The Lorax would be very upset with me right now. Does anyone know what I am talking about? “I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees?” If not, you can see my Dr. Seuss reference here.
I have a guilty conscience. See, I am a closet tree hugger and I try to do my part for the environment. I pick up litter on walks with my dog, I don’t typically turn on my office lights at work, and I am mindful of not wasting too much water when I shower. They are all little things, but I try.
I hate when people cut down trees. It actually makes me angry. In spite of that, this past week we had two trees cut down in front of our house. I feel pretty guilty about it, to be honest, but the house looks OK without them.
Before:
Of course, they look pretty in this picture… must be the instagram effect.
After:
The trees were dying. Slowly, but surely. The bases of each tree were so chewed up by insects you could stick a pole through them down to the roots. The leaves fell off way too early… I’m talking about spring too early. And they bloomed — beautiful pink flowers — but only for two days. They needed to go.
Our yard looks so much bigger without the trees up front! I think we will eventually replant at least one tree in front of the house, but to ease my guilt, I donated money to have 25 trees planted through the The Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Trees campaign in the Atlantic Forest . Like I said, I am a total tree hugger.
So, what do you think? Improvement? Bad choice? Has anyone had any experience with fruit trees? I think I want to plant an apple tree up front — how cool would that be? I definitely like the look of no trees way better in person. The yard looks sort of naked in the photo!
A Smith of All Trades 
Jess, Everything dies, so don’t feel bad. The trees were dying and they could have blown down and damaged your house or someone else’s property. Small ornamental trees are nice. They grow quickly and get pretty flowers on them in the spring, but don’t make a mess dropping fruit on the ground. That fruit ends up rotting and then you have bees everywhere. A fruit tree sounds nice, but they take a long time to grow and then they make a mess of your yard. The house looks nice, but I agree that trees add something to a house. Take some time, you’ll make the right decision. Love, Becky
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Thanks, Becky! Dad will definitely help me pick out a few trees this fall.
Shade trees in the front do just that–shade the house and lawn. That helps cut down on cooling costs. It also adds to the curb appeal. I planted two fruit trees in my backyard. Remember to plant two for pollination! Also, fruit drop fruit which becomes messy if it is not picked up daily but they don’t provide much shade. I am a tree hugger and plant a new tree in my yard every two years. Love the shade and cleaner air!
That’s great advice. Thank you, Mary. I hadn’t thought of planting two trees to help with pollination!