Activity 3.4.

6 Landscaping (Optional)
Introduction
Landscaping plays a major role in the valuation of property and has many purposes.
One obvious benefit of landscaping is to improve the appearance of a property. Curb
appeal can increase the value of the property. However, landscaping is also a
means of managing the natural resources of a site. The design should begin with an
evaluation of the natural elements that already exist on a site. The local codes must
be researched to ensure compliance with landscaping regulations. In addition, the
effect of landscaping on the environment should be considered.

To reduce the negative effect of landscaping on the environment, landscaping can

be designed to preserve natural areas and require low water usage, plant selection,
and maintenance.

In this activity you will research landscaping code requirements and create a water-
wise landscape plan for the Keystone Library Renovation project. You may wish to
refer to the research you performed for Activity 3.4.2 Parking Lot Design to help you
complete this activity.

Equipment
Engineering notebook
Pencil
Individual version of Keystone Library Renovation Preliminary Site
(student version)
Internet access

Procedure
1. Research the Noblesville Indiana Unified Development Ordinance
(http://www.cityofnoblesville.org/egov/docs/1102311937181.htm). Review Article
12: Landscaping and Screening and answer the following.
a. What is the requirement concerning existing plant materials?
(Section 4.A.7) Landscape buffers around an entire land use shall be
reserved for the planting of material and installation of other buffering
materials as required within the Section.
b. What landscaping treatment is required for detention/retention
ponds? (Section 4.A.10)Detention/Retention basins and ponds shall be
landscaped. Such landscaping should include shade and ornamental trees,
evergreens, shrubs, hedges, turf, groundcover, and other plant materials.

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 c. What landscape materials are prohibited? (Section
4.B.1.d)Prohibited landscape materials include rocks, gravel, stone, asphalt,
{used in internal and perimeter parking lots areas and landscape buffer
yards;} thorn-bearing plant species and the Juniper plant species.
d. What is the class of the proposed parking lot? (Section 5.B.1) Class
C.
e. What percent of the parking area is required to be landscaped?
(Section 5.C.1)8%
f. What is the maximum parking lot island size? (Section
5.C.1)1000ft2
g. What is the minimum size of a landscape island in a single row of
parking? What types of plantings must it include? (Section 5.C.1.a)180ft2, a
minimum of one (1) canopy tree and five (5) evergreen or deciduous shrubs,
or ornamental grasses.
h. What is the minimum size of a landscape island in a double row of
parking? (Section 5.C.1.b)240ft2
i. What is the requirement at the end of parking rows? (Section
5.C.1.c) shall require the installation of one additional canopy tree at both
ends of the exterior row.
j. What perimeter parking lot landscaping is required for the Keystone
Library Renovation project? Assume that the property abuts other commercial
facilities and public streets. (Section 5.D.2)Public street, private street, front
yards, or abutting residential uses/zone district
k. Is a landscape buffer yard required for the Keystone Library
Renovation project? (Table 12.0.7.E)yes

2. Research Xeriscape and water-wise landscaping. [Keywords: Xeriscape, seven

steps to Xeriscape]. One online publication that may be useful is the University of
Georgia Cooperative Extension publication, Xeriscape: A Guide to Developing a
Water-Wise Landscape. At the date of this writing the document was available here:
www.caes.uga.edu/.../whitfield/anr/documents/Xeriscapewaterwise.pdf. However,
the document can be found via an Internet search.
Describe/define the term Xeriscape. a style of landscape design
requiring little or no irrigation or other maintenance, used in arid regions.
List the seven fundamental Xeriscape areas that must be
considered when designing a landscape.
Step 1: Proper Planting and Design. ...
Step 2: Soil Analysis and Improvements. ...
Step 3: Appropriate Plant Selection. ...
Step 4: Practical Turfgrass Areas. ...

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 Step 5: Efficient Irrigation. ...
Step 6: Use of Mulches. ...
Step 7: Appropriate Maintenance.
List the criteria that should be followed when selecting plant
material for a site.Mature size and form, Growth rate, Texture, Color, and
Functional Use
What part does shade play in water resource management and
human comfort?keeps us cool while reducing water loss to evaporation
How should turf be integrated into a Xeriscape?Practical turf areas
mean using turfgrass for a specific function in the landscape. A small oasis
of turf near the entrance to the home, a playing surface of durable turf in
recreational areas or a blanket of turf on a highly erodible slope are all
examples of practical turf areas.
What benefit does mulch provide to the landscape?Mulches
conserve moisture by preventing evaporative water loss from the soil surface
and reducing the need for supplemental irrigation during periods of limited
rainfall.

