Fast Growing Trees supplied the trees for this project. As always, all opinions are my own.
I grew up in Northern Michigan where our home was nestled in the middle of the woods and you had to drive 30 minutes to get anywhere. I loved going out in that forest and building forts with my siblings or looking for critters under logs.
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While our home in the desert on 0.2 acres will never look quite like that, we had exactly zero shade trees on our property when we moved in about a year ago (we do have a peach tree that I love) and I knew we needed some! I also knew that I wanted to move quickly on this since it takes a few years for trees to grow big enough to really enjoy them.
I would not say that I have a natural green thumb, so I needed some help in selecting trees that would do well in my area and I discovered Fast Growing Trees. On their site, I was able to find trees not just for my planting zone, but also specifically for Utah. Here’s what I picked:
First we chose two Autumn Blaze Maples. I love the shape of maple trees and am a sucker for a good autumn show and of course with a name like “Autumn Blaze” the colors do not disappoint! I put one in my front yard where we’ll be able to see it from our bedroom window and one in the back where it’ll eventually provide a much needed shady spot in our backyard.
Second we added a Dakota Pinnacle Birch because, well, who doesn’t love that white bark? This one will add some shade to our patio specifically, but I picked this particular variety because it is the hardiest birch that can withstand our climate here. Both trees will hopefully grow about 3 feet every year.
After I had my trees selected, it was time to order! Did you know that fall is the best time to plant trees? They acclimate better, experience less stress, and they spend the winter establishing their roots before having to endure the hot summer. Plus, Fast Growing Trees is having a sale right now, so if you’ve been thinking about planting trees of your own it’s a great time!
Each tree is shipped to you (crazy, right?!?!) and all three of mine arrived in excellent condition with moist roots and all. They come with planting instructions so be sure to adhere to those if they are different for your specific tree.
Luckily, planting these trees is easy and took us less than 30 minutes per tree.
Dig a hole twice as wide as your tree’s root ball and deep enough so that it will sit flush with the soil level once planted. It is easy to default to digging a bowl shape, so be sure your digging down the sides too.
Remove your tree from the plastic pot and break up the root ball. To do that, take a shovel and cut Xs into the bottom. Basically, you want the roots to be free to grow and expand outward in their new location.
Make sure your tree is straight and fill the hole back in. Periodically pack the dirt down by stomping on it to fill in any air bubbles.
Ta-da! You’ve planted your tree. Make sure you water your trees well, especially right after you’ve planted them.
I cannot wait for these trees to grow and mature! We still have a lot more that we want to do in our yard, but getting these trees in the ground and growing feels so exciting.
With love,
Mercedes ♥
With Love, Mercedes 