Is a Landscape Worth the Investment?

Having a great backyard offers you more than a place to play a game of catch or host epic barbecues with family and friends. A beautiful garden can feed your soul, relieve your stress, improve your health, protect the environment — and might even save you money.

Nature is good for us, plain and simple. 

But you don’t have to travel to a forest, hike up a mountain or even visit the local park — you can get all the benefits of nature by improving and beautifying the natural surroundings of your own backyard.

When it comes to the benefits of landscaping, there are three main areas I like to tell people about: physical health benefits, mental health benefits, and economic benefits.

Landscaping is good for your health!

When you live in a healthy environment, you not only feel healthier, you become healthier. Here are a few ways landscapes can affect your physical health:

• Improves air quality — A healthy landscape produces oxygen and improves air quality by eliminating dust, smoke, and pollutants. A single tree can provide enough oxygen for a family of four!
• Lowers blood pressure and reduces stress — Studies have shown that looking at plants and trees (even through a window) can lower blood pressure and levels of the “stress hormone” cortisol. High levels of cortisol have been linked to issues with learning and memory, weight gain and heart disease.
• Reduces inflammation & boosts the immune system — being in nature encourages activity and reduces stress, both of which help reduce chronic inflammation. Being outside also boosts your immune system, making it easier for your body to fight off minor illnesses like colds and flu. Preliminary studies even suggest that hanging out in the backyard can stimulate your body to produce anticancer proteins! 

Landscaping is good for your mind!

Whether you’re walking through the woods or enjoying a simple meal on the deck, being outside does more than just make you feel good — it’s actually good for your mental health.

• Improves memory — multiple studies have shown that spending time in nature can improve short-term memory by 20% and has the same effect as meditating.
• Provides peace and clarity — as humans, we have a deep connection with nature and being outdoors can elevate your mood and help relieve the symptoms of anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. 
• Relieves stress — when you’re relaxed, it’s easier to focus and concentrate on difficult tasks and come up with creative solutions to problems. Having a relaxing space where you can spend time outdoors isn’t a luxury — it’s essential.

Landscaping is good for your wallet!

In addition to health and aesthetic benefits, creating and maintaining a beautiful landscape can have financial benefits as well.

• Increases curb appeal & property value — A well-landscaped property can significantly add to its value, compared to property without any landscaping. Some sources claim that increase can be as high as 20 to 25 percent. Curb appeal is real — how a home looks from the road will affect whether someone wants to buy it or not —  your home’s first impression will set the tone for the rest of the tour.
• Save on electric bills — If you’ve ever walked across a parking lot in midsummer, you know how hot asphalt and concrete can be. Lawns and gardens act as natural air conditioners — according to a Cornell University study, well-planned landscapes can reduce heating and air conditioning costs by 10 to 30 percent. 
• Lower water bills —planting native species that need less water to thrive, using trees and shrubs to control erosion and adding mulch to your flower beds can all help reduce your water bills. 

Landscaping makes you feel good!

Having a beautiful yard — with lush green grass and abundant flower gardens — can give you a sense of pride and motivate you to get outside and get active!

Instead of staying indoors, you’ll find yourself drawn to the tranquility of your garden. The strength of your relationships will improve as well — nothing brings people together like a game of bocce ball on the lawn or sharing a meal on the patio.

Depending on your interests and desires, there’s no limit to your yard’s potential. You may even find your yard is your favourite place to be.

If you’re excited about creating a landscape to enjoy with the people you love, give us a call or fill in our online form.

At Vandenberg Landscapes we delight in bringing nature to you.