This article tell how your landscape design can help heat and cool your property.

Yes, your landscape design can save you on heating and cooling costs. The primary goal is to control wind and sun. The first line of defense for energy savings is protection from the cold winter winds by the use of landscaping. Research shows that properly designed screens and buffers can reduce the heating cost of a typical residence by as much as 30 percent. Selecting proper plants is important. An example of a plant that is known for its screening capabilities is the Arborvitae. This plant will do well in Montgomery County Pennsylvania. An added benefit is that these plants are cheap and easy to maintain.

Arborvita For Winter Fuel Saving: Reduce Wind Speeds

There have been studies that show that wind speeds around homes can be reduced by as much as 90%. The best design for windbreaks depends on the use and exact location of the site. However, in most of Pa. the prevailing winds are from the northeast, thus, the maximum protection should be concentrated in the north east. A single row of conifers with staggered spacings is the best for protection from both wind and blowing snow. The wind is deflected up and over the screen, creating a well protected zone. The area of maximum protection can extend outward several times the height of the trees. If space is at a premium, fewer plants will be helpful, but the use of conifers and other densely branched species is essential for maximum winter protection.arborvitae make an excellent choice for providing winter protection. Arborvita are commonly used evergreens useful in urban areas where low maintenance and durability is needed. Many cultivars with forms such as being globed in shape, columnar, or narrow pyramidal, tend to be near buildings, doors, and walkways. Other forms which are larger are used for screens and buffers that are planted in rows. The form of arborvita is small, medium, or large depending on the cultivar. Some reach 50', others only 3'. Even small Arborvita can help breakup the wind and drifting snows of winter. Most prefer full sun to partial sun. Planting in dense shade conditions should be avoided. A moist, well drained, loamy soil in full sunlight are ideal conditions for growing healthy arborvita. These plants will tolerate rocky, clay, urban conditions of heat drought and pollution.

The most important pest we have for arborvita is bagworms. These pests must be controlled to prevent complete defoliation. Some cultivars have multiple leaders which also prove to be a detraction for the plant. Pruning out multiple leaders in some cultivars is a simple remedy. The ease in planting and maintaining this plant make it an ideal choice for planting around the house. Plant shrubs with wind direction in mind. Since south winds are generally warmer than northeast winds, it is considered sufficient to have moderate protection on the east and desirable to leave the south open or restricted to rows of shrubs and deciduous trees. More openness to the south allows solar gain in the winter and for summer ventilation house. The economic incentive of reduced heating costs is additional to known benefits of reduced snow clearing. While most homes have at least some naturally treed areas or planted screens protecting their yard, the full potential benefit from tree planting is far from being realized. Energy conservation is a growing concern. Current studies confirm what fuel oil dealers have known all along, homes with screens and buffers use considerably less fuel. The time to begin planning for an energy conscious future is now. <h2>

The Green Giant Arborvitae</h2>

The hardiness zone for the green giant arborvitae is from zones 5 to 8. It is an evergreen with rapid growth rates that in ideal conditions can be up to 3 feet per year. Site requirements for the green giant is sun to partial shade, moist well drained soil but does well in clay, and needs protection from wind . Its texture is fine with its form conical being narrow to broadly pyramidal, reaching from 50 to 80' in height to 15 to 20 feet in width. The leaf is rich, green, with graceful foliage. It keeps its foliage color in the winter. The green giants flowers/fruit are .5" erect female cones. The green giant has strong wood, casts dense shade,and has cinnamon red bark when young. This arborvitae does not tolerate salt spray. This arborvitae should outlive even your children and provide years of shelter for you buildings.

One of the best plants for habitat improvement are plants from the Viburnum family which provide excellent food and shelter for bird habitats. Viburnums are attractive, versatile, adaptable shrubs for any garden and viburnums are not expensive. They can serve as hedges or screens and in mixed perennial and shrub borders. We like them most as specimen plants. They usually are found in the form of shrubs, but can become small ornamental trees(sieboldi). They range in size from the small Dwarf American Cranberry at 2 feet tall by 2 feet wide, to the Siebold at over 15 feet tall.

Another plant that can help buffer winter winds is the Viburnum. Viburnums are plants with year round interest. Some Viburnums have white to pink flowers in the spring. Some are fragrant. They have large, attractive and often textured leaves. Some viburnums have fragrant flowers that are produced in snowball like clusters in the spring. The flower clusters can be of pink buds, which develop into white flowers. Some fruits are red and turn black with age while others are orange and some blue. Leaves are glossy, dark green and turn a burgundy color in the fall. Midsummer berries are an important food source for birds. Viburnums are a must for the avid birder. Viburnums can have colorful red to purple leaves. Some viburnums can become medium-size trees, especially if they are pruned. Viburnums are specimen plants or can be anchors in mixed borders and hedges and screens. You won't find a better group of shrubs for hedges or for massing in groups, since viburnums are delightful in every season and landscape. Some viburnums, such as Prague viburnum, are evergreen and have fragrant flowers. Others, such as leatherleaf viburnum, are semi-evergreen in colder climates, losing their leaves when temperatures dip below 10 degrees. We like Viburnums because of their adaptability and durability. While they would prefer full sun and moderately watered, well-drained rich soils, they grow very well in part shade in alkaline, clay soils. Diseases and pests are not common for viburnums. We have more trouble from my kids running over them with brush hogs. They claim they were testing their durability. Yet all the viburnums they chopped to the ground survived. In fact, we sold these plants for a premium as they produced better numbers of desirable stems. Their fibrous root system makes them transplant and propagate easily. (We do have more difficulty with the Korean Spice rooted cuttings.)

If you are shopping for a sharp hardy shrub that will help buffer winter winds consider one of the many cultivars of the Viburnum family. In fact select a couple of them. You will be rewarded with shrubs with all season interest. Viburnums are popular garden plants, known for their white, often fragrant spring flowers and their fall color. The Asian viburnums such as the Carlesi are the most loved. Perhaps the most known viburnums are the Burkwood viburnum (Viburnum x burkwoodii), and the Korean spice viburnum (V. carlesii), both of which fill the air with a wonderful fragrance in mid-spring. (The Mohican is a cross of the two.) Also popular is the doublefile viburnum (V. plicatum f. tomentosum), valued for its layered habit, fall foliage, and clusters of red fruits, and its close relative the Shasta, a gold medal winner. We have most of these viburnums at our 5275 W. Swamp Rd. nursery in Fountainville Pa. ready for customer pickup. Viburnum acerifolium (Maple-leafed viburnum) Although I wouldn't garden without any of these, I like the native viburnums. They may not provide the flower fragrance of their Asian counterparts, but I love them for their fall foliage color and for their fruit displays, which attract birds to my garden in the fall and winter months. In addition, several are useful to waterwise gardeners or in urban conditions. They require only corrective pruning, and none commonly suffer from pests or diseases. These native viburnums are hardy and durable. Once you establish them they will not require a lot of attention and give years of enjoyment. See our many web sites at:
http://www.zone5trees.com , http://www.highlandhillfarm and http://www.seedlingsrus.com and http://www.greengiantarbs.com http://www..HuntingRelics.com

About the Author

Bill Hirst has been growing plants on his 200 acre farm in back woods of Pa for 30 years. His web sites are http://www.seedlingsrus.com and http://www.digatree.com Sign up for Bill's newsletter at http://www.seedlingsrus.com/123456signup.html