Garden Plants
A well-designed landscape can enhance the beauty and value of your home. The design consists of two elements, hardscapes such as walks and walls and garden plants.
Trees and shrubs are critical components of landscape design. They are called the backbone of the landscape because they provide structure to your yard. Without this backbone, your yard looks flat or one-dimensional.
Because they are the most significant elements in the landscape, choose your trees and their locations first. It’s essential to take into consideration their mature sizes. Don’t plant them too close together or too close to your house. Evergreens, such as pines, provide privacy and block sound. They also provide color during the winter months. Shade trees, such as maples and oaks, can break up a long view or shade a deck or patio. Some offer winter interest with unusual bark. How to Create a Romantic Garden.
Flowering trees are usually shorter. They are perfect for small yards. In larger yards, use them as understory plantings to add layers to your landscape. Many flowering trees provide year-round interest with flowers in the spring, foliage in the summer, color or fruit in the fall, and winter, depending on the variety, unusual bark, or multiple stems.
Shrubs are woody, multi-stemmed plants that are less than 13 feet tall. You can plant them along the foundation to anchor your house in the landscape. You can also use them around patios and decks or along driveways and walks. Planted close together, they are called hedges. Hedges define boundaries like fences. You can use almost any kind of shrub as a hedge.
The last element in your landscape design is herbaceous garden plants and annual and perennial flowers. These provide color and texture. Perennial flowers have a limited blooming period, usually about two weeks, but the plants return yearly. Annual flowers bloom all summer and then die in the fall. Limit your color palette to two or three colors. More than that can look too busy. The colors you choose for your landscape must blend well with the color of your house. When choosing your flowers, you also need to consider their light requirements.
A beautifully landscaped yard is a haven for your family and a wonderful place to entertain.
