Landscaping To Combat The Heat

Summers are getting hotter every year, so why not use your landscaping to help you stay cool.

There are 2 main areas in which your landscaping choices can greatly benefit you in keeping you cooler: Grass and Trees.

THE FIRST ONE:

GRASS!

Have you ever walked outside on the driveway only to find have your feet start burning, so you hop onto the grass to cool your feet? We all know that pavement gets hot but did you know that grass on average stays 31 degrees cooler than concrete or asphalt! That is a huge difference and something that is relatively inexpensive to maintain. With soaring summer temperatures, a well maintained lawn will cool the space around it, keeping you cooler and giving your air conditioner a need break. Our trained team here at Look Out Landscaping has the knowledge of what summers are like in Kamloops and can help you get the lawn you want.

Not only is grass good for cooling the air, but it is important for environmentally. With the growing concern of climate change we can use grass to help keep temperatures down. Grass absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen which is a huge benefit, but that is not all it does. It absorbs all kind of pollutants that are in the air such as: dust and smoke. Grass takes in the heat and evaporates moisture back into the air, increasing the humidity thus lowering the air temperatures.

To properly maintain your grass and get the most out of it you need to water on a regular basis. You need to water long enough that that the water get deep into the soil. So watering less often for a longer period is the important. The deeper the water goes the deeper the roots creating a strong and healthy lawn. You also want to make sure you are not cutting your grass to short, about 3 inches is a great length.

Having an irrigation system is the best way to get the correct amount of watering and saving you time. Look Out Landscaping has a great team that can install, maintain and winterize your irrigation system and give you back your summer!

THE SECOND ONE:

TREES!

What better way to beat the heat than to find a nice tree casting some shade. Shade trees are great for giving you a place to sit and loose yourself in a good book in the summer, but they can also help keep your home cooler. One well positioned deciduous tree can have the same cooling effect as 4 household air conditioners!!! Now that's COOL!

Where you place these trees is very important. In the image below it shows where to plant your trees to get the maximum cooling of your home and yard.

I got this image from a YouTube video called, "How to Plant Trees to Cool Your Home." They talk about where to place your trees and the benefits. Below is a link to the full video:

So now you have the location picked out, what do you plant?

Well there a lot of options, and you want to make sure you are planting deciduous trees, as they are the best type of tree for creating shade, and a bonus is they drop their leaves in the winter to allow sunlight to get into the house to create warmth. You should try to choose trees that are native to your area as this will give the tree the longest life span. When considering what type of tree to plant think about your environment, if you are placing trees near a driveway fruit bearing trees would not be the best option. There are 3 main types of trees that you can consider;

• Flowering Trees
• Fruit Bearing Trees
• Weeping Trees

A great option for a flowering tree is the Red Buckeye:

Has vibrant green leaves and the pink flower are very pretty and eye catching.

At full maturity it will be 10-20 Feet tall and have a spread between 10-20 Feet. This tree is also very hardy and can withstand hot temperatures.

A wonderful fruiting tree option is a Damson Plum Tree.

This tree produces delicious purple/blue fruit.

At full maturity it will be 25-30 Feet tall and is a very hardy tree and loves the sun. The perfect tree for hot summers, just remember to keep the soil moist.

And finally a great choice for a weeping tree is the Prairie Cascade Weeping Willow.

This is a great shade tree and has beautiful yellow leaves in the fall

At full maturity it can get up tp 35-45 Feet tall and have a spread between 35-45 Feet. This tree can adapt to almost any climate, and can withstand high winds. Just make sure you do not plant to close to your home as it has big roots.

There are so many awesome trees that would help keep you cool visit Art Knapp's online. They have a great variety of trees and plants.

Once you have your trees planted give us a call and we can take care of all your pruning needs and keep your trees looking great!

Let Look Out Landscaping keep your grass and trees healthy to help you combat the heat this summer!!

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