| The grounds of Canadian homes typically consist of trimmed lawns sparsely planted with ornamental trees and shrubs. Despite their low initial cost and immediate impact, conventional landscapes require significant annual capital and physical resources, such as fuel, water, herbicides and fertilizer. However, low-maintenance alternatives exhibit lower consumption rates and annual cost savings. This paper investigates the saving potential of four low-maintenance alternatives when compared to a conventional option through an evaluation of life cycle cost and annual maintenance resource consumption.;The five options were simulated using the proposed site and building of a low-rise, multi-residential housing project in Ottawa, where only the planting design varied for each simulation. The four alternatives involved: (1) replacing 70% of lawn areas with woody plants grouped in mulched beds, (2) eliminating turf and including 85% woody plants and a hard surface area of 15%, (3) replacing 70% of the turf area with naturalized woodland plantings and (4) replacing all turf areas with 85% naturalized woodland and tall grass prairie plantings and including a hard surface area of 15%. Only species that are well-adapted to the site conditions were selected for the alternatives. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
