If you have a garden of your own with room for some real trees in it, you might be wondering how best to get them there. The obvious answer, however—to grow them from seed—might not necessarily be the best one. More and more tree-loving gardeners are opting to plant mature or 'advanced' trees instead, and here's why.

1. You'll get the look you want—inside your lifetime. You've probably got an image in your mind of a miniature wooded grove at the foot of your property, of a gorgeous willow tree draped artfully over your pond, or of a collection of useful fruiting trees practically in arm's reach from your back door, right? The trouble is, trees take a long time to grow—so by planting from a seed or sapling, you might never reach the stage you're dreaming about during your lifetime. Mature and advanced trees are there already, right away.

2. There are instant benefits to the local ecosystem. There are tonnes of good reasons to have more trees around, and many of them are to do with your local ecosystem: they provide habitats for birds and small mammals, they clean up the air and they can improve the quality of the soil around them. These benefits take time to develop, but an advanced tree will get going right away.

3. It's possible to create a more uniform look—or to avoid it. Waiting around for your trees to grow isn't the only way you might not be able to achieve that image in your mind. If you like the idea of a uniform row of pretty ornamental trees, you might find that you have subtly different varieties or that they grow into very different shapes; if, on the other hand, you want a tiny patch of wildness, it could be a disappointment when all your trees turn out to be clones. With a pre-grown tree you know what you're getting, so you can select for the look you want from the start.

4. You'll reap the many extra benefits of trees ASAP. There are loads of fantastic reasons to grow trees in your garden. They're amazing for the environment and they can be great for your home, too—the right tree can regulate the temperature inside your home and potentially even raise your property prices. A sapling, however, does none of these things.

If you're dreaming of a gorgeous garden all of your own, you can't go wrong with an advanced tree—find your local arboreal sales specialist and start picking the trees you love today.