ext_301777 ([identity profile] helliongoddess.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] jedishampoo 2011-08-22 04:26 am (UTC)

We face the highway on one side (there's one house & lot between us and it, but it's still way too close for comfort), and we really need something to break both the visual and noise impact of that. I had originally thought those tall cypress trees, but I've been told they are too vulnerable to the high winds we get here, with hurricanes and tropical storms. The house is kind of exposed for a long distance on all sides, so I think we could do a lot of tree planting, and not risk significantly impairing the breezes coming to the house. And having some shade on the house in the warm months (which is so much of the year here) would be an energy bonus. Thank god this house has a geothermal HVAC system and a great artesian well - that was one of the reasons I overlooked the lack of privacy & good landscaping! Those save us a lot of money (and the water is SO good!) I still want to put some solar panels on the roof eventually.

Bugs are definitely a problem here - we had a horrendous Japanese ladybug infestation our first year here, and there are all kinds of insects here that I never had to deal with even in the city. (But no roaches! YAY for that!) But we do feed the birds like mad, and they help keep the bugs down a lot.

I know myself better than to plan too much in the way of an in-ground vegetable garden - I just physically can't handle that anymore. Raised beds, or better yet, container gardening, will have to suffice for that. But any other ways we can plant trees and bushes that will yield edible things, I'd like to explore. Some day I may get ambitious and even get a small coop and a few hens - I believe we are zoned for it. My hubby has to take care of them at his living history museum job, so he knows how to deal with them already. Anything we can do that increases self-sufficiency is a good thing in my book at this point.


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