It's Easy Being Green

You can't judge a book by its cover, but can

you judge a house by its landscaping? Many

think so, and that's why a lush lawn and

ample foliage can increase the value of your home

and even reduce air conditioning costs by up to 50

per cent.

"Landscaping adds at least 10

to 15 per cent resale value to a

home. It makes for a better place

to live for you and your family

when overall aesthetics are

improved for your home and the

neighbourhood," says Gary

Lammers, landscaping manager at

Reid's Landscaping, a division

of Reid's Heritage Homes. But

placing a few shrubs and petunias

willy-nilly won't win you a

garden of the year award, nor

will it allow you to reap all

the benefits that successful

landscaping has to offer. So before

you dig in, keep the following

points in mind when planning

your outdoor oasis.

Your first step is to make a plan.

"Think about what you want to

do before starting," recommends

Lammers. A-well-thought out

plan will save you time and money

at the garden centre. Remember

that your garden should reflect

your personality and be conducive

to your lifestyle. Do you enjoy

gardening or just enjoy a garden?

This is an important question

to ask yourself before selecting

plants. Some varieties require

constant care and maintenance,

while hardier plants, such

as ornamental grasses, need

less attention.

Design is another important

consideration. While gardening

trends seem to sprout and wither

like weeds, one foolproof way to

create a timeless retreat is to

incorporate your home's design

and architecture into your garden.

"Proper landscaping invites you to

make use of the outdoors-it

becomes part of your living

space," says Clive Russell,

architect and designer for Inside

& Out Garden Design, an

award-winning firm that has been

creating unique outdoor spaces

since 1987.

Blending your home into your

garden creates harmony and

cohesion. The key to complementary

home and landscape design is to

minimize the transition from the

hard architectural details of the

home to the soft elements

of landscape. A few points

to consider:

Colour: Try to incorporate the

colours of your home's exterior

into your landscape. For example,

"if your home has reddish brick or

warm-coloured stone, plants

such as Japanese maples and

purple-leaf sandcherries can be a nice complement," suggests

Russell. For flowering plants,

cluster colours and select either

warm (reds, oranges, and yellows)

or cool (pinks, blues, and purples)

hues to accent the colours of

your home.

Scale: "If a house is large in

relation to the garden, the use of a

pergola or arbours can help it to

step down to the garden space,"

advises Russell. Graduating the

levels from tall trellises to low

ground cover leads the eye around

the property, blending the home

into its surroundings rather than

creating a harsh delineation from

house to tree to flower.

Geometry: "Sometimes a house is

rectilinear and there are two ways

to create a garden space that will

complement the architecture of

the home," says Russell. "The first

option is to use soft lines in the

garden to soften the rigid angles

of the house." Choosing an arched

arbour, organically shaped flower

beds, and natural stones are a few

ways to achieve this effect. "The

other option is to continue the

rectilinear form into the garden by

using such elements as square-cut

flagstone, straight-cut hedges, and

geometric patterns in the beds."

Now armed with your spade,

seeds, and information-the

mightiest of tools-get out there

and establish some roots. Or if

you prefer to spend your leisure

time as I do, find a friend with a

great garden and offer to bring

over the margaritas. It seems the

garden that best suits my lifestyle

is one that isn't mine.