The compounds around educational institutes are generally neglected. An ideal school ground plan could create a spacious and extensively planted park. Landscaping not only enhances beauty and appearance but also inculcates aesthetic sense to younger generations. Thus it becomes necessary to landscape the campuses of educational institutes. It is better to have a master plan of the whole area and to implement it in phases according to the resources available.
Landscaped area might provide adequate room for free play and supervised recreation, sports events and outdoor ceremonies.
The main aim of the landscaping educational institutions is to control noise, storm, and dust and to provide shade and screen some ugly places with the help of plants.
Even in unplanned school buildings, it is possible to improve the landscape by careful planting.
A school garden should be planned with plant materials which need minimum of maintenance.
In the periphery of the school campus, along the rear and wings, a thick belt of large shady trees should be planted to bring down noise and cut down dust and storms.
The plantation will help keep down severe heat and cold.
For enhancing the scenic beauty, it is suggested to plant a row of flowering trees with different blooming seasons, in front of the large trees along the periphery.
A thickly planted belt of eucalyptus, silver oak, and so on is alos very suitable for peripheral planting.
The front should be planted with medium sized flowering trees for beauty.
The trees should not completely obstruct the view of the building from outside.
The roads and paths are to be formally planted with medium to tall flowering plants.
The provision should be made of overhead wiring and sewerage before avenue planting so that these do not interfere with it.
Shrubs play an important part in the school landscaping.
Border planting of shrubbery on large grounds or at the back of the school campus serves useful purpose of filling the gaps between the trees and lawns. Moreover small paths can be planted with shrubs arranged in formal beds, or rows, thus improving the beauty of the path.
Shrub boarder around playgrounds require minimum maintenance and is effective than hedge.
A hedge needs regular trimming. Shrubs, with suitable colourful flowers, are more colorful than hedges.
The foundation planting can also be undertaken with evergreen dwarf and trailing shrubs.
Flower beds, especially the seasonal ones should not be preferred.
A lawn looks nice in an educational institute, but it is difficult to maintain.
A bougainvillea creeper trained over the wall of the building can change the whole look.
Garden ornaments like a bird bath provided amidst the trees will attract many birds which will be educative to the students.
Different trees, shrubs, flowering annuals, etc. may also be properly labeled to enable students learn their names and develop knowledge
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