Journal-News.com

Landscaping tips

• Trees that lose their leaves in the fall (i.e., deciduous) are the most
  

  effective at reducing heating and cooling energy costs. When selectively placed
  

  around a house, they provide excellent protection from the summer sun but
  

  permit winter sunlight to reach and warm your house. The height, growth rate,
  

  branch spread, and shape are all factors to consider in choosing a tree.

• Vines provide shading and cooling. Grown on trellises, vines can shade windows
  

  or the whole side of a house.

• Deflect winter winds by planting evergreen trees and shrubs on the north and
  

  west sides of your house; deflect summer winds by planting on the south and
  

  west sides of your house.