A yard can serve several purposes if it’s well landscaped. It can help to keep the house cool, manage stormwater, provide privacy, protect certain areas, and create an outdoor space you’ll want to spend time in every day.
In other words, your yard can work for you. Of course, this requires adding the right elements so that it can tick all these boxes!
Does Your Yard Help Fight the Heat?
Without a doubt, trees and plants provide shade, whereas certain hard surfaces, such as concrete and asphalt, tend to retain a great deal of heat (heat islands).
Trees are powerful allies: their foliage casts shade and their evapotranspiration—that is, the release of water into the atmosphere—cools the air.
A green, permeable yard: it generally absorbs less heat than a large concrete or asphalt area. Grass, shrubs, flowerbeds, and vegetable gardens help to keep outdoor spaces cooler, particularly if they can absorb rainwater.
Does Your Yard Collect Rainwater?
When it pours, all that water has to go somewhere… and not into your basement!
An extensively paved yard (asphalt, flagstones, etc.) leaves little opportunity for precipitation to penetrate the ground naturally. Conversely, permeable surfaces allow some of the water to seep into the soil.
Here again, vegetation, flowerbeds, grassy areas, and certain permeable paving materials play a role in rainwater management. In fact, more and more homeowners are planting rain gardens, whose main purpose is to capture stormwater runoff.
And this type of landscaping also benefits your local municipality by reducing the amount of water flowing into public infrastructure (sewers).
Does Your Yard Enhance Privacy?
You can protect your privacy just by how you lay out your yard.
A fence, a privacy screen, a pergola, a natural barrier (such as a hedge or green wall), or even different grade levels (like a slightly sunken, and thus hidden, garden or seating area) can block your neighbour’s view into your yard without necessarily enclosing the space.
The placement of these elements is very important. The aim isn’t to introduce more barriers, but to position them where they’re most effective.
Is Your Yard Low Maintenance?
Here’s an even more practical way your yard can work for you: by minimizing upkeep!
The right landscaping and material choices can significantly reduce the time spent on many outdoor chores.
- A wooden deck, for example, may require periodic product applications to maintain its appearance, while some composite materials or other types of decking need far less attention and better resist fading.
- This also holds true for fences, paving stones, exterior cladding, and other permanent structures on the property. It’s sometimes wiser to invest in a durable material that won’t necessitate regular staining, repainting, or replacing.
- Laying artificial grass or pebbles instead of the same old lawn may save you hours on mowing every summer.
- When it comes to ornamental plants, choose species suited to the climate and soil, prioritize perennials, and group plants together for hassle-free gardening.
- The yard’s layout is equally important. Easily accessible areas, clustered plantings, and clearly defined zones can reduce the time and effort spent on mowing, clean-up, and other tasks.
- Automated watering is every homeowner’s dream! An underground irrigation system can prove a godsend: you’ll never have to worry about watering your garden again.
Does Your Yard Improve Your Quality of Life?
One shouldn’t think solely in terms of performance, however. A yard’s landscaping can also work for you by improving your quality of life.
To enhance your well-being further, consider dividing your outdoor space into different zones:
- dining
- play
- relaxation
- gardening
- hosting
Even a comparatively small yard can serve several purposes with the right layout.
And What About Your Property’s Overall Value?
It’s tempting to claim that a mature tree, a thick hedge, a rain garden, or a landscaped backyard “adds value” to a house. The truth is more nuanced.
Not all landscaping improvements lead to a corresponding increase in market value. Nevertheless, discerning buyers, guided by their real estate broker, will recognize and appreciate the attractive aspects of your yard.
When you next spend time in your outdoor space, don’t just ask yourself if it’s beautiful: ask yourself how it can work harder for you!