Reason to Plant Trees

There are many reasons to plant a new tree! Shade, energy savings, wildlife habitat, edible fruit, decorative fruit, fall color, screening. Whatever the reason you can be assured that there are many different options to choose from. Gertens offers every size, shape and color of tree for your landscape.

Conservation:

• In Minnesota, strategically placed shade trees can reduce air conditioning bills by nearly 25 percent and a windbreak can reduce annual fuel bills by up to 20 percent. Learn more here. 
• Planting a shade tree due west or east of a window will reduce the amount of sun reaching your home. 
• Select a tree that can be planted within 20 feet of the window and gets at least 10 feet taller than the window for proper shading. 
• If you have a tree due south of a window trim up the lower branches so that you can take advantage of the winter sun to help heat your home.

Increase Home Value: 

The United States Forest Service says that trees can increase the value of a home by as much as 20%. With careful planning your new trees will not only add to the beauty of your home but save or earn you hard cash. Money does grow on trees!

Wildlife Habitat: 

Trees provide many different useful functions for wildlife. 

• Nesting
• Shelter 
• Food 

Oak trees produce acorns for a large variety of animals in the area throughout winter. Serviceberry, Cherry, Cranberry and Crabapples also provide food and habitat for many species of birds, insects and animals.

Screening from:

• Noise.
• Unsightly view.
• Wind. Evergreens work great for year round windbreaks.

Fall color:

All deciduous trees have some fall color but many have an exceptional fall show. 

• Maples can give off bright red color or a range of red/orange and yellow depending on the variety you choose. 
• Oak trees will give you great reddish colors then often hold on to their leaves until spring to give you fall and winter interest. 
• Planting a maple and an oak near each will give you a great fall color combination. The oaks will still be in full color when the maple leaves have all fallen.

Edible landscape trees:

There are many fruit trees that are hardy for our cold Minnesota winters. 

• Apples
• Cherries
• Plums
• Apricots
• Peaches
• Pears

Note: Most need two different varieties for proper pollination to increase fruit production. 

A tree for every location:

Regardless of your yard there is a tree that can work for you, from full day sun to shade and tall to small. Gertens offers trees that can reach 70 feet tall and 40 feet wide and some that only get 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide.

How to select a tree:

• Sunlight. How much and what time of day the sun shines on your planting.
• Moisture level. Does a lot of water sit or run through the spot you are thinking of planting a tree? 
• Tree size at maturity. This is important as you can see by how many trees are planted too close to a home's foundation or encroaching on a neighbor’s property or a powerline. 
• Location. Are you planting the new tree along a boulevard or is it in the middle of a field?
• Soil. Is it heavy clay or sandy? This will greatly inform you on what trees will thrive.

Watch them grow:

Oh the joy of watching your tree grow and change throughout the years and seasons. A lot of people will routinely check up on the progress every week or so just to see what is new. Watching how some trees can grow by the foot rather than inches can be an awesome sight to see. You can see how fast an Elm can grow or how slow and purposeful a Bur Oak grows.

From This...

Crabapple planted in 2013

To This...

Same crabapple in 2020

The experts at Gertens are always available to answer your questions!