Plants can add, absorb and deflect sound by the presence and movement of their foliage and branches. Plants are particularly useful in noise control when joined with landforms. Plants can remove and trap pollutants from the air as well as introduce fragrance or odors from flowers or foliage, such as the spicy scented leaves of the bayberry. This design, employing plants and pavements, emphasizes a functional and important entry approach by directing traffic to the main entry. For climate control, deciduous shade trees might be used to screen the hot summer sun or in winter permit the solar radiation to penetrate to the ground, or to the walls and windows of a building.
Large shrubs can serve as windbreaks to reduce wind velocities.
Changes in solar radiation or light levels are also possible with shading. The aesthetic functions of plants are the easiest to understand. Aesthetically, plants can become a piece of living sculpture. When placed against a plain wall or fence, they create an interesting shadow pattern of branches and leaves. Plants can be used as background for other plantings, or arranged to provide visual coherence to unrelated objects or structures.