Right Tree Can Enhance Home

Trees can do a lot to enhance your home and property, but proper selection is important, says Phil Hahn, director of forestry research at Georgia-Pacific Corp.

“Small- to medium-sized trees planted at the corners of a home can give the illusion of extending the width of a narrow house,” Hahn says. “Japanese maples and gray birch are excellent choices because they won’t outgrow a small or single-story home.”

Because of their full shapes, red maples, honey locusts and other shade trees are used to accent tall houses and provide contrast to square homes. Trees of various heights at maturity often are planted in rows to break the roof lines of long, low houses.

Trees such as maple, birch, white spruce and yews provide soft accents at angular corners and have tame root systems, so they can be planted close to the foundation, Hahn says.

To create a privacy screen between properties, plant low-branched trees such as beech and sweet gum because they have dense, heavy foliage.

“These trees also are used to define property boundaries, compose backgrounds and block wind,” he says.

Tree barriers to block sound or unsightly views should have light-colored foliage and low branches to give a feeling of spaciousness. Cedar, Canadian hemlock, upright yews and other columnar trees often are used in hedgerows for natural screening or in areas with limited space.

If poor drainage is a problem, silver maples, honey locusts, common hackberrys and willows can survive in wet, low-lying areas.