How to choose your perfect tree

We all love them, for multiple reasons. Trees give us shade, they add some magical atmosphere to our outdoor space and they just seem so majestical. One of mother earth finest creations. But also there are so many options! Fruit trees, palm trees, trees that change or don’t change with the season. Some trees shed like crazy (believe me if I say that you probably do not want pine trees anywhere close to your landscape).

Let’s back up for a moment though and think about a few bullet points that you really need to consider in making your smartest choice:

your climate
ground cover
where is the best spot to plant your tree?
how much irrigation will your tree need to fully flourish
do you want a shade tree or a small flowering tree

Native trees are usually your best choice since they will adapt to the local conditions and provide essential habitat and food for wildlife like birds and butterflies. Stay away from any invasive tree since that will only result in an imbalance of your surrounding ecosystem.

Climate and sun exposure are an essential topic in making your best tree choice, make sure to pay attention if your tree needs full sun, partially sun or shade. Full sun means at least 6 hours each day of direct sunlight, partial shade means an area that gets between two to four hours of direct sunlight where shade means two or fewer hours of sun each day. Another important factor to consider is that your tree needs space to grow and flourish. Make sure it is planted at least 15 feet away from any building to ensure room for roots and branches to grow.

Once you decide which tree you want to get and you did your research to find the best placement In your yard, call a few of your closest nurseries to make sure the tree is currently available. Availability might vary between seasons. After you finally got your dream tree to your house and ready to start your planting project, make sure to not leave the tree in bright sunlight or high temperatures before you plant it. Instead, leave it somewhere cool in the shade. If your tree comes in a container use very gentle rotating movements to slide the tree out of its container, do not hold and pull it form the trunk, this can damage and in worst case scenario even kill the tree.

Now its time to prepare your planting site by cleaning the area off grass, weeds and other small plants that can take away the water and nutrients from your young tree. Dig a hole that’s no deeper than the tree’s container or sack, and three to five times as wide as the size of its container. This helps the roots spread out as they grow which promotes a healthier tree growth.

After planting your tree the best topping to add is mulch, it looks nice and it also helps to keep the soil moist and nutritious. Apply a layer of 2-4 inches thickness but it is very important that you do not add mulch too close to the tree trunk and root flare since this can attract pests and possibly rott the roots which will result in a dying tree. In this case the phrase “less is more” definitely fits the shoe.

California offers such a wonderful wide variety of tree options, below are some of our absolute favorite: