Choosing roadway landscaping for your property is not the same as choosing landscaping that will be adjacent to a building. Anything by the roadway needs to avoid blocking the view of traffic and not obscure driveways and signage. This landscaping also needs to be strong enough to withstand the added exhaust and fumes from roadway traffic. Note a few tips for impressive and healthy roadway landscaping that is appropriate for this area.

1. Know the growth height and thickness of shrubbery

Shrubbery can provide a bit of privacy between your property and the road, but remember that the shrubs you plant, unless you buy them full grown, will just continue to get taller. This can cause a tremendous amount of work for you or your landscaper, as those shrubs would need constant trimming to avoid obscuring the view of traffic.

On the other hand, very dense shrubbery can help to reduce road noise that reaches your home or office building. Opt for evergreen, Cyprus, or American hollies for a thick and dense type of shrubbery than can be trimmed easily while still providing insulation from road noise.

2. Be careful with mulch

Many properties are slightly sloped or graded toward the road so that moisture in the soil will not collect around a foundation and cause cracks to form. In turn, this moisture will run toward the plants you have by the roadway. If you add mulch around these plants, this will trap that moisture under the soil. This can be good for very dry areas or landscaping that needs a lot of moisture, but for many plants, this can mean too much moisture collecting around their roots. Be sparse about adding mulch and check the moisture levels of the soil in this area more often than you do other areas of the property.

3. Avoid flowering bushes

As said, landscaping that is near a roadway is going to be subject to more fumes and exhaust than landscaping located anywhere else. Flowers can be especially delicate and difficult to grow by the road because of this; flowers need oils and lots of hydration to keep the petals soft and healthy and attached to the stem. Fumes and exhaust from cars are not only poisonous to these plants but also dries out those petals so the flowers wilt and fall away. As much as you may want flowering bushes to greet you or your visitors when they turn into your driveway, choose something hardier like a variety of Verbena or Spruce for roadway landscaping.