Right Plant, Right Place
Published on January 13, 2022
Landscaping for Energy Efficiency and Wildlife
Imagine standing in a parking lot during the middle of the day in this Florida summer heat. Now imagine standing under the tree canopy at Hammock Park. It is easy to conceptualize and even feel how much cooler you would be under the tree canopy versus the open parking lot. Think about how much energy it takes to cool your home every day as the summer sun beats down on your property. Trees, shrubs, and plants can protect your home and reduce your energy bills by shading and cooling your roof, windows, and A/C unit. These trees and shrubs can also improve habitat for local wildlife. Landscaping with these concepts in mind means you can improve your home and improve the homes and the habitat of butterflies, bees, birds, squirrels, and so many other species. It is important to be intentional when selecting the types of trees and shrubs you will add to your landscape, as well as deciding on the location you will plant them. A simple saying to remember this by is “Right Plant, Right Place.”
Landscaping for Energy Efficiency
Strategic placement of shade trees is key to improving the energy efficiency of your home and appliances. These trees can conserve up to 25% of your energy consumption (according to the US Department of Energy, 2007). Properly placed trees can provide shade in the summer, as well as sunny warmth and windbreaks in the winter. Planting trees on the west and southeast side of your home will provide shade to your home from mid-morning to late afternoon. The most beneficial and energy efficient approach to planting trees is selecting deciduous shade trees. Deciduous trees will provide shade in the summer months and sun in the fall and winter months as they lose their leaves allowing warmth to blanket the home. Planting evergreen and conifer trees on the north side of your home will provide a great winter windbreak.
A few native, deciduous shade trees that you can incorporate into your landscape include
Pre-Approved List for Required Tree Planting
Landscaping for Wildlife
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has a habitat certification program that outlines the basic principles for creating a vibrant backyard habitat:
- Food
- Water
- Cover
- Places to Raise Young
- Sustainable Practices
A detailed list of these components can be found on the NWF website linked here. Increasing the biodiversity of the plant species you select for your property will increase the biodiversity of animals, birds, and insects that visit your landscape. The Florida Wildflower Foundation also has excellent information for attracting wildlife to your backyard. Below you will find information on attracting specific animals:
Attracting birds: Although birdfeeders can be fun, it is more beneficial to grow and attract the food that birds need to consume to maintain a healthy diet versus the bags of seed mixes you may find in a store. Select plants with seeds, foliage, flowers, and berries that provide food. Coneflowers, tickseed, and blanket flower are great options to incorporate into your garden. Planting wildflowers and native plants that attract insects also provides a food source to attract birds to your property.
Attracting butterflies: Find an area on your property that receives four or more hours of full sun to partial shade. Flowers and shrubs for your butterfly garden may include bottlebrush, firebush, milkweed, and black-eyed susan.
Owls and bats: While you are catching up on your z’s at night, these nocturnal animals are hard at work providing pest control in your neighborhood. Bats consume mosquitos and owls consume rodents, making them great additions to your backyard ecosystem. A few ways to attract them include building bat houses and installing nesting boxes for owls in trees, providing a bird bath, and reducing light pollution from your windows and exterior lights. For more information on light pollution, click here.
Resources
Attracting beneficial species and making your home more energy efficient can both be completed by adding native Florida plants and trees with the “right plant, right place” mindset. For further resources, click on the links below: