HO-123
YARD AND GARDEN
HORTICULTURE DEPARTMENT COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE PURDUE UNIVERSITY WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA 47907
Trees for the Landscape*
Juliann Chamberlain, Extension horticulturist, consumer horticulture Polly Burkhardt, Extension technician, home environment horticulture Ada Niedenthal, Extension landscape architect
Trees can be planted to grow up with your children, survive many generations, and serve as a reminder of historical events, but only if they are planted and cared for properly.
Trees require a stable soil environment for their roots. Excavating around the roots of a tree, or placing fill soil over the root zone can cause an otherwise healthy plant to die. The soil over the roots should not be compacted, a condition which often occurs as a result of vehicular or pedestrian traffic and paved walks. These are factors which can, over time, severely damage the roots and cause plant death.
A tree needs room to spread both its roots and its branches. It’s important to provide space as well as the proper growing conditions in which a tree can thrive. Since trees are the largest and most permanent of landscape plants, they should be chosen with care.
Trees are a welcome addition to the landscape because of their usefulness as well as their beauty. The function or use which you wish a plant to serve should be an important criteria for selecting a tree.
Trees are useful for screening, for windbreaks, to provide shade, or to act as a focal point in the landscape. Following is a brief discussion of some major functional uses which landscape trees might serve.

Functions
Specimen
A plant used as a specimen is one that is intended to attract attention. Many different trees may be used for specimens with each one displaying some outstanding attribute, such as a unique form, spectacular flower display, or an unusual fruiting habit. The greatest ornamental value of some deciduous trees is fall color. Whatever the characteristic, a specimen plant is selected to serve as an accent or focal point in the landscape. Therefore, it should be located in such a way as to best serve this function.

Screen
Plants selected for screening purposes should be those that create a visual barrier. This can be achieved with deciduous plants during the summer months, but evergreen plants serve as a visual barrier throughout the year.
The openness or density of the screen will depend on the growth habit of the plant. Using minimum planting distances will also help to establish a more effective screen.

*Based on Landscape Plants for the Central Midwest by Harrison L. Flint.