Here in Lee and Collier County Florida, we live in U.S.D.A. planting zones 9, 10, and 11. That means we have a plethora of distinct varieties of trees to choose from. Picking new trees to plant in your yard can be challenging, especially if you have just moved to the Southwest Florida area and are new to the species of trees that grow well here. You don’t want to choose a tree that will leave your yard a mess in terms of seeds, falling leaves, or berries. There are a lot of factors to think about when picking the correct trees for your landscape, so here at Peer Landscaping of Fort Myers, FL, we are about to provide you with some insight into the considerations we consider before making any specific tree species suggestions to our landscape clients.
Here are a few things to consider when choosing trees for your property:
- Know which species grow well in your zone. As we mentioned above, Southwest Florida encompasses Zones 9, 10, and 11, which is subtropic. What that means is we do not typically get frost or freezing temperatures. Trees must be heat hardy and be able to weather our wet rainy summers, as well as survive our dry, cooler winters.
- Always plant with future growth in mind. When we go to homes where the homeowners, or the former homeowners planted trees without knowing how big they would get or without knowing anything about that species’ root structure, we often see this mistake. You must keep in mind that trees require sufficient spacing that considers how large their limbs will get, how tall they will grow, how extensive their root systems will get. We are always planning for 10, 20 and 30 years of growth, when our landscape designers choose trees to place in the landscape design.
- Know how much sunlight the tree you chose will need. While most trees enjoy a lot of sunlight, not all do. When we are working with someone new, we always ask them to spend a few weeks plotting the path of the sun across their property before we plant anything. We also aim to pick the right location for your home. For example, if we plant a tree on the West side of your home, in five years your energy bills will be 3% less and in 15 yeas the savings could be as much as 15%, according to Arborday.org.
- With our landscaping design, we always plan for the health of your entire yard, which means choosing and planting a diverse selection of tree species. When we have a new customer who lives in a newly developed community, they will typically have three of the same species of tree in their yard. Unfortunately, often the city or county ordinances say newly built homes must have three trees or something like that, but they do not specific anything beyond that. So, the real estate developers will plant three trees without any thought to what species of tree it is, whether it is an invasive species or not, with no thought to whether it will eventually interfere with power lines, or with the foundation of your home as it grows. We look to plant several distinct types of Florida-native trees so that they grow well, with minimum care, and will not cause issues in the future. By selecting trees that are native to this area, it cuts down on your water and pesticide use as well.
- At Peer Landscaping of Fort Myers, FL we always try to discover what attributes our landscaping clients want from the trees in their yard. Some questions we ask: Do you want a tree that will have a large canopy for shade? Do you want something a tree that has beautiful flowers? Do you want several trees to provide privacy on one side of the yard? Do you wish you could grow your own fruit? In Southwest Florida, we grow some of the most valuable fruit-bearing trees around ranging from guava and papaya, to mango, citrus, and avocado. Something to keep in mind as food prices have skyrocketed.
Call us today to create the landscape of your dreams! Our on-staff landscape designer works with you, the homeowner, creating the perfect landscape design that fits your home and your personality.
