“The Trees that people love create special social places: places to be in and pass through, places you can dream about, and places you can draw.”
– A Pattern Language, 1977

It’s hard to imagine living without trees in my day-to-day experience. Yet, for people in more arid parts of the world, tree encounters may be rare indeed. We often take them for granted, but trees play a huge part in the removal of contaminants from the air we breathe, the production of oxygen, and the providing of shade and habitat for wildlife.
Trees can really be appreciated in two different contexts: those which grew up in their natural habitat without human assistance, and those which were planted by humans or are living in close proximity to human activity. This second category of trees most certainly requires some ongoing human intervention to properly maintain their health and appearance, and the safety of surrounding spaces.

In order to satisfy a basic human necessity to be near trees, we can either visit distant parks and forests, or local parks and arboreta. Yet another option exists even closer to home. The most important advice I can give to someone with an older tree in their garden is “cherish it…it’s precious…learn to live with it”. That said, if you are thinking of planting one, plan carefully! Having a redwood tree four feet from your house is akin to raising a Great Dane in your closet.

Ask all of these questions:

– Do I really know how 25 feet tall is? (come to BHN…we’ll show you)

– How much debris can I tolerate? (all trees drop something, sometime)

– Is solar radiation an issue? (deciduous trees allow winter sun but summer shade)

– How patient am I? (fast-growing trees often fail due to weak wood)

– How suitable is my fantasy tree? (climate, soil type, water)

– Would the neighbors object? (redwoods get really, really big)

– What do I expect from this tree? (flowers, fruit, fall-color, fragrance)

If any of this has piqued your curiosity give us a call. Our staff has a real interest in arboriculture, and buyers Jeff and Hélène have searched far and wide for trees suitable to Bay Area gardens.

– Paul