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A SUCCESSFUL LANDSCAPE PLAN
An Alabama-Friendly Yard doesn’t merely offer a good-looking, low-maintenance landscape; it also becomes an asset to the environment, protecting natural resources, and preserving our state’s unique beauty. Recognizing that the home landscape is part of a larger natural system will help create an Alabama-Friendly Yard. Designing a beautiful yard begins with good decisions based on what you and your landscape require.Whether you are designing on a shoestring budget or hiring a professional landscape architect, understanding a few basic concepts will help you make good decisions and avoid problems down the road. The secret to creating a successful landscape design is using a logical planning process. Follow the steps outlined below to develop your own landscape plan.
1. Decide why you want to landscape and set goals.
Most homeowners think of landscaping as a way to add beauty to their home or to improve the resale value. Other reasons to landscape might prove more problem-oriented, such as trying to reduce noise, creating a focal point, or luring wildlife to a yard. The AYN program aims to protect the environment while meeting these needs. Appropriate landscaping stabilizes soil, prevents erosion, filters pollutants, and reduces harmful runoff, all of which contribute to preserving Alabama’s unique natural resources.
Runoff: the portion of rain or irrigation water on an area that is discharged through stream channels. The water that is lost without entering the soil is called surface runoff. How will you use your property? You might need a play area for your children or wish to entertain family and friends outdoors. Your passion may be raising vegetables or simply maintaining a small flower bed at the mailbox. Decide how much time you want to spend in your yard. Creating a low-maintenance yard will ultimately save time and money.
2. Analyze the existing site.
Walk around your property and note your site’s conditions. Does your site demand plants that are tolerant of full sun, shade, drought, or occasional flooding? If you do not know your soil’s pH and nutrient content you may want to conduct a soil test.Look at existing plants and decide which ones you want to keep. Trees with long life spans like live oak (Quercus virginiana) and Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) are desirable and should be preserved. Plants that always seem to have one problem or another throughout the year are good candidates for removal. You should always remove any invasive species like privet (Ligustrum sinense) and kudzu (Pueraria lobata).
- Understanding USDA Hardiness Zones
The USDA hardiness zone map of the United States is broken down into zones of average minimum temperatures. You should only select plants that can tolerate average lowest temperatures for your area. Alabama covers two hardiness zones: Zone 8 reaches from about Clanton southward; Zone 7 is above Clanton. Average minimum temperature for the southern half of Alabama is 10°F to 20°F. The northern half of the state averages 0°F to 10°F minimum temperature.
- Know Your Soil
Determine your soil’s texture. Sandy soil will be well-drained and a clayey soil will have poor drainage. For an in-depth explanation of Alabama soil types go to: http://www.mo15.nrcs.usda.gov/states/al_soils.html .Before fertilizing or making any other amendments to your soil you should first conduct a soil test for an analysis of your soil’s nutrients and suggested amendments.
http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0006-A/ANR-0006-A.pdfYour soil's pH is one of the most important measurements you need to know. Soil tests may recommend amending the soil with lime or with sulfur. Neutralizing a soil’s pH makes certain valuable nutrients more available to plants. Knowing your soil’s pH will also help you make better use of plant reference guides, which often specify pH needs along with other requirements for plant health.
http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0388/It is also important to realize that concrete slab foundations, brick, mortar, plaster, and other building materials are strongly alkaline. These materials leach into surrounding soils, drastically changing the pH over time. For this reason, azaleas (Rhododendron sp.), flowering dogwoods (Cornus sp.), camellias (Camellia sp.), and other acid-loving plants should not be planted near the concrete foundation of a home.
Many new homes are built on a raised platform of compacted “fill dirt” imported by the construction company. Such compacted soils don’t absorb water readily and can restrict a plant's healthy root growth. If you have a landscape that has compacted soil, amend the soil with organic matter as you add planting beds.
