Home Landscaping
If you want to add value to your home, skip the family room addition or the vinyl siding. Plant a tree instead.
August/September 1999
By Mort Mather
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Some people want a perfect lawn. Our lawn is green all summer and requires no care other than mowing when needed. That's good enough for us. The tree in the foreground is the poplar, which in this late August shot is shading the house from the afternoon sun. The garden is on the left in this picture; its windbreak can be seen to the right of the chairs.
WALTER CHOROSZEWSKI
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I confess that I was being cruel when I asked the local businessman if his insurance would cover the $10,000 loss he had just incurred. "What loss?" he quickly asked. "Why the loss of those beautiful old trees that fronted your property," I replied.
He had purchased a lovely old house that sat on a slight rise about 100 feet back from a busy road. The maples he'd cut down had arched over the road and over his front lawn. They'd shaded the house from the afternoon sun in the summer and let the rays shine through in the winter They'd provided a visual screen, as well as a sound barrier from the road for the second story rooms in the summer when the road was busiest. They'd probably improved the air quality, too. Plus, they'd made the whole property more attractive.
His view of these trees was somewhat different. He was turning the house into a business. He wanted people to see the business. And from a business point of view, maybe he was right.
What's certain is that removing those trees changed the look of the road and buildings in the vicinity for a long, long time. Even if the trees are replanted, the chance they will be allowed to grow to the same majesty are slim. Their foliage rose above the utility wires, where it was allowed to branch out naturally. Young trees reaching wire height will be trimmed in unattractive shapes to accommodate power and phone lines.
Why Landscape?
There are plenty of good reasons — aesthetic, economical and ecological — to manipulate, or landscape, the grounds around our home or business:
• To raise the value of our property.
• To make our home more environmentally sound, thereby decreasing annual heating and cooling costs.
• To provide a good living environment.
• To make our home or business attractive both to us and to others.
Chances are you will not strike oil, find gold or dig up a pirate's treasure on your property. Still, a little digging and a small investment can bring great returns. If you spend $50 on a savings bond today, it will be worth less than $150 in 20 years. If you plant a $50 tree on your property today, it will likely add $3,000 to the value of your property over the same period of time. Just like other investments, it must be done wisely and there is no guarantee that past performance will indicate future return, but landscaping will certainly increase the aesthetics and ultimate value of your home.
Making our homes more environmentally sound through landscaping can save us money every year. Do we want the sun beating down on the house sometimes, all the time or never? If never, surround it with evergreens. If in winter but not summer, plant deciduous trees. If in morning but not afternoon, plant on the west but not the east. If the winter wind sucks the heat out of your house, a strategically placed windbreak of trees or shrubs will have a positive effect on the heating bills. A screen of trees and shrubs can also muffle noise and improve air quality.
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