How to reduce traffic noise in the garden?

The garden is a place of peace until you hear the noise of cars, trucks, buses, … in short, the traffic that circulates on your street. It can be a very unpleasant experience, so much so that if you are a person sensitive to these sounds it is likely that you will decide to move as soon as the opportunity presents itself. But, calm down! Try our tips and tricks first.

Trust me. I know what it’s like to have to endure noise, but not from cars, but from ultralight planes. It is impossible to eliminate that noise, although in my case, fortunately, there are not many that start up during the day, but there are many things can be done to reduce it. So, it’s time to reclaim your space.

How to reduce noise?

If you are determined or determined to reduce the noise in your garden or patio, and you want to do it ‘as usual’, get down to work:

Know the limits of your garden … and make it legal

This may seem easier than you think, but If you have just bought a plot and it is NOT fenced yet, you must inform yourself well about its limits. For this, you should talk to professionals, since otherwise you may want to dig a trench too close to a pipe, and this could cause problems.

In addition, that area must be legalized. Remember that it is about reducing stress, not generating more.

Analyze the soil and conditions in your area

When you want to reduce noise, you have to know what type of soil do you have and what are the climatic conditions of the place. To have success It is essential to understand that the land and climate can be used to your advantage if you study them a little.or on the contrary both can make you lose a lot of money.

Be careful, it is not about studying meteorology or studying the topography of the ground in depth, but it will be enough to know what the maximum and minimum temperatures are; when it usually rains; the type of soil you have; what are its shady corners; which are the sun and which are the semi-shadow. It seems like a lot, but collecting this information will save you trouble .

Build a fence to reduce noise

Depending on the budget available and your preferences, these fences or physical barriers They can be natural, that is, with plants, or artificial. I recommend the first ones, because the effect in the end is more beautiful. You can use trees, shrubs, or even vines growing on pergolas or trellises.

Although, of course, another equally valid option is the wooden posts, or build half a wall of stones and then the other half put wire mesh. Or even make combinations: put poles and just in front, inside the garden, plants for example.

You must always bear in mind that you are not going to eliminate noise, but you will notice a reduction in it.

What plants to use?

If you decide on plants, there are many that will be useful as long as you find out if they can live in your area. Some of the most used are:

• Boxwood: they are evergreen shrubs up to 12 meters high belonging to the genus Buxus that live well in full sun and also resist frosts down to -12ºC. See file.
• Cypress: they are evergreen conifers up to 20 meters high belonging to the genus Cupressus. They live in areas exposed to the sun, although they tolerate semi-shade. They resist frosts down to -18ºC. See file.
• Purple: it is a deciduous tree up to 7 meters high known by the scientific name Common syringe. It produces beautiful lilac or mauve flowers and resists up to 18ºC. See file.
• Forsythia: it is a deciduous shrub 1 to 3 meters high (sometimes 6m) that lives both in the sun and in semi-shade. It produces yellow flowers, and resists up to -18ºC. See file.

Things to keep in mind

Give them time

The plants they need time to grow. If you want immediate results, you should buy large copies, knowing that the cost of these will be higher.

Don’t put them too close together

You should not be in a hurry. Plants require space to develop. When planted close together, the fight for nutrients will lead some (or many) to their deaths.. To avoid this, you must know what the width of each plant will be once it is adult, and based on that, plant it.

Be careful with the roots

Some species that are also used as trees to reduce noise are also plants with strong root systems: ash, cypress trees, acacia trees… For security, these should be planted at a minimum distance of 10 meters from pipes and else.

Consider building a pond

This only applies to places where there are NO mosquito pests.

Traffic noise is very annoying. One way to hide it is by building or buying a pond. It can become a beautiful areawith aquatic plants such as Lily.

And if you don’t like ponds, a waterfall, or something like this:

Its nice is not it?

Make a draft

Now is when you have to decide how you want your garden or patio to be. With all the information you have collected, draw where you want the plants to be, where the relaxation area, where the children’s play area if you have one, …

Note that the end result must be practical but also aesthetic. The larger plants must be behind the smaller ones, the colors must match, and if there are paths, they must lead to a special area.

Make it come true

Lastly, bring your plans to reality. You have hard work ahead of youwhich may take weeks and even months, but in the end I assure you that all the effort Will have been worth.

Then, all you have to do is keep it. Take care of it. Prune, water, fertilize … but all this is part of regaining calm, so you don’t have to worry .

Why is it important to regain peace of mind?

We live in a world where housing construction is the order of the day. There are fewer and fewer green areas, and more housing estates. It is ironic to think of the number of houses, flats, apartments, etc. that there are gaps, the number of people who are homeless, and the amount of new construction that there is per year in many parts of the world.

But that is another issue. Now I’m going to tell you about the benefits that garden areas have for all of us:

Privacy

It is probably the most important thing. Who does not like to go to the garden, patio or terrace to disconnect from the world? Spending only 30 minutes surrounded by plants already has a very, very pleasant effect on us. It gives us relaxation. Helps us reduce stress. And if we also spend time doing tasks, such as removing grass or planting plants, we also do physical exercise.

Limit your space

Yes, that space may be smaller than you’d like, but it’s YOURS. For that alone, limits are a good thing. Seriously: my garden is on a 400-meter lot, but do you know what the only surface area of ​​the garden is? 10 meters long x 5 meters wide. It is a little bit nothing more, but it gives peace.

It does not matter the size of your garden, patio or terrace: the limits tell your neighbors that this territory is yours, and they tell you that in your area you can be happy.

You keep your dogs and / or cats in a safe place

We all know that we love when dogs go out to play in the yard or garden. On the other hand, if we are one of those who enjoy welcoming cats for example, we may want them to live outside (yes, in this case it is highly recommended to fence the entire site using high wire mesh, at least 3 meters high, and hidden with cypresses for example).

You take care of your mental health

There is a lot of talk about physical health, but the mind cannot exist without the body. Everything is part of the same, of what makes us who we are. Noise creates stress for us, and if it is constant it keeps us on our toes… which is not a good thing.

We need to relax. And for that we need a place with plants, that brings us closer to nature.

Other benefits

Did you think that the benefits that we have told you were the only ones? The truth is that no. There are others, which may not be so important but you can come to appreciate, that will make your garden area have more value:

• The barriers, whether natural or not, that delimit it will help protect you from debris from the streets.
• The plants protect the soil from erosionand they will attract wildlife – small, such as insects or birds – to your garden or patio.
• A garden increases property valuewith which it becomes a smart investment.

And nothing more. I hope these tips and tricks are useful to you and you can get the garden, patio or terrace of your dreams, without having to listen to so much noise.