 
The Value of
Landscaping
Contact: Diane
Relf, Extension Specialist, Environmental Horticulture, Virginia
Tech Publication
Number 426-721, Posted July 1997
Table of Contents
 Enhancing our Environment
Promoting Economic Development
Improving Human Health
Landscaping for the Future
Enhancing our Environment
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Plants
protect water quality. Proper landscaping reduces nitrate
leaching from the soil into the water supply. Plants also
reduce surface water runoff, keeping phosphorus and other
pollutants out of our waterways and preventing septic system
overload. |
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Proper
landscaping reduces soil erosion. A dense cover of plants
and mulch holds soil in place, keeping sediment out of lakes,
streams, stormdrains, and roads; and reducing flooding, mudslides,
and duststorms. |
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Plants
improve air quality. One tree can remove 26 pounds of
carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually, equaling 11,000
miles of car emissions. Landscape plants, including shrubs
and turf, remove smoke, dust, and other pollutants from the
air. One study showed that I acre of trees has the ability
to remove 13 tons of particles and gases annually. |
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Landscaping
lowers summer air temperatures. According to the EPA,
urban forests reduce urban air temperatures significantly
by shading heat sinks such as buildings and concrete, and
returning humidity to the air through evaporative cooling.
Trees shading homes can reduce attic temperatures as much
as 40 degrees. |
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Landscaping
conserves natural resources Properly placed deciduous
trees reduce house temperatures in the summer, allowing air
conditioning units to run 2 to 4 percent more efficiently,
but allow the sun to warm the house in the winter. Homes sheltered
by evergreen windbreaks can reduce winter heat loss and are
generally warmer than homes without such protection. By using
trees to modify temperatures and protect against wind, the
amount of fossil fuels used for cooling and heating is reduced. |
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Landscaping screens busy streets. Well-placed
plantings offer privacy and tranquility by screening out busy
street noises and reducing glare from headlights. |
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Promoting Economic Development
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Landscaping
increases property market value. A 1991 study estimates that
an attractive landscape increases the value of a home by an
average of 7.5 percent, and reduces the time on the market
by five to six weeks. The Wall Street Journal reported that
landscape investments are recovered fully, and sometimes doubled,
by the increased home value. |
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Good
landscaping increases community appeal. Parks and street trees
have been found to be second only to education in residents'
perceived value of municipal services offered. Psychologist
Rachel Kaplan found trees, well-landscaped grounds, and places
for taking walks to be among the most important factors considered
when individuals chose a place to live. |
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Landscaping
reduces crime. In a California study, landscaped areas were
relatively graffiti-free, while open, nonlandscaped areas
were graffiti targets. Well planned and maintained landscapes
are seen as safer than unmaintained plantings. |
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Plants
increase tourism revenues Interior landscaping at the Opryland
Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, is credited for an unusually
high (85 percent) occupancy rate. Guests willingly pay an
extra $30 per night for rooms overlooking the jungle-like
display, netting $7 million a year in additional room revenues.
The city of Virginia Beach attributes, in part, their $52
million in convention revenue for 1994 to the landscaping
efforts of recent years. |
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Views
of plants increase job satisfaction. Employees with an outside
view of plants experience less job pressure and greater job
satisfaction than workers viewing man-made objects or having
no outside view. They also report fewer headaches and other
ailments than workers without the view. |
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Nature
increases worker productivity. Psychologists have found that
plants and green spaces provide a sense of rest that allows
workers with access to plants and nature to be more productive. |
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Landscaping
renews business districts. Greening of business districts
increases community pride and positive perception of an area,
drawing customers to the businesses. |
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Improving Human Health
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Gardening
is excellent physical exercise. Routine gardening tasks
such as shoveling, rototilling, and even mowing grass with
a push-type, reel lawn mower can measure up to the exertion
rates of jogging, bicycling, or aerobics. Studies have shown
that one hour of weeding burns 300 caloriesÑthe same
as walking or bicycling at a moderate pace. |
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Gardens
produce healthy food Fresh food from the garden can have
up to three times as many vitamins and minerals as canned
or frozen food. Community garden plots have become a valuable
means of providing food for the homeless. |
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Horticulture
is therapeutic. Horticultural therapy is a treatment for
a variety of diagnoses. Working with and around plants improves
quality of life through psychological and physical changes.
Nurturing a plant into maturity from seed is rewarding and
builds self- confidence. Various horticulture-related tasks
such as carrying plants, planting trees, or arranging flowers
are used to improve coordination and motor control of injured
or disabled individuals. |
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Landscapes
heal. Restorative gardens offer an environment for people
who are sick, injured, and under stress to recover and regain
confidence in themselves. Such landscapes are also currently
used by hospices in treatment of Alzheimer and AIDS patients.
Roger Ulrich showed through a study of hospital patients that
those whose rooms overlooked vegetation recovered faster and
required less pain medication than did patients without a
view of nature. |
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Landscaping for the Future
Landscaping
is an integral part of our culture and plays an essential role in
the quality of our environment, affecting our economic well-being
and our physical and psychological health. If
we are to keep our communities strong and prosperous, we must
take responsibility for our environment. Environmental responsibility
is a step beyond awareness, developed only through experience.
Through our gardens and landscapes, we acquire a personal awareness
and responsibility for the environment while we relieve the tensions
and frustrations of everyday life. |
