Why not benefit from one of the
"hidden" advantages of landscaping this summer? While everyone knows
landscaping can make your yard more beautiful, few realize that it can reduce
summer cooling bills by as much as 50 percent!
Creating an energy-saving landscape
doesn't require exotic or expensive plants and materials, just trees, vines
and shrubs says the American Association of Nurserymen (AAN). With proper
placement of these plants, you can reduce your energy bills by reducing the
temperature fluctuations in your home.
Trees: Beating the blistering
heat of a summer day is as easy as planting trees to provide shade. According
the AAN, planting trees to shade the roof, walls and windows of your home in
the summer can reduce your cooling bills by as much as 50%. Shading even 20%
of the roof for the entire day will reduce your energy costs. The amount of
shade you can provide with a tree depends largely upon the type of tree you
plant. Deciduous trees are always a good bet, as they do double duty, cooling
your house in the summer and warming it in the winter.
In the summer deciduous trees block
the sun with their leafy limbs, cooling anything underneath with their shade.
In the winter, deciduous trees allow the sun through their bare branches,
allowing the warming sunlight to shine on your home. For best results, locate
deciduous trees on the southern and western sides of your home.
When planting for shade around your
home in the summer, don't forget to provide a cool, shady place for your air
conditioning unit.
According to AAN, shading an air
conditioning unit can lengthen the life of the compressor. The shade eases the
strain the unit can experience from operating for hours on end in intense
heat. One way to provide shade for an air conditioner is to plant a flowering
tree or shrub near the unit. Just be sure not to block good air circulation.
Another way might be to place a
trellis near the unit. Place the trellis two to three feet from the unit to
allow access to the unit and space for air intake and growth of plants.
Vines are another natural way to
reduce your energy bills. During the summer, vines can provide direct shade on
the walls of your home. This also keeps the surface temperature down and
reduces the amount of heat conducted into the home. The result is a more
comfortable and livable environment.
For those eager gardeners who want to
start saving money on their energy bills even more quickly, vines provide
quick-growing shade. In four to five years many vines can be trained to grow
up a trellis, an arbor or porch during spring and summer, cooling your home.
During the winter, these vines can be trimmed back to let in extra sunlight to
warm it. When using vines in your energy saving landscape, check with the
experts at Roxanna's Garden to see what kind of vines to grow and which ones
to avoid. Keep in mind that not all vines are a good choice for landscaping,
as some may damage paint, wood, brick or shingles by retaining moisture.
Shrubs: Another nice way to
take advantage of the hidden benefits of landscaping is to use shrubs. Shrubs
can be planted to form a living fence between the sun and your home, suggests
AAN. Evergreen shrubs can also be planted on the north and east sides of
your home to block winter winds.
Shrubs can shade the architectural
features that are prone to heat transfer during the summer such as sliding
glass patio doors and windows. Shrubs planted primarily for their shade-giving
properties should be tall enough to block the late afternoon sun. For most
homes, shrubs should be from six to eight feet tall.
For summer living like you've never
had before, check out the wide variety of trees, vines and shrubs suitable for
our mountain environment at Roxanna's Garden. Or, for an effortless
experience, contact Roxanna at 909-338-9192 to request a consultation. Start
your energy-saving landscape today.
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