GardenGap.com » Landscaping » Landscape Gardening : What To Do?

Landscape Gardening : What To Do?

In landscape gardening there needs to be in the gardener's mind a picture of what he wishes the whole to be when he finishes his work. A good extent of open lawn space is always gorgeous. It adds a sense of space to even small grounds. So we might generalize and say that it is well to keep open lawn spaces. If one covers his lawn space with many trees, with tiny flower beds here and there, the general effect is troubled and fussy.

A single tree or a small group is not a bad agreement on the grass. Do not centre the tree or trees. Let them drop a bit into the background. Make a pleasing side feature of them. In choosing trees one must keep in mind a selection of things. You want to not select an overpowering tree ; the tree should be one of good shape, with something engaging about its bark, leaves, flowers or fruit. Mind you, there are places where a row or double row of Lombardy poplars is terribly effective.

The catalpa is sensibly glorious on it's own. Its leaves are broad, its flowers attractive, the seed pods which stick to the tree until away into the winter, add a little bit of picture squeness. The bright berries of the ash, the brilliant foliage of the sugar maple, the blossoms of the tulip tree, the bark of the white birch, and the leaves of the copper beech all these are beauty points toward consider.

Place makes a difference in the choice of a tree. Suspect the lower portion of the grounds is a bit low and moist, then the spot is good for a willow. Don't group trees together which look ungainly. A long-looking poplar does not go with a pleasing rather rounded little tulip tree. A juniper, so neat and correct, would look mad beside a spreading chestnut.

As trees are selected due to certain good points, so plants should be. In a clump I should wish some which bloomed early, some which bloomed late, some for the wonderful thing about their fall foliage, some for the color of their bark and others for the fruit.

I neglected to claim that in tree selection it is usually better to choose those of the area one lives in. Surprising and foreign plants do less well, and often harmonize but poorly with their new setting.

Landscape gardening may follow along deeply formal lines or along informal lines. The other technique is, naturally, the exact opposite.

The formal agreement is maybe going to look too stiff ; the informal, too fussy, too wiggly. As far as trails go, keep this under consideration, a trail must lead somewhere. That is its business to direct one to a definite place. Now, straight, even trails are not unpleasing if the effect is to be that of a formal garden. The danger in the curved trail is a unexpected curve, a whirligig effect.

Your garden areas are so limited that they are going to be re-spaded each season, and the grass trails are a great difficulty in this work. Naturally, a gravel trail makes a fine appearance, but again you may not have gravel at your command.

Over this, pack in the mud, rounding it a little toward the centre of the trail. There should never be depressions through the central part of trails, since these form convenient places for water to stand. The under layer of stone makes a natural drainage system.

A building frequently requires the help of vines or flowers or both to tie it to the grounds in such a fashion as to form a harmonious full. Vines lend themselves well to this work. The Virginia creeper, wistaria, honeysuckle, a climbing rose, the clematis and trumpet vine are all most sufficient.

Of course, the morning-glory is an once a year vine, as is the moon-vine and wild cucumber. Now, these have their special function. For customarily it is critical to cover an hideous thing for merely a time, until the better things and better times come. The yearly is 'the chap' for this work. One might attempt to rival the woods' landscape work. For frequently one sees festooned from one rotted tree to another the ampelopsis vine.

Flowers may well go along the side of the building, or neighboring a walk.

What lovelier in early spring than a bed of daffodils near to the house? Hyacinths and tulips, too, form a blaze of glory. One may make of some bulbs an exception to the rule of unbroken front lawn. Snowdrops and crocuses planted thru the lawn are handsome. They don't annoy the general effect, but just mix with the entire.

The place for a flower garden is in generally at the side or rear of the house. The yard garden is a sweet concept, is it not? Who wishes to leave a pretty looking front garden, turn the corner of a home, and find a dump heap? Not I. Both have their good points. Great loads of bloom are attractive.

You should am thinking some concept of the mixing of color. Nature seems not to think about this at all, and still gets wonderful effects.

The reason is because of the incredible amount of her perfect background of green, and the limitlessness of her space, while we are confined at the best to comparatively tiny areas.

So we should endeavour not to blind folks's eyes with clashes of colors which don't at close range mix well. If one starts with a formal garden, one should not mix the informal with it before the work is done.