Some soils have a sub-layer of hardpan, which limits root penetration, essentially establishing a barrier to plant roots. Always examine your soil to a depth of about 18 inches before making final plant selections. If you intend to plant deeply rooted trees that will grow large, examine soil to a depth beyond 18 inches. Your county extension agent can guide you in soil improvement methods. A list of county Extension offices is available at www.aces.edu
3. Make a Plan.
Plan first and plant last. The secret to creating a successful landscape design is using a logical planning process. Remember that gardens are very dynamic. Successful gardens create balance for the diverse mixture living there. Consider all the components in your plan – soil, plants, water, wildlife, pests – and how they will each be part of your changing garden spaces. Make this plan one step at a time and have fun with it!
- Draw a land-use plan. You do not have to be an artist to tackle this step. You will need a pencil, ruler, and graph paper. Decide a scale for your drawing (example: 1" = 10'). If you work in a large scale, details will appear large in your drawing and you will need a large piece of paper. If your mortgage bank or courthouse has your property records with a detailed plat map, this step will be even easier.
Draw your house to the chosen scale and pencil in existing trees and shrubs you want to keep. If your yard has a septic tank, underground utilities, overhead power lines, or an irrigation system, include these on your drawing. Indicate where certain activities will take place in your yard. Consider views from indoor windows. Note unpleasant sites that you wish to hide.
If you live on the water, place intensively maintained plantings, such as turfgrass and vegetable gardens, away from the water’s edge to reduce the potential for polluted runoff entering surface water ways. In many circumstances, a ”no fertilizer, no pesticide” zone of at least 10 feet along the shoreline significantly reduces pollution from upland areas. Never allow fertilizers or pesticides to enter water directly. See ANR-0813 for more details on the aesthetic considerations for designing a landscape.
- Irrigation Plan. In-ground irrigation systems are not necessary in every landscape, especially if you use drought-tolerant plants. Research your irrigation needs. If you decide you need a system determine which type would be most appropriate for your property. Consider this tip: While plants are re-establishing in your yard, you may want a temporary watering system. It is convenient and usually worth the effort. Add any new irrigation plans to your drawing. Read more about irrigation techniques and water conservation strategies in Chapter 3.
- Add Plants to Your Plan. Determine the types of plants you want in different locations. Do not worry about specific plant identification yet – just draw where you want trees, shrub beds, groundcover areas, or flower beds in your plan. Draw these locations as free-form shapes designating the whole group of shrubs, flowers, etc.
Plants fulfill multiple roles in a landscape: they form eye-pleasing scenery, are a key to reducing energy use, and protect our natural resources. Grouping plants is visually pleasing and much more. Trees planted in groups provide more atmospheric cooling than the same number of isolated trees. Trees planted with accompanying shrubs and groundcovers beneath them form effective windbreaks. Grouping plants according to their water needs also makes watering more efficient and keeps plants healthier.
Once you are pleased with the various planting areas, next decide on specific plants. Choose plants that are native and those fully adapted to growing in your area. Choose lower maintenance plants and those requiring less supplemental water. Know the mature sizes of the plants you select. Place plants far enough away from buildings and from each other so that they have room to grow (3-5 feet?). A list of plants and their requirements is included in Appendix ##.
- Buy quality plants. Choose the healthiest plants you can find. Look for foliage that is not wilted and stems that are not damaged. Slip plants out of pots to inspect roots. Healthy roots are white and smell like damp soil; diseased roots are brown or black and often have a sour or rotting odor. Roots that are growing in a circle inside the bottom of the pot indicate a root-bound plant. Purchase another plant, if possible.
- Plan for Maintenance. Maintenance includes proper watering, fertilizing, composting, pruning, mowing, mulching, and pest management. The more thorough you are with the steps above, the less you will have to worry about maintenance. It is possible to maintain an established landscape with minimal amounts of pesticide, fertilizers, and supplemental water. Watering efficiently, fertilizing appropriately, and managing yard pests responsibly are all part of proper landscape maintenance.
