Cool beauty with trees

By Hosea Omole

The importance of trees has been brought to the fore by recent events surrounding the Mau Forest complex. Last week saw the Prime Minister lead Kenyans, the diplomatic community and development partners in a tree planting exercise that launched the "Save the Mau Trust Fund".

The exercise marked an important milestone in the conservation of Kenya’s most important water tower. It was also an important demonstration that Kenyans are becoming more aware of the benefits of trees to the environment.

Nonetheless, the benefits of trees go beyond rain and are hardly confined to water towers. You and I need trees in more ways than we realise.

Besides enhancing aesthetics, trees have been found to increase property value by up to 10 per cent. They also reduce the effects of ‘urban heat island’ or smog.

Trees also reduce the effects of soil erosion thus improving water quality in rivers. They also increase infiltration and the amount of underground water.

We, therefore, have an obligation to ensure tree cover is protected and increased, not just in the Mau but also in our homes, neighbourhoods and cities.

There are millions of spaces in our streets, gardens and parks where trees could be planted. There are also many other instances in development where we could save a tree or spare space for planting one without having to go to the Mau. Here is what you need to know when adding that important tree to your environment.

Function

Before heading to the nursery, find out what you want the tree to do for you. Are you planting it for shade or for screening off unpleasant views?

Do you want a beauty that will turn heads or a provider to feast off its fruits?

These are some of the questions you will need to answer before settling on a tree. Different trees lend themselves well to specific functions.

Ornamental trees, for instance, consist of flowers or other special features such as an interesting bark or foliage.

They don’t grow too large and are often used in areas where they are conspicuous such as the driveway, near the entrance door, patio or deck.

Shade trees, on the other hand, may grow a lot larger but may not have too much to show off. It is, therefore, important to know the tree you are dealing with. Find out its approximate maturity before making up your mind to use it. This will give you an idea of how much space to assign each tree.

Know the tree

Mature size is, however, influenced by the length of the growing season, temperature, light, water, soil type, fertility and many other factors.

This makes it rather difficult to predict the exact mature size of a plant. Plants in shade will often grow taller with a thinner crown than ones growing in an open area.

A plant not competing for light may eventually attain the same height but is likely to be much broader.

Think about all these dynamics before you pick a suitable spot for your tree. It is equally important to try and find out the growth habits of the tree you want to use and how these will affect the immediate environment and infrastructure.

Don’t, for instance, grow a deciduous tree next to a swimming pool or one with invasive roots next to your building’s foundation or parking.

Seedlings

Once you have decided which tree to plant where, you need to find the best way to grow it. There are two main methods use — container grown and bare-root seedlings.

Container-grown trees are the most popular in our local nurseries. Before purchasing one, slide it out of the container so you can take a close look at the root system.

Avoid specimens that have a congested root system or one with roots protruding through the bottom. These trees will be more difficult to establish in a new home.

The writer is a professional landscape architect.