Trees offer lots of benefits and are beautiful to have. However, the same way you would design a plan before building your house, you must have a landscape plan.
Here are 4 things to consider before planting your trees:
The size of the compound:
This perhaps is the first thing that should come to mind when thinking of planting trees as it determines other factors, like the size of the tree you may wish to plant and the proximity of the tree to other structures. You wouldn’t want to shrink an already small compound by planting a big tree or more trees than the plan of your home should carry.
The size of the trees:
Do the proposed trees grow tall or have wide stems? Are their branches have the possibility of overhanging, away from your compound and into your neighbours? Have their roots spread wide as they grow? These are very important questions to find answers to before moving ahead to plant trees. If not, you might be in for unwelcome surprises years after you must have planted them.
Buildings:
Planting trees must be with respect to the foundation of the main building, walls, fences, pavements, and underground structures like water tanks, plumbing systems, and sewers. When trees grow, their roots grow deep and spread wide, and can create cracks through already constructed structures. An underground tank that has been broken by a tree’s roots, for instance, would always leak water. Unless the tree is uprooted, the cracks would only increase with time. The end result would be costs incurred in repairing damages and to uproot the trees.
Electric structures:
Like buildings, electric poles and wires are sometimes victims of a badly planned gardening. Consider the proximity of the tree to the poles and wires and be spared of preventable accidents.
Consulting a landscape gardener or taking some time to study landscape requirements could save you a lot in the long run.
