Want to improve your quality of life? Plant Something. Seriously. How is a plant or tree possibly going to make life better, you ask? By lowering your heart rate, providing beauty and shade, improving your property value, lowering your energy costs, cleaning the air and water, and creating a more inviting yard and community…….whew…….that’s a lot for a landscape to accomplish!
Try naming something as easy and inexpensive that can pull all of that off! Really, can a landscape do that?
These facts are precisely what the Plant Something campaign, founded in Arizona by the Arizona Nursery Association and now going nationally, is built around. The health, environmental, and monetary benefits of plants and trees is its sole focus.
How to Plant a Tree
Plants are Green. Money is Green.
Adding a beautiful landscape to a home can increase its value by up to 15 percent and can accelerate its sale by five to six weeks.* This is a great way to put more green in your pocket by putting green in the ground.
Chill Out. Plants are Cool.
Just three properly-placed trees can save an average household between $100 and $250 in annual heating and cooling costs.** Planting the greenery and enjoying its beauty have been proven to lower your blood pressure and heart rate. What’s more, they can substantially lower your
Show Off Desert Colors.
When you think desert, do you think brown? Think again! The Sonoran desert is one of the most diverse regions in the country with more than 2,000 species of native plants and a variety of vibrant colors***.
According to our Water – Use It Wisely partner, EPCOR Water, using plants that are native to the Arizona desert in your landscape will attract local wildlife and dramatically reduce your water use. They also suggest keeping in mind that not all of your plants need to be native to conserve water and money and that there are many desert-adapted and low water use plants to choose from! For inspiration, check out Water – Use It Wisely’s monthly Plant of the Month blog series and their Pinterest board dedicated just to “Low Water-Use Plants.”
Your yard doesn’t have to be all rock in order to save water. By selecting the right low water using plants for the right place you’ll reduce your water usage and create a creative, cool, and shady landscape.
Breaking Down Fences.
The better the landscaping in common areas of a neighborhood, the more those spaces are used by residents, hence the more opportunities there are for social interaction between neighbors.**** Public spaces are like backyards, we all own them together. So why not make them better places for all of us to enjoy? Shady green spaces in Arizona in the summer are like magnets. This is the power of plants attracting people.
Cleans, Freshens, & Deodorizes.
One tree can remove up to 26 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually. That’s equal to 11,000 miles of car emissions.***** Whether you plant a penstemon or palo verde, you get plenty more than just pretty flowers and leaves. While standing there looking gorgeous, flowers, trees, and grass are also busy doing janitorial service on the environment. Vegetation also helps reduce stormwater runoff and reduces ozone, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter from the air.
Admit It. You’re Feeling Better Already.
Put some new life in the ground and experience what a little green can do for you! Hop in the car and head to your nearest Arizona nursery or garden center for plants to spruce up your yard, your life and your community. If you don’t have a favorite nursery, visit www.plant-something.org to find a local garden center near you. You can also watch some cool videos highlighting plants contributions to a better Arizona.
Join our movement, our mission, our cause……Don’t just stand there…………Plant Something!
*AmericanHort **US Department of Energy ***University of Illinois **** Center for biological diversity *****Virginia Cooperative Extension
Water – Use it Wisely features is proud to feature guest bloggers who write about topics related to water and water conservation. The author of this blog post, Cheryl Goar, is Executive Director of Arizona Nursery Association and part of the national Plant Something campaign. For more information, contact Cheryl Goar at cgoar@azna.org