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Planning Your Landscape
Before you start landscaping,
you must first develop a plan. The components of your plan could
include deciduous trees and plants, coniferous trees and plants,
earth berms, walls, fences, sheds, and garages. This section
will help you create a landscape plan before you plant around
your existing home or before you begin construction on a new
house.
Use paper and different-colored
pencils to begin designing your landscape. First, sketch a simple,
scaled drawing of your yard. Locate its buildings, walks, driveways,
and utilities (e.g., sewer, electric, and telephone lines). Note
the location of all paved surfaces -- streets, driveways, patios,
or sidewalks -- near your home. Then identify potential uses
for different areas of your yard: vegetable gardens, flower beds,
patios, and play areas.
Draw arrows to show sun angles
and prevailing winds for both summer and winter. As you sketch,
circle the areas of your yard needing shade or wind protection.
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Indicate with arrows how you
want views to be preserved or screened. Mark routes of noise
pollution you wish to block. Also, highlight areas where landscaping
height or width may be restricted, such as under utility lines
or along sidewalks.
Notice yard areas that suffer
from poor drainage and standing water. Some trees and shrubs
will not grow well in poorly drained areas; others will. Note
existing trees and shrubs. Plan for their replacement if they
are old or sick and if they provide valued shade or windbreak. |
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Perhaps you want more defined property
boundaries or less traffic noise. Consider a "living fence"
of dense trees, bushes, or shrubs. Depending on its location
and application, this hedge can be customized to be tall, short,
wide, narrow, open, or dense. Privet is a species of shrub that
grows in most parts of the United States and can serve as a living
fence.
Areas of lawn not used as picnic
or play areas can be converted to planting beds or xeriscaped
areas. Xeriscaping is a landscaping technique that uses vegetation
that is drought resistant and is able to survive on rainfall
and groundwater once established. Converting a traditional lawn
to alternative, water-conserving grasses or other forms of xeriscaping
saves energy and reduces water consumption.
Perhaps you live in an urban
area where yards are small and neighbors close. Your neighbor's
yard may be the best place for trees to shade your south-facing
windows. Your yard may be the best location for their windbreak.
Bringing your neighbors into your plans could benefit everyone
involved.
The more you identify your goals
and familiarize yourself with your yard's features -- current
and proposed -- the better your chances for success with your
landscaping projects.
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