It's Earth Day again! Seems like I just wrote about Earth Day 2007! I'm sure you have been inundated with ideas, warnings, facts and figures, most of them depressing.

As a gardener there is one thing you can do to have a tremendous impact on your surroundings, and it will be FUN! Plant a tree! There are so many positive benefits of planting a tree, and here are just a few:

• They help control pollution. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. leaves also absorb other air pollutants - such as ozone, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide
• They prevent soil erosion. Their roots hold the soil in place, and their canopies soften and disperse the impact of raindrops hitting the soil.
• Trees will keep neighboring buildings cooler, lessening the need for air conditioning. Leaves provide a cooling shelter from the sun's rays.
• They provide habitats for wildlife, and they provide soothing, peaceful, eye-pleasing spaces for humans as well.

So this Earth Day, take a break from all the bad news and do something happy.....

Plant a Tree!