I was excited to read about LA’s latest landscaping partnership.LADWP (LA Department of Water and Power) and Million Trees LA are teaming up this month in an effort to get more water-wise trees into our Angeleno soil.Million Trees LA will donate up to 7 free trees (delivered right to your door) to residents willing to plant the trees themselves.A free online tutorial is available, and it takes less than 30 minutes to learn how.
There are 30 varieties of LA climate-friendly plants and trees to choose from, take your pick.This includes the beautiful Pink Trumpet tree, seen above.The trees, planted thoughtfully, will shade a home and result in lower energy and cooling bills and less use of water.Don’t forget the joy of watching the beauties leaves change colors this fall.Not sure yet?Here are some cool facts about just how much you can benefit by planting:
-AC use and associated costs reduced up to 20%
-Shade outside AC units, helping them to operate 10-15% more efficiently
-Create barriers to the wind to keep winter heating costs down
-Act as a sponge by removing the carbon from CO2 (a greenhouse gas)
-Providing shade to the lawn, whichin turn will require less watering
-Increase property values by 5-20% (compared to non-landscaped homes)
-Add color and character to our community (not to mention the free fruit if you choose a species of fruit tree!)
Though our city is already very abundant with foliage, it never hurts to plant more, especially if it will selfishly lower a personal bill and make the façade more attractive. This sounds like a fun Sunday afternoon project to me!Shovel not included.
http://www.milliontreesla.org
http://www.ladwp.com/ladwp/cms/ladwp009614.pdf
