Tree & Climate If you’re serious about cutting your home energy costs, you might want to take a second look at your home landscaping. You may not be aware of it, but energy-efficient home landscaping can reduce your household’s energy consumption for heating and cooling by as much as 25 percent. Proper placement of trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and hedges lets you modify the microclimate around your home to maximize shade during the summer and reduce wind chill during the winter. Energy-efficient home landscaping is one of the best investments you can make, because aside from its potential to increase the resale value of your property, it can generate enough savings to return your initial investment in less than eight years. Therefore, it is not surprising that more homeowners than ever are implementing energy-conserving home landscaping ideas on their property. Developing a Home Landscaping Plan for Energy Efficiency There are countless home landscaping strategies for energy conservation, but not all of them may be appropriate for your property and climate zone. Before you plant those evergreens in your backyard, make an assessment of the comfort and energy shortcomings of your current home landscaping. Factors such as the property’s microclimate, house orientation, and the presence of surrounding structures will influence your energy-efficient home landscaping plan. Microclimate is the climate immediately surrounding your home, and along with the regional climate, it helps determine which plants and trees will thrive and provide the best energy-saving benefit to your home landscaping. Your home’s orientation affects your dwelling’s exposure to the sun, wind, and water, consequently shaping your home landscaping needs. Nearby buildings, walls, trees, and bodies of water can produce significant climatic effects that would impact your home landscaping strategies. A thorough analysis of your property’s features enables you to devise an energy -efficient home landscaping scheme that addresses your needs and goals. Home Landscaping to Maximize Shade Properly planned home landscaping can reduce your air-conditioning costs in the summer by providing shade from the hot morning and afternoon sun. Deciduous trees (trees that shed their leaves in winter) give adequate shade in the summer when its leaves are in full bloom and warm the home in winter by letting low-angle winter sun filter through its bare branches. Home landscaping that maximizes shade can reduce temperature inside the home by as much as 8 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Interestingly, shading your air-conditioner through home landscaping also increases the unit’s efficiency. In addition, shading the ground and pavement with trees, shrubs, and groundcover plants reduces surrounding air temperatures. Other heat-reducing home landscaping ideas include building a trellis for climbing vines to shade a patio and planting a row of shrubs to shade a driveway. Home Landscaping for Wind Protection Home landscaping to divert the flow of cold winds helps cut down your home heating costs in the winter. Trees, shrubs, bushes, walls, and fences make effective windbreaks for winter-protected home landscaping. You can achieve adequate wind protection through home landscaping by planting evergreen trees and shrubs along the north and northwest areas of your property. Windbreaks can decrease wind speed for a distance as much as 30 times its height, although maximum wind protection occurs at a distance of two to five times the mature height of windbreaks. For optimal wind protection, make sure that the foliage density on the windward side of your property is 60 percent. A well-designed home landscaping provides energy savings year-round. Enjoy the warmth of the winter sun by not planting evergreens too close to the south side of your home. Shrubs, bushes and vines planted close to your house create dead air spaces that insulate your home in both winter and summer. Xeriscape – The Efficient Use of Water in Gardening Living in an arid or semi-arid region that habitually receives scarce rainfall does not mean that you are automatically destined to a dry dusty garden. The term "xeriscape" refers to the designing of a garden that employs seven water-conserving methods. This type of garden works well for areas that are prone to mild drought conditions. Of course, those who just wish to conserve water will certainly appreciate that it is an ecologically friendly method of gardening. It may also prove beneficial for people who do not choose to be bothered with the time and expense of traditional water-consuming gardens during the summer season. 1. Planning and Designing the Landscape As with any garden, the first thing that needs to be done is to measure the garden plot. Then with a piece of graph paper or a computer gardening software, make a detailed layout of this space noting all elements like the house, pathways, existing trees and shrubbery that will be kept, etc. Also, take note of the topography and exposure. Next, you will want to take into account your budget. Remember that not everything has to be done immediately. Your plan can be carried out in stages. In addition, you may include a wish list of features you would like to add, for example, a hot tub or gazebo. Do not forget to consider how much maintenance you will want to do and how much water will be required. 2. Soil Analysis and Amendment Good soil is a must for plants to develop deep-root systems that are essential to endure drought conditions. Look at a sample of your dirt first to determine what materials the soil includes. Should your soil be mainly clay, the density of its texture does not allow water to be readily absorbed causing wasteful runoff and it makes it difficult for roots to grow. However if it is mostly sand, water percolates too fast for the plants to soak it up. To correct these problems you need to improve the soil. You can accomplish this goal through incorporating about three to four inches of organic materials such as manure and compost to your dirt by tilling it down into the top six inches of the ground. Still it is important to realize, that some plants actually do thrive in poorer soil. 3. Lawn Location You should consider how much grass you really need or desire. Typically most lawns require a lot of water and upkeep. Therefore, you should try to reduce the use of turf in your design to areas where its use is prudent. Do not put grass in heavy traffic areas or hard to maintain spots, like slopes or shade. You may wish to try planting more drought tolerant grasses. However, they usually come with drawbacks, such as a longer dormant phase and they are not as resilient to traffic. 4. Selecting Your Plants Through the judicial selection of specific species of plants both native and exotic, then planting them considering their sunlight, soil and moisture requirements, you are able to create an efficient water-conserving garden. Naturally for aesthetic and sensory pleasure, you want to take into account the plants' colors, heights and fragrances also. Once the plants are established and mature, they will need less water. 5. Use of Mulches Utilizing mulches has many benefits. Besides keeping moisture in the ground, they aid in controlling the growth of weeds and regulating the soil's temperature. There are two kinds of mulches. The first type is inorganic like rocks and permeable plastic. The second is organic, such as, wood chips, compost and bark. It has the added benefit of decomposing over time thus improving the soil. 6. Efficient Irrigation The main thing you want to do is to avoid water evaporation. There are several different ways to water your garden from various sprinkler systems to drip irrigation to soaker hoses. Depending on your budget, the variety of plants and the landscape's layout determines which system or combination you should employ. Sprinklers are good for covering larger areas like lawns. However, do not use the type that shoots water into the air and wind. Instead, choose the kind that disburses the water as close to the ground as possible. Drip irrigation works well for specific garden beds where the plants have similar water requirements. 7. Proper Maintenance Believe it or not, proper maintenance does not just improve the look of your garden. It can conserve water. One way is by keeping your irrigation system appropriately maintained by adjusting water flow throughout the seasons as your plants' needs change. Weeding saves water because weeds consume a lot of it. Also, aerating your soil allows water to seep deeper into the ground. Furthermore, mowing your grass to the correct height is important because if it is mowed too short, it dries out quickly thus requiring more water. Although it may take some time and planning, xeriscape gardening is well worth the effort. Xeriscape has proven to allow diversity and beauty into gardens as well as being an efficient water-conserving gardening method.   Lawrence Hoyle lhoyle@amazing-crabapple-trees.com Amazing-Crabapple-Trees.com 4032 May Breeze Rd.  Marietta, Georgia, 30066-2734 Phone:(770) 924-0304  Fax:(770)924-0593   Plan Before You Plant!!             A great Online Landscape Design Service. I have 46 years of Landscape Design Experience.  Take advantage of My knowledge get the best design for your Yard. www.web-landscape-design-ideas.com Submit Photos and Property Measurements for your Landscape Plan       copyright(c)2007 www.amazing-crabapple-trees.com