The seasonal theme at garden centers is “Fall is for Planting”. Plant sales are everywhere. If you have recentlypurchased a home and your budget is tight, buy yourself an early, but practicable holiday gift- a deciduous shade tree planted on the southwest side of the home. In a few short years, this tree will reward you with lower summer cooling bills.

Some good deciduous choices are red maple, green ash, tulip poplar, sawtooth oak, willow oak, and basswood. Garden centers push to reduce store inventories, saving usually 30%-40% off the listed price. I offer six basic landscape planting tips:

1. Plant only deciduous trees in the front of the home, and evergreen trees on the other three sides (pines, hemlock, etc.)
2. Dig a hole three times the diameter of the root ball
3. Plant shallow, barely covering the root ball and put no soil amendments in the hole
4. Add three inches of an organic mulch (wood chips, pine straw or compost) over the widthof the planting hole and not piled up against the trunk
5. Slowly deliver 10 gallons of water to each tree after planting
6. Do not fertilize newly planted trees and shrubs until the first day of spring.