I have often wondered why cities plant non-productive trees all over the place when there are homeless and hungry who need to be fed.  If fruit and nut trees were planted in their place, the crops could be distributed across the city to those who need it most.  While that vision will probably never see much popularity due to the higher maintenance of those trees, we can do that very thing in our own back yard and create landscaping that is beautiful and practical.

Fruit trees can be even more beautiful than many of the common trees used in landscaping.  A cherry tree, for example, offers breathtaking beauty when it blooms.  In fact, viewing the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. is a very popular annual tourist event.

If you do not have a lot of space, you can purchase dwarf varieties of many of your favorite fruits.  Imagine having an urge for an apple and being able to walk out your back door and just pick one straight from the tree!

Compared to other trees, fruit trees cost about the same to purchase.  You may need to spend a little more on maintenance, but you have the option of doing nothing with your trees and they will still grow leaves and look pretty.

Fruit trees are a great way to landscape that can also provide you – or your local food pantry – with high quality, tasty fruits that cost little or nothing to produce.  So next time you have to replace a tree, or are landscaping a new yard, research the varieties of fruit trees that grow well in your area.  You might be surprised at how beautiful they are.