Okeechobee County Extension Service

458 Highway 98 North

Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578

Phone: (863) 763-6469

E- mail: dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu

Feature Article - for release the week of July 6, 2003 

Dan Culbert - Extension Horticulture Agent

According to UF Consumer Horticultural Specialist Dr. Bob Black, how plants are arranged in the landscape can make a difference in maintaining comfort inside your home. Plants can channel winds next to your home, bringing hot air through walls and windows in summer, and driving cold winter winds that will move any warmer air pockets away in winter.

Here in South Florida during the "dog days" of July and August, winds usually come from a southeasterly direction. Depending on how the home will be cooled will make a difference on how to best use plants to reduce your electric bill.

If you rarely use air-conditioning in the home, trees and shrubs should be placed to channel cooling breezes toward the windows. Low-branching trees should be avoided on the southeastern and/or southwestern exposure, or, the low branches should be removed. Plants can be used to shade windows from the sun, but should be placed far enough away to allow air movement. Shrubs near the windows can be positioned to further funnel moving air into the house.

Most Floridians find it impossible to stay cool without air-conditioning, regardless of the cost. If air conditioning is used, wind movement around the home during the summer can raise energy costs. This occurs when hot, humid outside air is directed around windows, doors, and through cracks. For AC using homes, keeping these winds away is the landscape goal.

Shrubs and trees should be planted around an air-conditioned home so that they make walls of foliage that direct the prevailing southern breezes away from the house. A multi-layered summer windbreak can be used along the southern exposures. The tallest line of plants should be the closest to the home. Along and close to the walls that face the direction of summer winds, a foundation planting of shrubs can create a dead air space that will reduce warm winds. Deciduous shrubs or open-branched species should be used on the south side to allow the sun to heat those exposures in winter.

In the case of all landscaping around a home, be aware of planting to reduce wildfires as well, especially if your home is located in heavily wooded areas. And, be aware that dead air spaces can contribute to some pest problems. For example, Hibiscus and rose bush leaves that do not dry out may be subject to higher insect and disease problems. One lovely lady in Okeechobee recently gave me some good advice when locating landscape plants - don't ever let the plant touch the house!

Shade trees positioned between windows and prevailing summer winds should be low-branching to provide maximum protection against air movement. Additional tall shrubs can be placed nearby but on the windward side of east and west windows.

We can suggest specific plants that do well here locally that will reduce energy costs if planted in the right place. Dr. Black's complete article, Plants Can Reduce Energy Costs, can be found on the web at:   http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/gt/reducenrg/reducnrg.htm If you need additional information on landscaping to save energy, call or stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North. Our phone number is 863- 763-6469, and you can email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu.