This excerpt has been extracted from “The well–designed mixed garden”. The Plant Selection is an organized process. It guides the selection of a plant type, such as a tree, shrub, or perennial for a specific space. The mode of reproduction of a crop determines its genetic composition, which, in turn, is the deciding factor to develop suitable breeding and selection methods. “Tree Removal in Hayward CA” furnishes you with information on the selection of plantations.
Plant Selection
The moment we have all been waiting for: it’s time to think about the plants! As a gardener, isn’t buying plants one of your favorite things to do in the whole world? The adrenaline starts pumping, your heart is light, and often you can’t help buying more than you really need. Actually, I use the term “need” loosely. A firm plan does help to set limits.
Everything we have discussed in this chapter so far- including light, soil, maintenance and budget, size and type of bed, function, color, and peak season of interest- must be kept in mind when choosing plants. We also need to consider things we will discuss in more detail in the rest of the book, such as texture, discuss in more detail in the rest of the book, such as texture, form, balance, repetition, rhythm, and focal points. And we must determine if there are any plants that will help us or our clients make connections to past memorable experiences of gardens, nature, or loved ones. Every time I smell basil, I think of my grandfather, who gardened until he was close to 90 years old. Even though I often select the purple-leaved cultivar ‘African Blue’, which he never saw in his life, it still has that connection for me. As designers we want to include, whenever possible, plants that will stir pleasant memories in our clients.
When designing a mixed border, it is important to select plants that will work together, not only from an aesthetic standpoint but from a cultural, or maintenance, standpoint. How do we combine perennials, trees, shrubs, vines, and various other plant material with success? Unless your objective is to cover some major ground, your main priority when choosing permanent plants is to stick with species that are not extremely quick growing, invasive, or stolonizing. Trying to fight an aggressive root system-be it from a tree, a stolonizing shrub, grass, or bamboo- is a major high-maintenance pain. Having to constantly prune shrubs or trees to keep them in their allocated space is also undesirable. Of course, many non-permanent plants, such as certain annuals (particularly tropical’s), will be expected to put on major growth in the season to earn their place in the border. Most plants should have similar cultural requirements. Is the plant an environmentally sound choice? If it doesn’t fit well with the site, if it requires huge amounts of supplemental water or chemical fertilizers or pesticides to maintain it, then it’s not. No matter how much we or our clients might want such a plant in the garden, it should be admired only in books or other people’s gardens, where it can grow without contributing to our declining resources. Also, consider if there is a danger of the plant’s invading native habitats and destroying the natural ecosystem- and act accordingly (I confine Pistia stratiotes, water lettuce, to a whiskey barrel in my garden)
Throughout the book, I offer many suggestions for outstanding plant material to use. Here we will look at some general considerations when selecting plants.
Trees
Normally there isn’t room for many trees in a mixed garden; depending, of course, on the size of the garden, we may be able to incorporate up to about five. This doesn’t include trees that may be used for hedging or screening around the perimeter or outer edge of the garden. Select smaller trees for design of a mixed border, preferably the Selection -is that grow to about 20 ft. (small trees are in the 15- 30 ft. range). Understanding the rate of growth will be a key consideration as well. Certain trees may ultimately reach 30 ft. but are so slow growing that under normal landscape conditions they would never reach that height (slow-growing plants grow about 12 in. or less in a year; medium-growing plants, 13-24 in. per year; fast growers can gain 25 in. or more annually). Usually, plant heights listed in references are the ultimate height of trees growing under ideal or native conditions; many times, smaller-growing selections of a particular species are available.
Size should really be the first consideration when selecting the right trees: one of the most frequently encountered problems in landscapes in trees that are too large for the site. There are trees for almost any size garden. Keep in mind that periodic pruning may be in order- trees may need to be climbed-up or opened for the plant material growing around them, or pruned to keep their branches off the house or bordering structure. But regular pruning to control a tree’s size detracts from the natural beauty of the plant and is a bother to the gardener.
Trees are normally the first plants placed in a design. They are almost always a very dominant feature (helping to form, as they do, the structural outline, the “bones” of the garden), so their proper selection should be given some thought. Small trees link the border or garden to the surroundings, much in the way that under-story trees tie the canopy to the lower- growing vegetation in woodland. They can be used to bring the border into proper proportion with the rest of the site.
Because the number of trees we can include in a mixed border is so limited, we want to select trees that will provide as many good qualities as possible year-round. My favorite is paperbark maple (Acer griseum) because it offers peeling cinnamon- colored bark through the entire year. It is a small slow-growing tree, with a good habit, narrow and upright; it also has outstanding autumn color, handsome pest- and disease-resistant tri-foliate leaves, and interesting fruit. What more could you ask for?
A winter garden must have a good balance of deciduous and evergreen species. Too many of one or the other (better yet, think of too much relative mass) can be disturbing to the eye. Likewise, a tree needs to be balanced properly with the number of small shrubs or perennials and annuals in the summer garden.
Often large trees already exist on the site. It is critical to understand each species (the type and extent of its root system, the amount of shade it casts), and its contribution or hindrance to views. Live with the area and consider the value of the trees before making any decisions regarding pruning or removal. Often smaller trees are needed in such gardens to smooth the transition to the ground level, creating a more comfortable space for humans.
Continue reading our next article on Annuals, Tropical’s and tender bulbs