How to Buy Trees Online

**This is a collaborative post

Gardens are wonderful places for children. They are somewhere for them to play and learn to appreciate nature. If you have enough space, planting a tree is a nice idea. Once it is mature you may be able to hang a swing from it or build a treehouse in it.

Where to buy trees online

Online retailers like The Tree Center make buying trees for your home extremely quick and easy. They sell a wide range of varieties, so finding one that is right for your garden is not difficult. But, there are a few things that you need to bear in mind when buying online.

How you want to use the tree

The first consideration is what you want to use the tree for. Now, I know that sounds weird, but, bear with me here and I will explain.

Above I mentioned the idea of hanging a swing from a tree or perhaps building a treehouse in one. If that is your aim, you will need to choose a variety that is going to be sturdy enough for that use. For example, you would not want to try to do something like that with a false pepper tree. They grow fast and get big, but their branches are far too weak to support a treehouse.

Another example, is buying a tree to create a centrepiece in a lawn. In that situation, you will want a variety that offers year-round interest, perhaps an evergreen. Or maybe a dogwood, which flowers, changes colour in the autumn and has an interesting branch structure that is good to look at even when it is bare.

Rate of growth

You also need to think about how fast the tree will grow. If your aim is to create privacy for you and your family, in all likelihood, you will need a fast growing variety.

Final size

Perhaps one of the most important considerations is how big the tree will be once it reaches maturity. Sadly, an awful lot of homeowners end up having to cut their trees down because they have taken over the garden. In some cases, the tree is so tall or wide that it casts a shadow and blocks the light for the homeowner and their neighbours.

The root system

When planting near buildings, drains, buried cables, cesspits and fuel tanks you need to take into consideration the root system. As you can see online, tree roots can do a huge amount of damage in a fairly short space of time. Often, you realise that there is a problem until it is too late and a lot of the damage has been done. The best way to prevent problems is to choose a variety that does not have roots that spread too far.

Delivery costs and returns policy

So, that covers choosing the right variety. But, when buying online there are two other considerations. Before you click the buy button be sure to check out the companies returns policy and factor in the cost of delivery.