Are shade or ornamental trees better for front-yard landscaping?

Shade

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by V R Rutledge

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This is a difficult question, and I feel it relies more on opinion that fact. I probably should also note that shade trees are less desirable when selling a property, because they conceal it. A shade tree is usually described as a large tree with a spreading canopy. Some popular shade trees include oaks, maples, ashes, lindens, and elms. Fortunately for those motivated by profit, there are some ornamental trees that are also shade trees. The Autumn Flame Red Maple is a good case in point, being one of the earliest trees to show color, and yet providing excellent shade, when full grown. Shade trees can reduce cooling cost in a home, but aren't recommended for use when solar power is a priority. Any large tree can cause problems from root growth, but shade trees are alone in their ability to create memories. Under a tree is a place like no other. For children, or the child in all of us, a shade tree blocks more than just the sun. It blocks out the unpleasant parts of reality, gives a sense of time standing still, provides some subliminal relief from stress and seems to evoke mental images of peace and tranquility.

From a Beech tree to a Willow, shade trees are as varied as the people who stand under them. I can't be impressed by a flowering pear tree, because I can't stand under it and look up. How about a bald cypress or Chickasaw plum? They're pretty, sure, but they don't do it for me. I have to admit, though, that The Golden Raintree is an exception among the more ornamental trees. It can shade a patio, has yellow flowers and, in the fall, has a beautiful show of color with 2 inch golden seed pods against a dark green-leafed background. I like a shady patio. It's also called a Chinese flame tree, for its early spring foliage. I'll admit that any tree can make an impact on a landscape, but a large shade tree can be truly dramatic. In addition to their beauty, "climbability," poetic inspiration, and other subjective ideas, shade trees have practical benefits as well. Shade trees are tall, and that means that they will make lots of oxygen. They reduce reflected heat. They reduce soil erosion and promote wildlife. I've always been a fan of wildlife, myself.

Fine then, you may say, just put the shade trees in the back yard. I suppose you could, but that's where the garden grows and a big shade tree will block the sun and take water from other plants. No, I have to answer, a shade tree belongs in front of the house, where it stops the eye of a passerby and makes a statement about me, the owner. I love a tree I can be proud of, and shade trees are notorious for engendering pride of ownership.

Shade trees can hold swings, tree houses and all manner of similar things. Children climbing trees ranks high on the list of parents nightmares, but I believe that the danger of climbing the tree is far outweighed by the growth of the child involved. I would not be the man I am now if I had never climbed a tree. I learned more of nature in a tree than I could ever have learned by looking at one. Trees have been a part of human experience and life from time immemorial, and I believe that one can not have a full life without at least some experience with trees. Perhaps it hearkens back to the prehistoric times when our distant ancestors lived in rain-forests (jungles) and were dependent on trees for shade, protection and sustenance. Maybe it comes from later times, when houses and fuel came from trees. I can't say which is true, but it is abundantly clear that humankind needs trees and shade trees are the best. Well, at least I think so.

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