COMMON LANDSCAPE MISTAKES
Now you have the basics of implementing a successful landscape. Here are some additional tips to make your yard beautiful, healthy, and an asset to the surrounding environment:
- Did You Call First? Do you know where your underground utilities are? Digging without knowing can cause tremendous damage, interrupting your electric, telephone, cable television, water, sewer, and gas service, and possibly even causing injury or loss of life! If you are digging anywhere, state law requires you to contact your local utility providers or Alabama One Call two full business days before you dig. The toll free number is 811.
Underground facility owners will locate any underground utilities in the area you wish to dig. The service is free. If you don’t follow this procedure and underground lines are damaged, you could be fined. This can be a substantial amount if a fiber optics cable is cut. For more information, visit the website http://www.al1call.com/
- Poor Soil Prep. The importance of thorough soil preparation cannot be overemphasized. A healthy root system makes plants tougher, ultimately saving time and money. Soil is like a sponge to hold water; a storehouse where nutrients, air and beneficial organisms reside; and a filter that traps and degrades contaminants from runoff. Increasing your soil's infiltration ability improves your soil's health and ultimately the toughness of your plants.
Make soil prep an integral step every time you plant. It can be as simple as tilling the soil with pine bark or compost for aeration, or as thorough as combining the soil test recommendations with three inches of composted manure over a large area. Soil amendments are any materials that, when added to a soil, improve its physical, biological, and chemical properties.
Lime or sulfur, for example, may be needed to adjust the soil pH for maximum nutrient availability. Compost is added to increase soil structure and feeds fungi, bacteria, and other living creatures required to maintain a biologically active soil community. Healthy soils are prepared to host larger root systems that are better able to withstand drought and other stresses.
Mulches can also add to soil health. These are materials applied over the surface of the soil to reduce moisture loss, moderate soil temperatures, reduce erosion, and suppress weeds.
- Over-planting. Resist the urge to plant an “instant landscape.” Make sure you know the mature size of your plants before planting. Give them room to grow into their mature size. When plants grow too tall for the areas they are planted in, they require extra pruning and maintenance in the long run. Constant shearing can also weaken and disfigure plants leaving them open for pests and disease.
Plants too close together suffer from decreased light and air circulation resulting in increased stress and disease problems. Tightly spaced plants are in constant competition for nutrients and water. Plant reference guides and books suggest general spacing requirements for each plant. These spacing suggestions are measured from the center of the plant to the center of the next plant. A newly landscaped area may look sparse at first, but resist the urge for the “instant landscape” because in time your plants will mature into the space you have allotted for them.
- Failure to Group Plants. Some plants need more water than others. Planting plants with different water requirements together in the same bed often has poor results. Plants receiving too much or too little water are more susceptible to rotting or wilting. Plants should be grouped according to the amount of water they require.
- Plants Against the House. Another common mistake is placing plants too close to the house. These plants have more pest and disease problems because of persistently wet foliage and lack of air circulation. They are also inconvenient when home repairs are needed. Foundation plantings should be planted at least half their mature width plus one foot away from the house. So a shrub that will grow to be 5 feet wide should be planted 3 ˝ feet away from the house.
- Lack of Foresight – Invest in Trees. Trees defy our logical understanding. They seemingly have super powers like: a possible life-span up to 500 years, taking 100+ gallons of water from the soil in one day and having roots reach across a 50 yard diameter. Trees are often a misunderstood plant in the yard and need special considerations.
All hard construction should be finished prior to planting new trees to avoid potential conflicts. Because tree roots reach far beyond the tree canopy's drip line it is even more important to remember this during construction around established trees. Imagine a wine glass placed on a dinner plate. The glass represents the above ground tree and the plate is the below ground portion. Damaging 50% or more of a tree's root system can cause its death. (See Chapter 2 for specific techniques for planting new trees.)
- Can You Spot the Professionals? The Alabama Certified Landscape Professional Program (ALCLP), offers landscape professionals the opportunity to be recognized as the "best in their field." For more information about this program as well as those who have already received certification go to the Education page of the Alabama Nursery and Landscape Association.
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