The benefits of planting fruiting and flowering trees may seem obvious. Flowering trees, whose flowers may turn into fruit at the end of the season, are beautiful. Some, like cherry trees, have a lovely fragrance. Fruiting trees provide delicious food, and cut down on grocery bills. However, there are many more benefits to planting and caring for these trees though. Among them are:
Trees
One of the dangers of torrential rains and floods is that soil can be washed away. The roots of trees and plants keep the soil stable, and hills that are devoid of plants can even collapse.
A fruit tree or an ornamental tree planted in the right place can shade a home and keep it cooler in the summer. Scientists believe that one tree has the cooling power of 10 room air conditioners running 20 hours a day. In the winter, the tree’s bare limbs allow sunlight to come into the home and warm it. This helps to cut down on energy bills.
A lot of the fruit that’s sold in the supermarket has to be shipped in from hundreds of miles away. Some have lost some of their nutritional value or their taste during the journey. Others are picked when they’re a little unripe and may be treated with methane gas to help them ripen by the time they get to the store. Some of these fruits never properly ripen but simply start to rot once they’re bought. Others are waxed to preserve their freshness. But nothing beats the taste and freshness of fruit from a homeowner’s own tree.
A person who has a small orchard can sell the fruit, either at the above mentioned Farmers’ Market or at a fruit stand at the roadside. They can also just give surplus fruit away.
Community gardens with fruit trees teach their members how to plant and take care of these trees and experience the pleasure of a good harvest at the end of the season. It also encourages social bonds among garden members of all ages.
Ornamental and fruiting trees attract birds, bees, butterflies and other animals. Indeed, some fruit trees need bees and other pollinators in order to set fruit. Birds nest in mature trees, and eat the insects that would otherwise eat the leaves and the flowers.
An ornamental tree placed in front of the compost pile can hide it nicely when it’s in full bloom or full leaf. Ornamentals soften the look of a property’s hardscaping.
The sight of flowering trees in a yard is aesthetically pleasing and can even raise the home’s resale value.
Conclusion
Beyond their beauty and the fruit they produce, fruiting trees and trees that burst into bloom are good for the environment, attract benevolent animals, encourage social bonds, and enhance the value of a property. They are trees homeowners should consider.
