Everyone loves a neat lawn, but there are plenty of benefits to careful landscape design aside from the aesthetic pleasure. Of residents in retirement communities asked in a survey, 99% of them deemed landscaped grounds as important or essential in their opinions. Here are 3 reasons why beautiful landscaping can benefit you.

strong> Landscaping Can Help You Save Money
By effectively plotting out your land, you can cut down on unforeseen costs such as flooding and even energy usage. The United States Department of Energy found that energy-efficient landscaping and lawn care maintenance can cut heating bills down by up to 30%. Furthermore, depending on the design, effective use of paving material and particular soil types may intercept as much as 80% of annual rainfall, possibly helping to prevent flooding.

strong> Trees Are Your Friends

Trees have a myriad of benefits besides their beauty. Trees can actually reduce bothersome noise, up to 50% as found by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The shade given off by trees can actually help reduce air-conditioning costs between 15%-50% when compared against an unshaded home. A particularly dense group of trees have the capacity to block up to 95% of sunlight, which amounts to approximately 75% of its heat.

strong> An Attractive Home (and Lawn) Sells
When it comes time to sell your home, surveys have found that landscaping can not only increase your sale price, but it may decrease the amount of time your home spends on market by six weeks. A Clemson University study found that homes with “excellent” landscaping may fetch a price increase of 6 or 7% than similar houses with “good” landscaping. Money Magazine also wrote that careful landscaping can result in a recovery value of anywhere between 100 to 200% at selling time. Maybe its time to brush up on your landscape design?