Plants that absorb noise

Trees and shrubs have been used for many years to reduce traffic noise from busy roads. Plants can also help to reduce background noise levels inside buildings by absorbing, diffracting or reflecting noise. Some plant species are more effective than others and the benefits are most pronounced in buildings with hard, reflective surfaces.

Here are a few guidelines for planting a tree fence:

• Place the fence as close to the noise source as possible.
• Plant trees and shrubs as close together as possible.
• Use dense foliage plants.
• Use evergreen species for year round protection.
• Make the fence as tall as possible.
• Make the fence as wide as possible.

Interior plants for reducing background noise level, Good interior plants of noise-reducing include Spathiphyllum wallisii (peace lily), Philodendron scandens (sweetheart plant), Dracaena marginata (Madagascan dragon tree) and Ficus benjamina (weeping fig). Positioning several arrangements around a space works better than concentrating the plants in one location. plants-in-buildings.com has a table of noise-absorption coefficients of plants.