Managing a rural landscape

News Column

John Wilson

Extension Educator

September 6, 2013

John Wilson

Managing A Rural Landscape

I need to give Karma Larsen with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum credit for most of today’s content. I saw an excellent article she had written and I just added a few observations I’ve had in making recommendations to other rural landowners as well as working on my own rural landscape. This was written specifically for acreage owners, but it also applies to all rural residents, whether you live on five acres or five thousand acres.

Managing an urban landscape can be enough of a challenge for many homeowners. But when the landscape is several times larger, even the smallest decisions have broader consequences. Will plantings be visually “lost” in such a large space? Is there time to maintain it?

Planning and planting trees is often one of the first considerations since other plantings will be affected by them. Windbreaks or shelterbelts are usually planted first… both to define the land-scape and to shelter buildings and gardens from wind, heat and cold. Extensive caging and fencing may be necessary to protect trees – particularly young trees – from deer, rabbits and other wildlife.

Since turf is one of the most time-consuming aspects of most landscapes, many acreage owners keep mowed areas to a minimum, avoid high-maintenance bluegrass turf and plant fescue, buffalograss, prairie grasses or groundcovers.

The lawn on my acreage is actually smaller than the lawn at either place when I lived in town. I planted a turf-type fescue… and even thought it requires mowing more frequently than my bluegrass lawns in town, it also requires less maintenance. I’m glad I made the choice that I did.

One way rural residents scale back is by limiting managed areas to smaller spaces directly around buildings or to areas highly visible from the buildings or pathways. For plantings to have any impact, a dozen or more of any particular plant may need to be planted rather than just a few. Plants that are hardy and drought-tolerant are crucial in places where watering can range from difficult to impossible.

Here are some ideas for keeping your landscape manageable:

•       Think about views and function, and concentrate your efforts where they make the most difference. Since entrance areas are not always obvious in a country setting, you may want to highlight building entries and important paths.

•       Use windbreaks for shelter from wind, cold, unwanted views and as wildlife habitat. Keep the southwest exposure open to provide cooling summer breezes and plant deciduous trees to the south for summer shade and winter sunlight.

•       If possible, understand your drainage patterns BEFORE you begin and, if they’re problematic, change the grade as needed.

•       Protect young trees and shrubs from wildlife damage with cages or fencing.

•       Group plants according to maintenance needs. Don’t mix plants that need a lot of moisture with those that need little moisture. Put low moisture plants together. Also consider sunlight, drainage and fertility needs.

•       Limit turf to high traffic areas.

•       Ornamental and prairie grasses are low-maintenance and provide year-round interest but they can be a fire hazard if planted too close to buildings.

•       To attract wildlife, plant groups of fruiting shrubs such as wild plum, chokecherry or elderberry.

•       Remember the mature size of trees and shrubs so they don’t grow up too close to the house, out-buildings or each other and they won’t limit your ability to move equipment around or under them.

For more information on rural landscape planning and plantings, visit the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum website at http://arboretum.unl.edu, the University of Nebraska Acreage website at http://acreage.unl.edu or visit your local UNL Extension office.