You need to know plenty

SPRING IS a time when homeowners come out of hiber-
nation and start looking at the outside of their houses.

A quick trip to the local plant
nursery, a shovel and a pair of
gardening gloves and they’re in
business. What more do you need
to know?

Plenty!

“Don’t plant trees and shrubs
before you think about how they
could affect the energy efficiency
of your home,”’ says Barbara
Pauly, chief of marketing of the
Efficiency and Alternative Energy
Branch at Energy, Mines and
Resources Canada.

We all know that there are
many things to do inside your
house to make it more energy-
efficient, such as caulking win-
dows, weather-stripping windows
and doors and insulating.

’ But landscaping ideas can also
contribute to your house’s overall
energy efficiency.

“The best wind break would be
a cedar hedge,” suggests land-
scape designer Denis Willaert.

“Another way is to create
berms or hills that will direct the
wind away from the house.”*

Here are some landscaping tips
that can benefit the energy-effi-
ciency of new and existing homes:
@ Plant leaf-bearing trees such as
maples or oaks on the south side
of your house.

This provides the house with
shade in the summer and lets the
sun shine into your home in the
winter when the leaves have fall-
en.

@ Plant evergreen trees such as
balsam or blue spruce on the walls
facing north.

e If your home is exposed to the
elements, especially prevailing
winds, consider planting an
evergreen hedge (cedars, for ex-
ample) to act as a windbreak.

@ Avoid planting trees or shrubs
close to any exterior air vents such
as a dryer vent or a fireplace air
intake vent.

Also, if your home has a
mechanical ventilation system, do
not block the air intakes with any
kind of shrubbery.
® Take into account the size the
tree or shrub will be when fully
grown.

Large shade trees should not be
planted too close to the house to

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Urban Garden
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avoid the root systems from inter-
fering with your house’s founda-
tion or drains and the branches
from possibly damaging the roof
or windows.

“Strategically placed trees, such
as the honey locust, :i:ade master
or red maple, will give you shade
in summer and let the sun shine
through in the winter,’’ says
Willaert.

“‘Certain municipalities or de-

velopers have restrictions on
which trees can be planted, so
check before you plant.

““Weeping willows have their
disadvantages for anyone with
tiles or wells.”

Landscaping plays an important
part in making your house a
home. But well-thought-out land-
scaping can contribute to increas-
ed energy-efficiency.

Be sure that you get the max-
imum benefit from landscaping
the energy-efficient way.

There are many benefits
to planting and caring for
a variety of living things

PLANTS CAN help you make a
world of difference in the en-
vironment...beginning in your
own back yard. Plants are not on-
ly bdeautiful but they work dili-
gently by:

@ cleaning the air by removing
harmful chemicals indoors and
out,

@ preventing wind and soil ero-
sion,

@ reducing heating and cooling
costs by shading and insulating
the home,

@ making your home and back
yard a more enjoyable place to be,

° BARK MULCH |
© TOP SOIL
° LAVA ROCK

@ providing you with a relaxing
form of exercise: gardening,
@ attracting wildlife by providing
food and shelter for birds and
small animals,
@ adding pleasure to your life
with sweet scenis and great tastes,
@ increasing the quiet and seclu-
sion of your yard,
@ sheltering you from glaring sun
or harsh winds, and
@ naturally screening out
undesirable views and enhancing
pleasant ones.

Piants enrich your life and help
make the world a better place.

Friday, Aprit 24, 1992 — North Shore News — 29

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