LANDSCAPES THAT WORK
My grandfather Willie was a practical man. A retired coal miner who built his cinder block house with his own hands, he kept hogs, a fully stocked cellar, and a three-acre garden. He didn’t abide frivolity. He didn’t hunt or fish for sport — he did it for protein. There were no ornamental flowers in his garden, no bird baths nor wind chimes. Even indoors, he cursed my grandmother’s potted plants, which he believed competed with his lungs for oxygen.
Like my grandfather, many people often view landscaping as a facade, a bit of adornment required by convention or homeowner’s associations, but there is indeed value to installing plants strategically around one’s home or place of business. The concept of a utilitarian landscape carries even more significance for those of us who are drawn to self-sufficiency. If my grandfather had realized that those flowers my grandmother valued were more than decoration, then his home probably would have looked very different.
Financial Considerations
First off, a strategically designed landscape can impact you economically. A quality landscape can significantly increase property value, as well as reduce by five or six weeks
