Softwood vs. Hardwood Trees on Your Lawn
According to the latest study of the world’s plants, there are more than 60,000 unique species of trees around the world. Though no two species are the same, all of them can be classified as either softwood or hardwood.

However, whenever you read the terms, you might think that softwood species are soft, whereas hardwood species are physically hard. However, the reality is that softwood and hardwood refer to something totally different.
Before you hire a tree service Port St Lucie to plant a tree in your property, here are a couple of things you should know about hardwood and softwood:
Softwood Trees
In general, softwood trees do not shed their leaves every year, unlike hardwood trees. Softwood trees, also called Gymnosperm trees, are categorized by their ability to generate seed-bearing fruit or cones, which they drop to multiply.
In addition to that, during the winter, softwood trees do not enter dormancy state.
One popular softwood tree found in the United States is pine. Though oak and other hardwood trees shed their leaves every year, pine trees don’t. These trees produce needle-shaped leaves that they will keep for around 7 years.
Hardwood Trees
For those who don’t know, hardwood trees are deciduous. This means that they shed their leaves every year.
Hardwood trees will lose their leaves around the start of fall. They do this in preparation for the upcoming cold season. Trees will consume more water with big canopy foliage.
Thus, hardwood trees shed their leaves to protect against stress caused by the cold and dry winter season.
One popular type of hardwood tree that is prevalent in the United States is oak. There are a couple of forms of oak native in the United States. Almost every single one of them grows to heights of 65 to 130 feet when completely mature.
Knowing the Differences
The main difference between softwood and hardwood trees in a landscape is that softwood trees keep their leaves throughout the year. On the other hand, hardwood trees shed their leaves every year.
You will not have to worry about leaves limiting your grass of sunlight and blanketing your lawn if your lawn consists mainly of softwood trees. A couple of leaves might still fall from a softwood. However, hardwood trees greatly shed more leaves. Thus, you will have to work more to maintain your lawn.
A couple of homeowners grow trees for the intention of harvesting and producing firewood. If this is what you want, it’s ideal to grow hardwood trees since they’re denser compared to softwood. Firewood that is sold commercially consists almost exclusively of hardwood since they burn longer compared to softwood.
Aside from that, hardwood trees grow more slowly compared to softwood trees. Softwood trees might provide a better option due to its fast-growing characteristics if you are looking to plant a tree on your lawn.
Whether you have a hardwood or softwood tree, you still have to hire a professional tree service company to maintain your tree and keep it healthy.