Landscaping

Good landscape architects and designers have the ability to generate both creative ideas and phase-in plans to help you achieve you vision. Landscaping is a natural and beautiful way to keep your home cool in summer and reduce your energy bills. A well-deigned landscape not only can add beauty to your home but also can reduce your heating and cooling costs. Carefully positioned tree can save up to 25% of the energy a typical household uses. Here are xeriscaping’s six big rules to ensure installations provide the benefits, including less maintenance, water and other inputs needed after establishment.

• DESIGN

When designing a landscape, take into account factors such as climate, shade and sun, the contour of the property ,soil types and watering requirements etc..

• SOIL

Match plants with the types of soils best suited for the plants’ survival and health. Test the soil and add nutrients and organic matter, such as compost, to promote plant health and also to retain water.

• PLANTS

Remember the adage “The Right Plant In The Right Place.” Proper plant selection and placement within a landscape is critically important to the success and enjoyment of the landscape. Group plants with similar light and water requirements and put them in locations that meet those requirements.

• IRRIGATION

The better option is to provide the property with an automatic irrigation system with the latest “smart” features that irrigate the property in zones. For example, areas of turf grass require more frequent watering than areas of native or regionally adapted ornamentals, shrubs and trees, which should be watered with drip or bubbler emitters.

• MULCH

Mulch serves several purposes on a Xeriscape. Mulch moderates the soil temperature on plant roots and helps to retain soil moisture, blocks weed growth and reduces rain runoff. Apply mulch about 3 inches deep. Organic mulches, such as compost, bark chips, pine straw or shredded wood, break down, which improves the soil over time.

• MAINTENANCE

Xeriscapes require maintenance, especially during establishment. In fact, all commercial and residential landscapes require an appropriate level of ongoing care. A landscape, including a xeriscape, that does not receive ongoing maintenance morphs into a mess. Turf grass requires regular mowing (3 inches high, leave clippings on the lawn), and trees, shrubs and perennials need periodic pruning.