GardenLine | Yard & Garden | Landscaping Part 1: Goals of Landscaping

Williams was a graduate student with the Department of Horticulture Science. This column is provided by the Division of Extension and Community Relations and the Department of Horticulture Science, University of Saskatchewan.

The goals of landscaping are both aesthetic and functional. They include beauty, increased privacy, comfort, convenience and safety, and ease of maintenance.

Beauty

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." This is true with land- scaping as with everything else. Taste is a very personal matter. What you like is probably very different from what your neighbour likes and so it should be. Remember, too, that whatever you can see outdoors from where you stand in your house or in your yard is your landscape, whether or not you own what you are looking at. It is your choice to include or exclude what you view through your landscaping.

Plants that change in appearance as the year progresses may have a dual or triple landscape or "beauty value" over a long and varied season. By choosing such plants, you're getting more for the time, energy, and money you've expended on them. In a climate such as Saskatchewan's, where "the growing season is as long as the towing season," it's particularly important to think of fall and winter landscape value when selecting plants. Keep these factors in mind:

1. Flowers - Most nursery catalogues will emphasize the flowering habit of trees and shrubs. But how long do the flowers last? Will the tree or shrub be attractive all year round?

2. Leaf color - Are the leaves attractive? Finely cut or compound? Are they an unusual color (golden, grey or silver blue, purple, or variegated)? Do the plants have the added bonus of attractive autumn leaf coloration? Or are they evergreen and retained through the winter?

3. Bark color or texture - What will this plant look like in winter when its devoid of leaves and flowers? Birches have attractive white bark with a distinct texture. Amur cherries have a similar type of peeling bark that is bronze in color. Siberian dogwoods have a brilliant scarlet bark that shows up well against snow. Other dogwoods have green or golden bark.

4. Fruit - Is the fruit retained through fall and winter? Many crabapples and mountain ash carry their fruit through the winter, providing food for birds while adding color to the winter landscape. Buffaloberry and sea buckthorn also carry their fruit through part of the winter.

Privacy

In North America, the backyard is the homeowner's private domain. We grow hedges, plant trees and build fences so that the neighbours can't see the comings and goings of our daily lives. In other parts of the world, particularly where land is more limited or population pressure more intense, the front yard is also landscaped for privacy.

Comfort

Landscaping can increase our comfort by providing protection from the elements. What landscape architects refer to as 'high- headed' trees give more shade than columnar trees or lower shrubs. Shade can also be provided by arbors laced with vines, or decks with slatted rather than solid roofing (2X4's placed parallel with equal spacing between them).

Homeowners can plant material to modify their environment and, in a sense, create their own "micro-climate." Hedges and coniferous trees, placed to buffer prevailing winds, increase your comfort in winter and reduce heating bills as well. Evergreens are especially useful on the northwest of buildings to buffer winter winds. Deciduous trees will provide shade in summer if planted to the south and west of a house, deck or patio, but will allow the warmth of the sun to enter during the winter months. Hedges and shrub plantings can also reduce dust, traffic glare, pollutants and noise.

Convenience and Safety

Walks and gateways should be planned to fit in with a logical foot traffic pattern and be wide enough for the largest piece of machinery (rototiller, snowblower, etc) which will have to move over or through them - 1.2 m is a recommended width. Steps should have treads 30 cm wide and risers of 15 cm high. Both walks and steps should be well lit.

Street numbers or name plates should be large enough and well lit enough to be visible from the street. Care should be taken not to obscure them with plant materials.

Driveways should be wide enough to accommodate vehicles as well as people entering and leaving them. Avoid overhanging trees and shrubs along driveways or walks which will "drip" rain or snow on passers-by.

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Sustainable horticultural information, offered free of charge to the public with the support of the University of Saskatchewan Extension Division, the Department of Plant Sciences and the Provincial Government.