Arbor Day is a nationally celebrated holiday occurring annually the last Friday in April.  It is a holiday that encourages groups and individuals to plant trees.  Arbor Day began in Nebraska in 1872.  What quickly started as enthusiasm for agriculture and a love of nature, J. Sterling Morton encouraged groups to plant trees.  Not only did they act as windbreaks but they were used for buildings, to keep soil from eroding and provided much needed shade from the hot sun. 

Morton proposed a tree planting holiday called “Arbor Day” to the State Board of Agriculture.  Prizes would be offered to individuals and groups who planted the most trees.  It was estimated that on the first Arbor Day, over 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska.  By 1885, Arbor Day was declared a legal holiday in Nebraska.  Other states followed and began passing their own legislation to promote Arbor Day in their part of the country. 

Throughout the years, Buck & Sons Landscape, Inc. has continued in J. Sterling Morton’s footsteps and has planted trees on this celebrated holiday in April.  This year, Buck & Sons Landscape planted a tree at Washington Townships’ Homestead Park in Hilliard, OH.     

A scarlet oak was planted along with an engraved granite boulder that was dedicated not only to Arbor Day itself, but to the men and women serving in the United States Armed Forces.  The project featured a plant bed encompassing a Scarlet Oak and granite boulder. The Scarlet Oak represents strength, courage, and durability. The fall red color represents passion, the red stripes of our national flag which represent the blood shed in the battle for freedom. An engraved granite boulder, also depicting strength and longevity was placed at the base of the dedicated tree. 

Buck & Sons Landscape, Inc. also made a trip to a local elementary school to donate a lacebark elm tree.  The tree was planted in front of the elementary school.  Local officials were on hand to officially dedicate the tree for Arbor Day.  Local celebrity Tom McNutt explained the importance of Arbor Day and also provided insight as to why we celebrate this special day to the students. 

Arbor Day is a wonderful holiday.  Everyone should do their part to plant a tree on this day in April.

Homestead Park is located on Cosgray Road in Hilliard, OH.  To visit the park and for more information visit their website:  http://www.wtwp.com/parks/homestead.asp

Britton Elementary school is part of the Hilliard School District.  For more information visit their website:  http://www.hilliard.k12.oh.us/schools/esBritton.cfm

Studies have shown that morale increases in office environments where the outward appearances look attractive, implying pride and success. An unkempt and dingy outside appearance could actually turn away potential customers and highly motivated workers.

Have a landscape design professional evaluate your home or office. Many times simple landscape maintenance techniques will spring new life into an existing landscape. At times, however, some minor changes in plant placement or the removal of an overgrown shrub or tree with be necessary to give a home or office an updated and appealing new look.

Landscapes that have some age, and especially those that have not received proper maintenance over the years may require complete landscape renovation. If you find yourself in this predicament, this is a great opportunity to hire a competent landscape design professional to make the absolute best that your structure and site have to offer. Be the envy of your community with that all important first impression!

There are 3 primary ways that your home may gain or lose heat: 1) air infiltration, 2) heat conduction, and 3) solar radiation.  A carefully designed landscape that takes these things into account can help reduce home heating and cooling costs by 25%.  This could mean hundreds of dollars in energy savings each year!  In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy recently released a study showing that with even as few as 3 well positioned trees, you could see savings of $100 to $250 annually.  Following some additional simple guidelines, you can make changes to your landscape that will leave you with even more green in your pocket.

In the winter, your home may be losing 20% to 30% of its heat due to air infiltration.  One way to reduce that heat loss is by setting up windbreaks in your landscaping.  By positioning evergreen trees and shrubs along the north and northwest sides of your property (the direction of Ohio’s prevailing winter winds), you may be able to reduce heating costs anywhere from 25% to 40%.  Ideally your windbreak should be located 2 to 5 times as

evergreen windbreak

far away from your house as the mature height of your trees.  For example, if you are planting a double row of spruce trees that will reach a mature height of 30’, you should try to locate them 60’ to 150’ away from your house.  While this is the optimal range, the size of your property may require you to plant a little bit closer than that.  On the other hand, if you have a very large property, studies have shown that windbreaks are able to achieve noticeable results even when they are located as far away as 30 times the mature height of the plantings!

Unfortunately, the end of winter does not mean the end of utility bills!  During summer, when you are trying to cool your home, you may be fighting the effects of solar radiation and heat conduction though your windows and walls.  The best way to help keep your house cool is by shading it.  In the same way that you seek out shade to cool off on a hot summer day, your home can be kept cooler by shading the roof and sun facing walls (primarily south and west) with trees and shrubs.  The shade from your trees and shrubs can actually cool the surrounding air by as much as 9 degrees.  This can dramatically reduce your air conditioning costs; possibly by as much as 50%.  Just think of how many ice-cold lemonades that would buy!  By planting deciduous shade trees on the south and west sides of your house, you can cool your home in the summer and still allow sunlight to shine through in the winter when you actually want to take advantage of the

Summer shield from Sun

solar radiation heating your home. Well positioned shrubs can also “insulate” your walls without inhibiting air flow.  And don’t forget to shade your air conditioning unit.  In addition to the aesthetic benefits of screening the air conditioner, a shaded unit can operate 10% more efficiently than one exposed to the hot summer sun.

When it comes to reducing your energy bills, landscaping can do more than just slow the wind and provide shade.  Areas of lawn or groundcover can be up to 25 degrees cooler than asphalt in the summer so maximize the amount of planted area on your property and minimize pavement.  While structures such as pergolas and trellises are helpful in providing shade to your home, you will not get the added cooling benefits of plant transpiration and

Directing cooling winds

evaporation.  Tree filled neighborhoods have been shown to have air temperatures that are 3 to 6 degrees cooler than surrounding open neighborhoods due to the combination of shade and the cooling effects of evaporation.  If your home is not air conditioned, you can actually use plant material to direct summer winds toward your windows.  (If you do have central air conditioning however you are actually better off not directing summer winds toward your home.  Studies have shown that directing these warm winds toward your house is actually a detriment to keeping energy bills low when you are using air conditioning.)

There are numerous possibilities for how to use your landscape to reduce energy costs.  The savings you could achieve may even pay for the landscape renovations within just 8 years!  Contact Buck & Sons today to consult with a landscape designer and find out how you can use your landscaping to make your home more energy efficient.  Don’t spend another winter lamenting huge utility bills!  This year go green and save some green in the process!                      by Pete Marsh, Lead Designer – Buck & Sons Landscape