What You Need to Know About Using a Tree as Your Garden’s Focal Point

Adding a tree to your garden can give it a beautiful focal point and bring a lot of balance to the landscape. However, there are a few things to consider before you get started. Take a look at what you need to know about making a tree the central part of your garden to make sure you’re well prepared before you start.

Matching the Plants

For starters, you won’t want to leave your tree standing all alone in the middle of a plain, empty space. This can make your tree look out of place or poorly positioned. Instead, start looking into some companion bushes to plant alongside your tree. Choose shrubs and decorative plants that have soil requirements similar to those of your tree. Otherwise, you’re going to have to struggle to balance the soil requirements, and both plants are bound to suffer. If you want to swap out your plants for a change in scenery later, make sure you adhere to the same criteria. In addition, make sure you’re extremely mindful of how your tree’s roots have grown and spread when you start digging. You don’t want to damage the root system.

Things to Be Aware Of

As you can probably guess, you’ll want to avoid planting new trees too close to buildings. That goes for everything from houses to garden sheds. Keep in mind that the root system of your tree will grow to be about as big as the overhead crown is. That means that you should keep your trees away from your drain field if you have one. Another thing to keep in mind is that some plants don't interact well with certain trees. For example, if you plant a tree with a thick, dense canopy that blocks out a lot of light, don’t try to accent it with plants that require full sun. Lastly, remember, it's important to trim the branches on occasion for your tree's health. Research the right balance for your tree since pruning too little can result in overgrown branches, and pruning too aggressively can damage your tree.

Plan for Mulch

When planning where you’re going to feature the tree in your garden, don’t forget to account for the area around the tree where you’ll need to mulch. This goes for planting young trees as well as drawing your garden’s focus to an existing, mature tree. Mulching is important for retaining moisture and fertilizer as well as to keep weeds from growing. Putting mulch down at the onset of your gardening setup will help make maintenance easier in the long run. 

Making a tree the central part of your garden can really set off your landscape. But keep in mind that you need to pair the right plants with your tree, mulch well, and keep up with maintenance tasks, such as pruning. If you follow these steps, you are sure to enjoy your tree for years to come.