Would you love to get into gardening and landscaping, but you're just not sure you have a green thumb? Starting with a tree can be a good way to start. It may take a little more work to plant a tree than it does to plant seeds or small plants in a garden or flower bed, but once you do that, the maintenance is much lower. One big plus is that there is no weeding involved. You may have to do some pruning, and depending on the kind of tree and where you live, you may have to take some precautions to protect your tree from disease or insects and animals. Maybe feed and water it in the beginning. After that, it will probably do pretty well on its own.

Planting a tree for a special occasion is a good way to start a family tradition that you and your children can cherish memories of for years to come. If your yard is already chock full, or you don't have a yard, many communities will have celebrations on Arbor Day (the last Friday in April) or other beautification projects that you can participate in. Once you plant the tree, you can make planting a new tree an annual event. Another idea is to go back and check on the growth of your tree on the anniversary of its planting. You kids can get a kick out of planting a tree for their birthday one year, and then returning to it each consecutive year and see how much it's grown. Growing up with a tree can give a child a good sense of how long it takes for trees to mature, and a better understanding of environmental concerns. You can also use tree planting as an opportunity to teach your child about the role of trees in pollution control, erosion prevention, and other concepts. To share the experience, suggest to your child's teacher that planting a tree could be a good class project. Better yet, offer to organize it yourself.

If you are planting a tree with a child, take their personality into consideration and let them be part of the selection process. You can go to a nursery or garden store and learn about what kinds of trees would be best for your climate and the part of your yard where it will go. If possible, select a tree whose leaves are your child's favorite color, or maybe a fruit tree of their favorite fruit, or one that flowers around the time of their birthday. Giving your child a connection to nature and protecting it can be a great birthday gift that pays dividends in the future.