an ongoing project for weeks and takes up a major portion of a day. For those among us with asthma or allergy problems, mold that gathers underneath wet leaves can cause havoc with our health.
Cultivated ornamental trees have a more uniform shape about them. Ornamental trees can offer the homeowner shade as well as beauty. They are usually much slower in maturing to full height as shade trees, though. This makes ornamental trees the perfect choice. In the early years of property ownership, the homeowner will have much less yard work created by ornamental trees during his early working years. In later years, he will have ample shade without the problems associated with shade trees as his life becomes less hectic.
As land becomes less scarce to build on and front lawns are often literally just yards from the street, there is really no room for anything other than ornamental trees or shrubs in front of dwellings. Some of the smaller of the ornamental trees are weeping cherry, dogwood, and Japanese maples. If you do not have a very large back yard, the larger ornamental trees such as flowering pear trees and plum trees or Mimosa trees probably would make for a better choice there as well. Redbuds are a beautiful tree and usually do not reach a height of more than 30 feet but are native to the eastern United States.
Our home and yard is our private haven where we go to relax and escape this fast paced world. Make informed choices and plant wisely for years of lasting beauty and enjoyment.
Learn more about this author, Ty Fillers.
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