Print three copies of your project site plan (including property lines, building, patios,
driveway, and walkways) without detailing. Then complete the following:
3. Using one of the site plans, create a bubble diagram of the basic use areas (public,
private, and service) for your project similar to figure 6 of Xeriscape: A Guide to
Developing a Water-Wise Landscape. Label this Basic Use Areas and then sign
and date. Note: You may have more than one of each use area.
4. On the second site plan, sketch a bubble diagram of water-use zones (low, medium,
high) for your project similar to figure 7 of Xeriscape. Use high-water-use areas
sparinglyonly at the entrance or outdoor entertainment areas. Label this Water
Use Areas and then sign and date.
5. On the third site plan, sketch a concept (master) plan for your project home similar to
figure 8 of Xeriscape. Label this Landscape Concept Plan and then sign and date.
Include symbols for individual shrubs and trees and label each as a
deciduous or coniferous tree or shrub.
Turf areas and beds of seasonal color may be indicated with a bubble for
each location.
Include hardscape (walkways, patios, decks, walls, or fences).
Locate at least one focal point in the design. Label it as such.
Indicate the function of each plant, bed, or turf area on the map (i.e.,
screen neighbor, aesthetics, wildlife habitat, sound control, provide shade, create
wind break, seasonal color, fragrance, divide space, hide trash receptacles, etc.).
6. Incorporate your design into your Keystone Library Renovation Preliminary Site plan.

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7. Research potential hardscape elements for your design. Use the Internet and other
resources to choose appropriate materials for your parking area, driveway,
walkways, and other hardscape elements. Create a document that provides pictures
of each hardscape material you plan to use in the landscape. Some websites that
may help are listed below.
Hardscapes for Sustainable Landscapes: Patios, Decks, Walkways,
and Driveways
http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/19604/ec153

5.pdf

Library of Selected Hardscape Material

http://www.camberlygardens.com/index.html?
body=/Camberly_hardlib.html
Decorative Concrete Photo Gallery
http://www.concretenetwork.com/photo-gallery/
8. Find the Hardiness Zone in which your project falls by accessing the online USDA
Hardiness Zone Map (http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html).
Create a document with a close-up map of the appropriate region. On the map,
locate your project and identify the applicable hardiness zone. Include a header with
your name, project name and date, source of information, and Project Location and

Hardiness Zone.

9. Identify potential trees for your project using the Arbor Day Foundation website at
http://www.arborday.org/. Search the site for the Hardiness Zone Map. Using the
appropriate ZIP code (46060 is a Noblesville, IN ZIP code), find the most popular
trees for your hardiness zone. Print this list of trees.

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 Early Harvest Golden Globe Lodi Apple Red Delicious
Apple Arborvitae $19.50 Apple
$19.50 $9.50 $19.50

Orange Azaleas Red Jonathan Pink Azaleas Stayman Winesap

Mollis Hybrid Apple Mollis Hybrid Apple
$7.00 $19.50 $7.00 $19.50

Red Azaleas Yellow Delicious White Azaleas Early Golden

Mollis Hybrid Apple Mollis Hybrid Apricot
$7.00 $19.50 $7.00 $19.50

Moorpark Apricot Beautybush Woodward Globe Arapaho

$19.50 $11.50 Arborvitae Blackberry
$9.00 $19.50

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 American Bluecrop Emerald Rubel Blueberry
Arborvitae Blueberry Arborvitae $19.50
$5.50 $19.50 $9.50

Common Green Giant Korean Boxwood Quaking Aspen

Boxwood Arborvitae $6.00 $12.00
$8.00 $8.00

Red Buckeye 'Blue Chip' Nanking Cherry Dynamite

$17.00 Butterfly Bush $8.50 Crapemyrtle
$25.00 $25.00

Baldcypress Gray Dogwood American Beech Redosier

$9.50 $8.50 $10.50 Dogwood
$8.50

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European Beech American Elder Paper Birch Forsythia
$9.00 $10.50 $15.00 $5.00

River Birch Catawba Grape Black Tupelo American

$11.50 Vine $14.50 Hazelnut
$15.00 $15.00

Arbor Day Farm Blue Hydrangea Bar Harbor Youngstown

Hazelnut $6.00 Juniper Juniper
$12.00 $8.00 $8.00

Fragrant Lilac Green Velvet Pekin Lilac Sweetbay

$8.50 Boxwood $9.00 Magnolia
$8.50 $12.00

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 Butternut Sweet Northern Catalpa North Privet
$12.00 Mockorange $12.00 $4.00
$8.50

Heritage September Rose-of-Sharon Bing Cherry

Everbearing Everbearing $8.50 $22.50
Raspberry Raspberry
$19.50 $19.50

Azurri Satin Black Tartarian Sweetshrub Early Richmond

Rose-of-Sharon Cherry $8.50 Cherry
$23.00 $22.50 $22.50

Arrowwood Japanese American Kanzan Cherry

Viburnum Flowering Cherry Cranberrybush $18.50
$8.50 $19.50 Viburnum
$12.00

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 Montmorency Old Fashioned Pussy Willow Purpleleaf Sand
Cherry Weigela $10.50 Cherry
$22.50 $8.50 $11.50

