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Shading
A 6-foot to 8-foot (1.8-meter
to 2.4-meter) deciduous tree planted near your home will begin
shading windows the first year. Depending on the species and
the home, the tree will shade the roof in 5 to 10 years. If you
have an air conditioner, be aware that shading the unit can increase
its efficiency by as much as 10%.
Trees, shrubs, and groundcover
plants can also shade the ground and pavement around the home.
This reduces heat radiation and cools the air before it reaches
your home's walls and windows. Use a large bush or row of shrubs
to shade a patio or driveway. Plant a hedge to shade a sidewalk.
Build a trellis for climbing vines to shade a patio area.
Vines can shade walls during
their first growing season. A lattice or trellis with climbing
vines, or a planter box with trailing vines, shades the home's
perimeter while admitting cooling breezes to the shaded area.
Shrubs planted close to the house
will fill in rapidly and begin shading walls and windows within
a few years. However, avoid allowing dense foliage to grow immediately
next to a home where wetness or continual humidity are problems.
Well-landscaped homes in wet areas allow winds to flow around
the home, keeping the home and its surrounding soil reasonably
dry.
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Wind Protection
Properly selected and placed
landscaping can provide excellent wind protection, which will
reduce heating costs considerably. Furthermore, these benefits
will increase as the trees and shrubs mature. The best windbreaks
block wind close to the ground by using trees and shrubs that
have low crowns.
Evergreen trees and shrubs planted
to the north and northwest of the home are the most common type
of windbreak. |
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Evergreen trees and shrubs planted
to the north and northwest of the home are the most common type
of windbreak. Trees, bushes, and shrubs are often planted together
to block or impede wind from ground level to the treetops. Or,
evergreen trees combined with a wall, fence, or earth berm (natural
or man-made walls or raised areas of soil) can deflect or lift
the wind over the home. Be careful not to plant evergreens too
close to your home's south side if you are counting on warmth
from the winter sun.
A windbreak will reduce wind
speed for a distance of as much as 30 times the windbreak's height.
But for maximum protection, plant your windbreak at a distance
from your home of two to five times the mature height of the
trees.
If snow tends to drift in your
area, plant low shrubs on the windward side of your windbreak.
The shrubs will trap snow before it blows next to your home.
In addition to more distant windbreaks,
planting shrubs, bushes, and vines next to your house creates
dead air spaces that insulate your home in both winter and summer.
Plant so there will be at least 1 foot (30 centimeters) of space
between full-grown plants and your home's wall.
Summer winds especially at night
can have a cooling effect if used for home ventilation. However,
if winds are hot and your home is air conditioned all summer,
you may want to keep summer winds from circulating near your
home.
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