A stand of trees or shrubs can create walls to filter or block views, or a canopy of tree branches can provide a sense of shelter. Ground cover planting with uniform foliage and textural characteristics can present the feeling of an architectural floor. Engineering Uses of Plants Trees can stop or diffuse light before it reaches the ground. An edging of ground cover plants along an entranceway or at corners of a walk helps direct attention and movement of people. This engineering with plant design reduces light glare.
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.