Not all trees should be treated as enemies by the avid gardener. They can beautify property while giving us comforting and protective shade.

I didn't think in those terms when I moved into my house. In fact, I couldn't see the trees for the forest of problems I inherited. The gutters were so full of leaves that I had a flood in the basement, and tree roots were compromising both the garage foundation and sewer lines. The backyard seemed a little shadier than what I imagine the Amazon rain forest must be like, which is particularly bad news for a vegetable gardener.

Following the visits of a few service people, most of my tree related problems are gone, and with them, a few of the trees. But the trees that are near the house are of considerable value to me, and they will stay were they are.

I recently did an informal survey on the landscaping planning employed in my neighborhood. As I had imagined it would be, it is totally haphazard, with nicely groomed but typically incongruent groupings of trees and shrubs growing every which way with little regard for aesthetics much less energy saving potential. By whatever quirk of luck, the original owners of my house, who otherwise didn't seem to have any idea what they were doing, at least got the landscaping part right.

The basic idea behind energy efficient landscaping is the strategic placement of appropriate species of trees and shrubs to take maximum advantage of natural cooling and heating effects. The leaf filled branches of deciduous trees block the sunlight in the summer. By winter, their leaves being long gone, the unobstructed solar heat helps warm the house. Evergreens and shrubs can form a barrier to cut down on cold winter winds. In warmer months, by the process that is on the tip of everyone's tongue, evapotranspiration, plants release water vapor and cooler air toward the lower level of the house.

For a more detailed introduction on energy efficient landscaping, click here. The U.S Department of Energy has varied and interesting information on such matters. This EREN (Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network) site has fact sheets containing of wealth of energy saving tips for homeowners.

Your local, nursery should be best able to recommend the right mixture of trees and plants and their proper placement on your property relative to the climate in your area and the specific circumstances of the orientation of your house.

Personally, I am absolutely convinced of the value of having trees around my house. On hot summer nights my north-facing bedroom is uninhabitable without air conditioning. The kids' rooms, which are also on the second floor but face the shaded, southern exposure, are appreciably cooler, day or night. (Although they still insist on camping out in the living room on hot nights.)

Trees have helped save me money. I try to think about that when I am raking leaves in the fall.