An awesome way to naturally protect your home from the outdoor elements is to plant a few trees in your yard. Trees make it easier to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures with minimal wear and tear on the HVAC system. Landscaping with trees can even increase your property's value by up to a whopping 20 percent once they become mature. And what's more, because your home is naturally insulated by trees, you can expect to save some money on your monthly energy bills when all is said and done. Here are a few tips and tricks to consider when choosing, planting and caring for your new landscaping trees:

Optimal Tree Options

Deciduous trees are an excellent option or year-round weather protection because they're full of leaves during the summer months which shades your home from the sun and they lose their leaves in the winter so the sun can naturally warm your home up. There are a variety of fun options to consider implementing into your landscape—some are even edible! Keep an eye out for one or more of these tree types at your local nursery:

• Magnolia
• Crab Apple
• Dogwood
• Cherry

Choose trees that will tower over your home's height once they reach maturity for optimal protection from sun, snow, rain, and wind throughout the year.

Planting Locations

When deciding where to dig holes for your new trees, you'll need to consider each tree's potential size at maturity to ensure that you don't plant them to close to your home. Make sure that they're planted far enough away that mature branches won't fall on your roof or any electrical cords if they break off the tree in extreme weather.

Plant your trees near windows, porches, and balconies that get full sun during the day, and consider planting a tree in front of your exterior HVAC unit to keep temperatures in the area nice and cool during hot summer months. Don't forget to protect basement and attic windows that get lots of sunlight if possible.

Tree Maintenance

Once your trees are planted and growing, it's important to make sure that ongoing maintenance is made a priority. This will ensure that they don't succumb to disease or rot, and keep them looking nice whether they happen to have leaves growing on them at the time or not. In addition to yearly inspections for signs of disease and other problems, schedule an appointment with your service provider to have your trees pruned in the winter so you can look forward to new growth when spring rolls around. During summer months, consider having your tree service provider come back to prune flower and food trees to stimulate flowering on bottom branches and ensure that higher branches won't break under heavy loads.

Planting trees in your yard offers a myriad of financial, aesthetic, and comfort benefits that your entire family will be able to appreciate all year long.