Do you look at your garden at this time of the year and wish it were more alive? Well, as those of us who have their homes on the market have found out - there are ways to make your front yard look attractive even in the dead of winter!
One thing you don't want is murky green garden paths. Regularly power- hose your paths and decks so that the slimy green mold can't take hold! Also check for it at the base of your fences and house. If you live in a mild winter area, then you may need to keep cutting the lawn, but lift the mower slightly so that the grass is not cut so short in the winter..
If you are showing your home you will probably want to leave your potted plants in their ceramic containers on show. If this is the case, keep an eye on the weather forecasts and pop some bubble wrap over them if the weather is going to freeze.
One non-gardening way to pretty up a front yard while the plants hibernate, is to invest a few dollars in some inexpensive path lighting. The push-in mushroom lamps look quite effective when turned on, and will give your front yard some definition.
Hopefully, you have already invested in a supply of evergreens, if not, now is the time for you to examine your yard and decide where new trees should be placed. Remember to always include some of the blue fir, and there are bronze, yellow, silver and variegated evergreens to choose from. Many of us forget the brightness of berry evergreens like holly and rowan trees. (Sometimes referred to as mountain ash or Pyrus Americana)
Winter flowers are scarce and are all the more appreciated because of it. Among the choice is pink viburnam as well as winter honeysuckle and winter jasmine - all have blooms (and the last two smell delightful). Bedding plants such as winter pansies and winter heather also add color.
Apart from attractive tree bark, there is also a modern day fad for decorative cabbages in cream and purple, and these are a hardy decoration in the yard.
If you feel you can't wait for your garden to wake up and come alive, then be sure to add some of the early bulbs into your planting plan. If your house is on the market, you can tell your prospective buyers that the new owner will be moving into a view of spring bulbs.
If you are not planning a move yet, then snow drops, daffodils and crocuses all come out in bloom very early and can be your reminder that spring is just around the corner!
Grand Prairie Lawn Care
Grand Prairie Landscaping
Friday, February 12, 2010
Who Knew Home Landscaping For Energy Conservation Had This Effect?
If you have been thinking about how you would like to cut your home energy costs, you might want to take a second look at your home landscaping. This is an area you may not have even thought of. Did you know energy-efficient home landscaping can reduce your household's energy consumption for heating and cooling by as much as 25 percent.!That's staggering, isn't it? 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. It is not surprising then that more homeowners than ever are implementing energy-conserving home landscaping ideas on their property. So where can we begin with this exciting new landscaping adventure? I hope the following information will be of help to you.
Develop 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. Things like the property's microclimate, house location, 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 location 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.
Landscape 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) provide 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. Would you think of shading your air-conditioner through home landscaping because that 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.
Landscaspe 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.
I hope this article has been of help to you in creating landscaping for energy conservation. Reducing my household energy consumption by a possible 25% has motivated me to start looking around my yard.
Cedar Hill Lawn Care
Cedar Hill Landscaping
Develop 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. Things like the property's microclimate, house location, 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 location 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.
Landscape 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) provide 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. Would you think of shading your air-conditioner through home landscaping because that 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.
Landscaspe 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.
I hope this article has been of help to you in creating landscaping for energy conservation. Reducing my household energy consumption by a possible 25% has motivated me to start looking around my yard.
Cedar Hill Lawn Care
Cedar Hill Landscaping
Wipe Out Those Winter Garden Woes
It may not seem possible, but even after a major storm or hurricane with high winds, many trees can actually be restored. As long as the major limbs are still intact, as well as the trunk and roots, and there is no decaying wood, the tree has a high possibility of surviving.
The strong winds that come with a hurricane often cause all the leaves on a tree to be blown off. This is referred to as defoliation of the canopy. However, this doesn't mean the tree has died. In fact, when a canopy is defoliated it is probably still rather healthy. In this case, all you have to do is wait and be patient. When spring rolls around the next year, new foliage will probably crop up. Another cause of leaf loss occurs when trees are flooded by salt water. Deal with this by irrigating the soil around the tree to get rid of any excess salt.
If only small branches are broken or dead, you can usually fix this through some simple pruning. If you prune properly, the tree will have a high chance of recovery.
In trees that are naturally resistant to decay, if only a few major limbs are broken, the tree may be recoverable. A good example of this is live oak. This is a species of tree that is very good at resisting decay. Even with major branch damage, restoration is usually possible. Of course, the younger the tree, the more likely it can be restored.
In decay resistant trees, major canopy damage doesn't always pose a problem either. These trees naturally recover well after storms, even with up to 3/4 of their small branches broken or removed.
Smaller trees that are leaning or have fallen are good candidates for recovery. But keep in mind that this only applies to trees that have been planted recently or have a trunk diameter smaller than 4in. These trees can be put back in place or replanted, depending on the situation. For larger trees that you want to recover, contact the professionals.
A small tree, however, shouldn't be a problem for the homeowner to reestablish without any outside help.
Here’s how to replant a small tree:
Keep the roots moist at all times. Excavate the hole to fit the roots well and get rid of any jagged or torn roots. Make the tree as straight as possible and then back fill with soil from the site. Treat the tree as you would a newly planted one, by watering thoroughly. Three gallons per inch of trunk diameter three times a week should be fine. Lastly, stake the tree and adjust the stakes until the tree becomes stable again and can be removed.
Cleaning up tree damage and recovering trees on your property doesn’t have to be a major undertaking. Of course, the difficulty and duration of the job will depend on the severity of the storm damage, but in most cases a large number of trees are able to be recovered and restored to their former glory.
Duncanville Lawn Care
Duncanville Landscaping
The strong winds that come with a hurricane often cause all the leaves on a tree to be blown off. This is referred to as defoliation of the canopy. However, this doesn't mean the tree has died. In fact, when a canopy is defoliated it is probably still rather healthy. In this case, all you have to do is wait and be patient. When spring rolls around the next year, new foliage will probably crop up. Another cause of leaf loss occurs when trees are flooded by salt water. Deal with this by irrigating the soil around the tree to get rid of any excess salt.
If only small branches are broken or dead, you can usually fix this through some simple pruning. If you prune properly, the tree will have a high chance of recovery.
In trees that are naturally resistant to decay, if only a few major limbs are broken, the tree may be recoverable. A good example of this is live oak. This is a species of tree that is very good at resisting decay. Even with major branch damage, restoration is usually possible. Of course, the younger the tree, the more likely it can be restored.
In decay resistant trees, major canopy damage doesn't always pose a problem either. These trees naturally recover well after storms, even with up to 3/4 of their small branches broken or removed.
Smaller trees that are leaning or have fallen are good candidates for recovery. But keep in mind that this only applies to trees that have been planted recently or have a trunk diameter smaller than 4in. These trees can be put back in place or replanted, depending on the situation. For larger trees that you want to recover, contact the professionals.
A small tree, however, shouldn't be a problem for the homeowner to reestablish without any outside help.
Here’s how to replant a small tree:
Keep the roots moist at all times. Excavate the hole to fit the roots well and get rid of any jagged or torn roots. Make the tree as straight as possible and then back fill with soil from the site. Treat the tree as you would a newly planted one, by watering thoroughly. Three gallons per inch of trunk diameter three times a week should be fine. Lastly, stake the tree and adjust the stakes until the tree becomes stable again and can be removed.
Cleaning up tree damage and recovering trees on your property doesn’t have to be a major undertaking. Of course, the difficulty and duration of the job will depend on the severity of the storm damage, but in most cases a large number of trees are able to be recovered and restored to their former glory.
Duncanville Lawn Care
Duncanville Landscaping
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