Shade Your House to Save Energy and Money

A bridalveil tree shades a parking island at the Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service.

A bridalveil tree shades a parking island at the Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service.

Before air-conditioning, many original houses in Florida were built with large porches that shaded windows and walls. These homes were situated to take advantage of the shade provided by existing trees.

You can choose to carefully position a shade tree in your yard that will help save up to 25 percent of the energy a typical household uses for cooling. A great choice for your landscape is a bridalveil tree - Caesalpinia granadillo. This evergreen shade tree has graceful looking foliage, beautiful mottled bark and grows at a moderate rate.

Bridalveils grow to 30 feet and show yellow flowers in summer and fall. The flowers are not messy, and the tree has no serious pest or disease problems.

For information on the right tree for the right place in your yard, contact the Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardener volunteer hotline at 233-1750.