When people think of green in relation to gardening they usually think about foliage. Whether a plant is evergreen or deciduous. What is the color of the foliage? How will it complement or set off the plants around it? And so forth.
A beautiful sunny patio, making energy while you relax.
There is a different kind of green coming to our landscapes, green energy. Now when you think about landscaping your yard, you should also thing about how to use solar energy. I’m not talking about the little solar powered yard ornaments, either. Including solar in your design is only sensible if you live in a sunny climate. You could be heating your pool or greenhouse with solar; heating hot water for the house or even providing part, if not all, of your electrical needs. Because solar panels have certain requirements it is always a good idea to plan for them before you put any gardens in. It makes more work if you plant and then decide to go solar, only to find out that you’ve planted right where the panels need to go. There are new developments, though, where they are creating solar panels that let the light through, so that you can, in fact plant under them, but they are a fairly new technology and not applicable in all instances.
If you live in California photovoltaics should not be an option, but a requirement when planning your landscape design. With so much sun there it is easy to meet your needs in many areas. Residential Solar Power Orange County is very inviting right now, because there are rebates and tax credits still available. During the cooler winter months you can bring a little more sun into your life, in the form of energy saving PV electricity. It could be the best holiday gift ever, as it keeps giving back in the form of savings for years to come.
