Well-manicured and luscious gardens have their own charms, though one might be oblivious to the efforts made just to keep these gardens looking their best. For some people, landscaping is (perhaps) hard work. Still, what value can landscaping projects provide to compensate the hard work it entails? A lot, maybe more than what some people expect.
Expectedly, landscaping makes one’s garden look beautiful or adds value to one’s property. After all, people are easily enchanted by an amazing garden. More than those, however, it can also provide big benefits to the environment.
Reducing Soil Erosion
When done properly, landscaping projects reduce the erosion of soil. This happens when enough mulch and plants maintain soil, which then keeps sediments out of roads, storm drains, lakes, and streams. That also reduces floods and mudslides.
Plants are perhaps the “secret” of landscaping’s capability to enhance the environment. For one thing, plants improve air quality: a single tree takes in 26 pounds of carbon dioxide－about 11,000 miles of vehicle emissions－from the atmosphere every year. Also, landscape plants such as shrubs remove air pollutants, while grass breaks down carbon dioxide and transforms them into carbon and oxygen.
Aside from improving air quality, landscape plants also improve the quality of water. Plants minimize unhealthy runoff, which otherwise might overload septic systems or allow pollutants into waterways. Meanwhile, proper landscaping reduces the loss of water-soluble plant nutrients from the soil due to nitrates.
Finally, natural resources benefit from landscaping projects as well. When placed strategically and properly, deciduous trees reduce temperatures in homes during summer and allow enough sunlight to warm houses during winter. Trees also reduce the need for fossil fuels for cooling and heating.
Landscaping for the Urban Jungle
Although some people think landscaping works only for homes, it can also work in the so-called urban jungle. Some TV shows provide examples of people, especially landscape experts, incorporate plants into buildings－and not just by putting a pair of potted plants by a door. Specifically, some landscape professionals create “hanging gardens” that give other people a welcome sight as well as a place to grow fruits or vegetables.
Some time ago, a study by the University of Washington’s Urban Forestry/Urban Greening Research gave some interesting findings. Shoppers, for one, claimed they’d spend more time to visit a district with a high-quality green canopy even if it meant traveling a great distance. For another, commercial buildings receive higher rental rates when filled with high-quality landscapes. Another interesting study from California revealed that landscaped areas receive no graffiti, unlike non-landscaped areas.
There’s no denying the effects of less stress and greater feeling of productivity for people who interact with plants. Workers who have an outside view of plants then experience more job satisfaction, compared to others with no outside view.
How Homes Value from Landscaping
Even though landscaping benefits offices and the environment, it all starts with the home.
Landscaping adds money figures to a home’s property value as alluded earlier. However, one recent study estimates a 7.5 percent average increase of the value of a home with an attractive landscape. Even better is a home with a landscape can reduce its time on the house-buying market by five to six weeks. In some cases, according to the Wall Street Journal, landscape investments’ value double.
Overall, landscaping benefits both urban surroundings and individual homes in Woodstock. Residents and property owners can seek the advice of Woodstock landscaping professionals on how their properties can earn value, perhaps more than they bargained for.
Sources:
Ensley: The value of landscaping, northwestgeorgianews.com
The Benefits of Landscapes, loveyourlandscape.org
