Landscape planning

[glenn kangiser]

For me - I think all houses should be underground with a nice garden on the roof but for you hardliners who just don't have enough troglodyte in your blood, here is a great landscape help site.

One thing I have noticed is that you can take two identical houses, one with great landscaping and one with little and the nicely landscaped one will be most appealing.  Even an old house looks great with good landscaping.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/homelandscape/home.html

[Daddymem]

Nice site, gives the basics in a pretty clear form.  I would add to using native vegetation that people should try to use non-invasive species too.  Just like insects and animals, there are plant species that can run rampant without the proper checks and balances that Mother Nature set up.  

[Amanda_931]

Yes--the site does cover the basics, and yes, native plants are good.  

Ann Lovejoy's books are pretty nice--giving you ideas on how to start designing your yard.   If only she lived in the Central South and not the Pacific Nortwest.

Somebody on a list I was on said that she wanted Kudzu.  I only think that we discouraged her.

[Daddymem]

Same topic vein but more specifically how to landscape a septic system mound:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG6986.html

[Amanda_931]

Looks good, even if we aren't likely to have mound systems in our area.

[glenn kangiser]

Interesting story about landscaping mounds. Daddymem.  The soils we have in the area that they want us to use for the drain field on the mountainside also have many tree roots.  Seems they will grow back into the leach line in a short period.

Without the trees and shrubs the mountain would want to go be part of the creek 100 feet away though.  I guess proper ground cover would help pull moisture from the leach field also.

[Daddymem]

Many systems get ruined by root intrusions.  How can the trees resist a nice supply of liquid like a leaching area? The mound techiniques here could also be used to landscape any other berms as well such as wind berms or drainage diversion berms.  Maybe even a hobit hole.    Not all mounded septic systems here are due to groundwater.  We need 4 or 5 feet of pervious material below the bottom of our leaching areas so sometimes mounds are due to ledge and not groundwater.