Witchhazel Sargent Cherry Pee Gee Chinese Chestnut

$10.50 $10.50 Hydrangea $13.50
$6.00

Kentucky Prairifire Sargent Crabapple Snowdrift

Coffeetree Flowering $12.00 Crabapple
$9.00 Crabapple $13.50
$14.50

Leyland Cypress Kousa Dogwood Pink Dogwood Red Dogwood

$12.00 (Japanese $21.50 $19.50
Dogwood)
$13.00

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White Dogwood Douglasfir Douglasfir for Lacebark Elm
$15.00 $5.50 Windbreaks $8.00
$19.00

White Fir Concord Grape Niagara Grape Hackberry

$5.50 Vine Vine $9.00
$15.00 $15.00

Washington Canadian Shellbark Hickory Foster's No. 2

Hawthorn Hemlock $12.00 Holly
$12.00 $4.75 $8.00

Thornless Littleleaf Linden Silver Linden Saucer Magnolia

Honeylocust $12.00 $12.00 $16.50
$10.50

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 Southern Star Magnolia Japanese Red Red Maple
Magnolia $12.00 Maple $14.50
$8.50 $12.00

Red Sunset Maple Silver Maple Sugar Maple Bur Oak

$19.50 $10.50 $15.00 $11.50

Chinkapin Oak Northern Red Oak Overcup Oak Pin Oak

$13.50 $11.50 $11.50 $11.50

Sawtooth Oak Scarlet Oak Shumard Oak White Oak

$11.50 $11.50 $11.50 $11.50

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Belle of Georgia Elberta Peach Golden Jubilee Hale-Haven
Peach $20.50 Peach Peach
$20.50 $20.50 $20.50

Bartlett Pear Kieffer Pear Orient Pear Pecan

$21.50 $21.50 $21.50 $14.50

Austrian Pine Loblolly Pine Lodgepole Pine Ponderosa Pine

$5.50 $5.50 $6.50 $4.50

Scots Pine London Planetree Burbank Plum Damson Plum

$5.50 $13.50 $19.50 $19.50

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Methley Plum Hybrid Poplar Eastern Redbud Eastern Redcedar
$19.50 $10.50 $13.50 $5.75

Dawn Redwood Giant Sequoia Downy Smoketree

$11.50 $8.00 Serviceberry $9.50
$12.00

Sourwood Black Hills Colorado Blue Norway Spruce

$9.00 Spruce Spruce $5.50
$5.50 $4.75

White Spruce American Tuliptree Black Walnut

$5.50 Sweetgum $12.00 $12.00
$8.50

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Weeping Willow Japanese Zelkova Autumn Color Big Magnificent
$15.00 $15.00 Collection (5 Tree Collection (5
trees) trees)
$47.99 $42.99

Fast Growing Homeowner Mixed Screen - Screen -

Screen - Collection (5 Windbreak Windbreak
Windbreak trees) Collection (12 Collection -
Collection (12 $29.99 trees) Eastern (12 trees)
trees) $37.99 $35.99
$43.99

Screen - Shade Tree Spring Color Spruce Mix

Windbreak Collection (5 Collection (5 Collection (12
Collection - trees) Trees) trees)
Western (12 trees) $40.99 $43.99 $37.99
$35.99

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 Trees for Birds Trees for Wildlife
Collection (5 Collection (5
trees) trees)
$33.99 $28.99
10.

11. On the same site, search for the Tree Guide and use the search feature to find at
least two of these ten trees in the database. Create a document which includes a
picture of at least two of these trees that you may consider using in your landscape
plan. Next to each tree image, record the following: name, height, spread, growth
rate, soil, sun, shape, and whether the tree is deciduous or coniferous. Include a
header with your name, project name and date, source of information, and Popular
Tree Characteristics.help Click icon labels for more information: Show All | Hide All

Early Harvest Apple

12.
13. Fruit

14.
15. 10' to 25' High

16.
17. 10' to 15' Spread

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 18.
19. Fast Growth

20.
21. Full Exposure

22.
23. Various Soils

24.
25. Oval

Lodi Apple

10' to 25' High

10' to 25' Spread

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Medium Growth

Full Exposure

Various Soils

26. Visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Recommended Species page
(http://www.wildflower.org/collections/). Print out the printer-friendly species list of
native plants. Browse the list and highlight at least one species each of trees,
shrubs, herbs, and vines that will thrive in each of the water use zones (high,
moderate, and low) using a different color highlighter for each water use zone.
Alternatively, you can use the Narrow Your Search tool to identify species that will
thrive in specific growing conditions.Sugar maple, Maidenhair fern, White baneberry,
Speckled alder

27. Create a document that includes an image of each species that you highlighted and
specifies the plant characteristics and growing conditions for each. Include a header
with your name, project name and date, source of information, and Recommended
Native Plants.

28. Using the criteria you listed for step 4, choose appropriate plants for your project
landscape design. Try to limit the number of plant species used and consider site
orientation factors as well. Create a Landscape (Planting) Plan in Revit .
Show existing trees to be removed, if applicable.
Show existing trees to remain, if applicable.
Show all new vegetation. Label all species on the plan.
Include a planting schedule which shows the number of each
species.

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Conclusion Questions

1. Why does it matter if a site is landscaped?

2. How can landscaping improve the aesthetic appeal of a site and the structures on
the site?

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