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Landscape Tips By JRH Of Doylestown Pa
By | August 14, 2008
You can take part in saving our environment. You can collect acorns and plant them, not very efficient or plant shrubs and trees which can do more than just recycle carbon in the air from fuel burning. Your landscape plants can cut heating and cooling costs. If each person planted just a small number of plants or trees that help reduce carbon emissions, the worldwide total would be massive. The best goal is to control the sun and wind. The first line of defense for saving energy is protection from the winter winds by the use of landscaping. Research has shown that a properly designed screen or buffer can reduce the heating cost of a typical residence by as much as 30 percent. Selecting the proper plants is important. An example of a plant that is known for its screening capabilities is the Arborvitae.
Arborvitae Plantings 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 Eastern 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. Arborvitae 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 arborvitae is small, medium, or large depending on the cultivar. Some reach 50′, others only 3′. Even small Arborvitae 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 arborvitae. These plants will tolerate rocky, clay, urban conditions of heat drought and pollution.
The most important pest we have for arborvitae is bagworms which 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 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.
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.
One last point in helping the environment. Try not to harm snakes. Snakes play a large role in controlling the population of mice and rats within an ecosystem. Mice are one of the largest killers of small nursery stock. Without the control of snakes these creatures would have an enormous impact your gardens.
The reproduction rate of most mice and rats is far greater then most people realize. Rats for reproduce at a rate of almost 200 babies from just a single specimen. Now imagine if you missed that one mouse or rat…2 years in a row. The numbers begin to climb very fast to a huge number.
Besides protecting your nursery stock snakes will help reduce the threat levels from rat droppings and urine which is left behind to contaminate any place they have been. Rodents are known to carry diseases. Anything from salmonella, rickets , rat bite fever, tapeworms, and organisms that may cause ringworm .
So, now you know why I capture and collect snakes for our nurseries and farms. If you dont want your snakes, bring them to us we will barter…. your snake for nursery stock. see http://www.seedlingsrus.com/TradesWanted.html
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
James Ryan has a large nursery in Bucks County Pa near Doylestown. He has thousands of Green Giants and writes about there uses. His web sites include http://www.seedlingsrus.com and http://www.digatree.com/Living Fences -
Ubud is located in the centre Bali island. Renowned for famous Art Painting and Artist Painting. Ubud Painting is the trademark of Bali Painting. Ubud is a place to go if you want to buy an Oil Original Painting and Famous Painting. Bali Landscape Paintings introduce Ubud painters family lives in Katik Lantang village only minutes from Ubud Village. They are I Dewa Made Thagel with his sons I Dewa Putu Haddi Putra and I Dewa Made Mandyasa offers Ubud Traditional Painting, Modern Painting, Realism Painting, Impression Painting, Abstract Painting, Portrait Painting, and Landscape Painting. Dewa Made Thagel was born on 1950, He started to paint in 1968 and have learned Oil Painting Techniques from a famous Dutch painter Rudolf Bonnet who lived in Ubud. From begining he paints in Traditional Painting style which has four steps and of painting. It makes one painting could be finished in three days or even untill a week. His Acrylic Painting mostly featuring Balinese people lifestyle likes Farmer, Rice Harvesting, Traditional Market, Village Life, Balinese Dance, Barong Dance and also beautifull Bali Landscape.
Borned and growth in an artist family his sons Dewa Putu Haddi Putra and Dewa Made Mandyasa becomes young talented autodidactly painters with their own paintings.
Was born in 1974 his eldest son Dewa Putu Haddi Putra has never went to a formal paintings school. He has learned traditional style painting technique from his father but he also able to paint in Realism Painting, Impression Painting and Modern Abstract painting which he have learned autodidactly. His oil paintings featuring a beautiful Bali Landscape and single object likes Flower Painting, Painting, Horse Painting, Nude Body Painting ,Female Body Painting and Budha Face Painting. The people call him a multy skill painter. His younger son Dewa Made Mandyasa was born in 1977, he is following his father style but choosing a different object. His oil Paintings mostly featuring the beautiful Landscape with colourfull Flower and Birds. like his brother he also paints in Modern style Painting featuring Sunset Beach Painting, Ricefield Painting, Mountain Painting, and so on. Like mostly good painters, they are consistantly paints with a deep art feeling makes the paintings has a”Taksu” or soul. Their thousands finest Bali Landscape Paintings are now displayed in all over the worlds. discover Bali -Ubud traditional oils pantings featuring flower, landscape, lotus, birds, Budha, nude dancer, horse
About the Author
I Was born on November 24 1977, in a small village in Bali called Banjar Sekarmukti, My father is a farmer makes me could not continued my education to high school. I went to diploma of tourism training center in Denpasar only for one year then I met Mr. Made Mandyasa. Now I work at the tourism field as Assistant Resort Manager at Waka di Ume resort & spa Ubud Mr. Mandyasa the second son of dewa Made Thagel, I have learned to paint with him and
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