Being that it’s green wedding month here, I figured we’d hug a different sort of tree this week, the wedding tree favor. Small tree seedlings can be used as wonderful and green wedding favors. Some ideas about where you can score wedding tree favors include:

Tree Seedling in Tubes Favors for Weddings – 6-8″ majestic blue spruce seedling (roots need to be wrapped in plastic bag), personalized imprinted paper wrap in a handmade paper image with thank you message, poem, growing instructions, tube, raffia ribbon. Choose from oatmeal or forest green raffia ribbon. Tree-tube favors are also personalized for each …read more

Hey folks. This week I let my pal pick the tree to hug, and he said, “breadfruit.” So… breadfruit it is.

Image via here.
The breadfruit tree is a fast growing tree that in some cases can grow to 85 ft tall. Oddly shaped, with thick spreading branches and bright green and glossy leaves. This is a flowering fruit tree (bet you couldn’t guess from the name) and the flowers develop into roundish or pear shaped fruits. The fruits look like they have a thick rind, but in fact the rind is pretty darn thin and is usually yellow-brown when ripe, although …read more

The mimosa is not just a fruity cocktail, but a pretty cool tree. Otherwise known as the Albizia julibrissin or silk tree, the mimosa has lots of neat components that make up the whole of the tree….
Such as beautiful silk-like fragrant pink to yellow flowers that appear in mid summer.

And the cool palm-looking leaves…

The mimosa is a perennial that’s part tree / part shrub that’s hardy in zones 6-9. This tree is really pretty, and birds and butterflies are especially drawn to it. However, the mimosa is also packed with pollen that can cause allergies in some people. I like …read more

While yes, it would be rockin’ cool if there was a real cupcake tree in my backyard, this is more a tree of the creative type…
The cupcake tree:

I have no clue how I came across this – I don’t frequent Woman’s Day, but I must say, this is a very nice little cooking with kids project. They give full instructions at the site for how to make your own cupcake trees – perfect for an Earth Day party or an eco-themed birthday party.
While the above trees are autumn themed, you could make little spring trees with green frosting (grass) and …read more

Last week 21 Trees To Hug Plus A Pop-Quiz I asked, “Which tree is the most popular Tree Hugging Family Tree & which tree is my fave?”
Kamber and Katherine both guessed that the The Chocolate Tree was the most popular tree and that my favorite tree is the Cedar. They were both half correct.
Cedar is my favorite tree, but then, of course I have a little Cedar boy so I’m prejudice. The most popular tree is not the chocolate tree though. The tree with the most views, the tree that’s actually the huge landslide winner when compared to the other …read more

[Eastern Redbud via National Park Service]
As previously noted, I’m reinstating the Hug This Tree series. I miss it. Kicking it off with the Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis). I mainly picked this tree because it’s hardy to my zone, pretty, and very old, which is cool. This tree dates back to biblical times, and is sometimes known as the Judas tree.

I’ve totally been slacking about us hugging trees latey. In fact, we haven’t hugged a single tree for a very long time here at Tree Hugging Family. Sad. That said, I’m thinking I’ll recharge this series, because I like learning about new trees, and I bet you do to.
In case you’re new to Tree Hugging Family, and missed this old series entirely, here’s a recap of some of the trees we’ve hugged in the past…

Coconut Tree
Pear Tree
Paper Birch
Lilac
Lemon
Blue Jacaranda
Royal Purple Smoke
Autumn Trees
Yellow Poplar
Pomegranate
Tea Tree
The Pumpkin Tree
The Chocolate Tree
Almond
Binary Tree
Red Flowering Dogwood
Cedar
Sugar Maple
Douglas Fir
Edible Tree
Heirloom Peach Tree

THREE POP QUIZ QUESTIONS:

We’ve …read more

Since it’s June, I figured I’d choose something tropical. Especially since it’s pouring here in Washington. The sun came out a bit today, but mostly it’s been gray. Not that I mind, but hey, it is summer, so tropical will do.
The best site by far about the coconut tree, or palm, as it’s more technically known, that I’ve found is the Dr. T. Ombrello – UCC Biology Department page. I don’t even like coconuts and I found the site fascinating. It’s actually more a page, than a full site, but all the little facts about this palm are really cool. …read more

We’re not going to focus on any one pear tree – I like almost all of them. In fact, I’m a little obsessed with pears. They’re maybe my favorite fruit. In college, I’d eat 3 or 4 a day. Why are pears so cool…

My favorites are Green Anjou. I know it sounds odd, but they taste like flowers to me; so super yummy is a pro.
Pears are healthy! Fiber, vitamin C, and more, make pears a healthy snack, plus they’re filling. If you’re watching your weight, just one is more filling than many other foods.
Portable: I hate that you can’t …read more

The Paper Birch is the state tree of New Hampshire. It’s also know as the Canoe Birch, Silver Birch, and White Birch, among other names. Kids usually love this tree due to it’s peeling, paper thin bark, which, in the past was actually used by some as a paper substitute.

photo: Vick, Albert F. W.

photo: Evanston Ecology Center
Other uses for this tree includes canoes, toothpicks, and pulpwood. I loved these trees as a kid, sadly because they were fun to peel. The white bark is so neat.
Some cool facts according to the Evanston Ecology Center include:

It’s the first tree …read more