Healthy Landscape, Healthy Home

by Leslie Lyles, M.S. |

Spring is in full bloom and with it comes the desire for new life in our landscapes. A nicely landscaped yard offers many benefits to a home owner. Studies show that plants can reduce stress, increase property values, reduce glare and noise pollution, and save energy. These benefits, however, can only be realized when the proper plants are chosen for the planting space. Plants are living organisms and thus have specific requirements that are essential in order for them to be healthy and thrive, not just survive, in our landscapes. In order for plants to reach their full potential, careful planning should go into the selection of the right plant for the garden.

Whether homeowners have a newly constructed home and are in need of full landscaping or they just want to spruce things up, there are things to consider before choosing the right landscape plants. The most important consideration when choosing landscape plants is whether the plants are adapted to the site. Plants that looked great in a Southern California landscape are unlikely to do well in Northern California or Nevada landscapes; the winter temperatures here are much colder. To know what plants grow well in a particular region, homeowners should look up the Hardiness Rating for the plant. Local nurseries are a great resource for this information, which can often be found on the plant label. Sunset Garden Book is also a great resource.

Another factor to consider when selecting plants for a landscape is what exposure the plants will be planted in. South facing slopes receive much more sun than North facing and generally are not good locations for shade loving plants or for broad leaved evergreens, which tend to sunburn easily. Areas that receive a lot of wind are not good locations for delicate plants or plants with large leaves that can tear in the wind.

The soil the plants will be growing in is a huge consideration. For perennials and some shrubs it is easy to amend the native soil or put in raised mounds of quality imported soil, but for trees this is rarely practical. If a tree is chosen that is native to the east coast, where humidity is high and soils are rich in organic matter with excellent drainage, then the likelihood of that tree growing well in low humidity and compacted clay soils is low.

Finally, what is the water requirement for the plant being chosen and is it similar to the other plants in that area of the landscape? Looking at the native habitat for plants can give a homeowner an idea of where they would grow best. Planting a riparian species such as aspen or birch, which require a large amount of water, into a drought tolerant garden is a recipe for failure.
The benefits of healthy landscapes are many. Homeowners should pay attention to the plant’s needs, to insure healthy plants that thrive and serve the function they were chosen for.

References:
www.treesaregood.com/treecare/tree_benefits.aspx
Sunset Western Garden Book. Copyright 1995, Sunset Publishing Corporation, Menlo Park, CA. Sixth edition.

For more info, contact Leslie Lyles or Holly Bromley, Horticultural Consultants at (775) 849-1215.