Fall’s a Great Time to Hide Your A/C With Landscaping

We certainly all appreciate the hard work our air conditioners do for us in the summer. In fact it would be absolutely miserable in Charlotte without air conditioning during hot wearther. But despite how much we may appreciate our A/C’s hard work, we don’t necessarily appreciate its looks. Let’s face it ,air conditioners are not pretty. If your air conditioner is in a visible spot there are several ways you can disguise it so it is less of a visible distraction.Plants and shrubs are an easy solution for camouflaging an a/c unit and fall is the perfect time of year to plant. Ornamental grasses are a great option. You want to avoid grasses that grow over five feet in height because you don’t want to reduce air flow to your unit. There are a number of ornamental grasses that grow well in the Charlotte area that fit the bill. They are Switch Grass, Fountain Grass, Ribbon Grass and Sedge to name a few. Box woods or low growing varieties of holly( those that aren’t sticky) are also great options. Three strategically place shrubs can make your unit disappear.
Fencing is always a good option for disguising an A/C unit as well. Whatever fencing you choose, make sure you have a distance of three feet between it and your compressor. Again, the issue is proper airflow. Make sure your fence has an opening on one side or a gate as large as your A/C unit in case it needs replacing.
In addition to improving the looks of your yard, disgusing your A/C can also help you discourage theft. Burglars are on the look out for copper, and motors. If your unit is hidden, it is not such an easy target. This may sound paranoid, but you can’t believe the number of air conditioning units stolen each year. Regardless of which option you choose, Fall is the perfect time to beautify, disguise and protect your outdoor air conditioning unit.