| you love to get into gardening and landscaping, | | | | tree for their birthday one year, and then |
| but you’re just not sure you have a | | | | returning to it each consecutive year and see |
| green thumb? Starting with a tree can be a good | | | | how much it’s grown. Growing up with a |
| way to start. It may take a little more work to | | | | tree can give a child a good sense of how long it |
| plant a tree than it does to plant seeds or small | | | | takes for trees to mature, and a better |
| plants in a garden or flower bed, but once you do | | | | understanding of environmental concerns. You can |
| that, the maintenance is much lower. One big plus | | | | also use tree planting as an opportunity to teach |
| is that there is no weeding involved. You may | | | | your child about the role of trees in pollution |
| have to do some pruning, and depending on the | | | | control, erosion prevention, and other concepts. |
| kind of tree and where you live, you may have | | | | To share the experience, suggest to your |
| to take some precautions to protect your tree | | | | child’s teacher that planting a tree could |
| from disease or insects and animals. Maybe feed | | | | be a good class project. Better yet, offer to |
| and water it in the beginning. After that, it will | | | | organize it yourself. |
| probably do pretty well on its own. | | | | If you are planting a tree with a child, take their |
| Planting a tree for a special occasion is a good | | | | personality into consideration and let them be part |
| way to start a family tradition that you and your | | | | of the selection process. You can go to a nursery |
| children can cherish memories of for years to | | | | or garden store and learn about what kinds of |
| come. If your yard is already chock full, or you | | | | trees would be best for your climate and the part |
| don’t have a yard, many communities will | | | | of your yard where it will go. If possible, select a |
| have celebrations on Arbor Day (the last Friday in | | | | tree whose leaves are your child’s |
| April) or other beautification projects that you can | | | | favorite color, or maybe a fruit tree of their |
| participate in. Once you plant the tree, you can | | | | favorite fruit, or one that flowers around the time |
| make planting a new tree an annual event. | | | | of their birthday. Giving your child a connection to |
| Another idea is to go back and check on the | | | | nature and protecting it can be a great birthday |
| growth of your tree on the anniversary of its | | | | gift that pays dividends in the future. |
| planting. You kids can get a kick out of planting a | | | | |