Come share with me the fun and fascinating world of ...
Landscape Design
Through the Looking Glass !
PRINCIPLES OF LANDSCAPING:
- Remember, landscape is forever a work in progress.
- Space Wars -- PLAN AHEad –
- Those cute little 1 gal shrubs will grow up one day.
- Same goes for trees. Check mature size BEFORE planting.
- ZONE WARS – A difficult thing to understand.
- Ask a professional. We all love the big box stores, but professional plant people are few and far between in the big boxes. There are some notable exceptions, however. Ask for references and experience.
- Read a Book. Sunset Western Garden Book, Dirr’s Woody Shrubs are just a couple. A word of caution, though. Different books use different zone designations.
- COLOR – YEAR AROUND...
- Spring and Summer color is easy, sort of. When choosing shrubs, perennials or bulbs don’t forget to check the ‘blooming’ period. It’s disheartening when they all bloom at the same time then just sit there the rest of the season.
- Fall and Winter color is admittedly a bit more difficult. Good plant manuals and knowledgeable nursery people will tell you what to expect.
WHAT
TO DO FIRST?
The key is PLANNING. Some graph paper, a sharp pencil and a long tape measure are the tools. Measure dimensions of fixed objects like house, garage, boulders, etc. Stuff you don’t plan on moving. Transfer the measurements to graph paper then label this with a season and a year. Repeat X 3 for a total of 4 seasons for the first year. Repeat X 3 for one year, 5 years and 10 years in the future.
1. 10 years – plug in the big things like trees and large shrubs at their mature height and crown.
· Summer, in full leaf. Remember, deciduous trees placed on the South and West can save you a bundle in cooling costs.
· Winter, the leaves are gone so any stray sun comes through. Evergreens on the North will protect your house from a lot of cold wind in the Winter.
2. 5 years – plug in the shrubs at maturity.
· Is that really neat shrub covering the window now?
· How about balance? Are there short ones crowded together on one side while the tall ones are leggy and thin?
3. 1 year – OK, as few plants reach maturity in one year everything looks good. This is the phase of the plan to think about sun and shade, dry and wet. Plants have very definite preferences and aren’t shy about letting you know. If they don’t like it where they are, they’ll just up and die on you.
AND IF ALL THIS SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF WORK...
CALL A LANDSCAPE DESIGNER.
PLANT
CARE AND PLANTING TIPS...
CHOOSE HEALTHY PLANTS. This may seem obvious but here are a few things to look for.
- Touch the leaves. If they seem limp or weak, they are probably water-stressed. Most plants can survive some level of this, but beware.
- Gently bend the smallest twigs of trees and shrubs. Healthy plants have a lot of bend. Dying plants have brittle twigs.
- Check the undersides of the leaves of all plants. Critters love to hide here.
- Stick your finger into the soil. If it’s dry and hard, this plant is having a rough time.
OK, you spent your next years allowance and got lots of great plants. What now? BTW, the best time to plant is early AM or evening.
· According to your present-year plan, mark the spot for each plant. Dig a hole at least 3 X the width and half again the height of the can or root ball. Fill 1/3 full of water.
· Remove the plant from the can and spread the roots. Loosen them with a screwdriver or your hands. Place into the hole and fill with soil. Tamp LIGHTLY. Roots don’t like being squashed any more than we do. Stake if necessary.
PLANT CARE IN A NUTSHELL...
· Ask about pruning. Even perennials have to be pruned and a lot of shrubs and trees do much better when pruned occasionally. There are really good classes available, too.
· Fertilize O C C A S I O N A L L Y. Choose a good all-purpose fertilizer. Ask me—I make my own. If you get bugs-ask me. The stuff I mix also kills bugs.