Steve
08-06-2006, 05:44 AM
For me, I have a bit different original perspective in gardening. Whereas I install completely new landscapes, I stress structural elements, such as the shapes as well as the colors of a landscape. I consider thngs like Winter color or, better, all seasonal aspects of a garden. Also, I consider eventual sizes. Considerations such as annuals plantings and the content of food gardens are typically out of my domain, although I can and do help clients with them. And I adore that part of things. Bottom line is this: the clients who pay the most attention to a garden get the most reward from them. There are some, frankly, which I barely recognize after a few years of avid gardening by the better gardeners.
The types and colors of plants are less arbitrary than one might think. There are areas of a landscape garden that cry for some feature such as an upright look near the corner of a house. Typically, this mitigates the hard lines of a house and softens the overall look. Exposed foundations have plantings referred to as "foundation plantings", which hide the cement look and, once again, soften the lines. Once I arrive at the basic "structural" planting elements, meaning shrubs and their locations, I then pick out varieites to perform certain features, such as "variegation", or particular colors to match a home's colors, either by bloom or by leaf color. I mix purples and green shrubbery, alternating, usually in "odd numbers", and place accordingly, looking especially at their size at the years 3-10. Vareigated leves on plants like Cornus Alba Elegantissima (Variegated Dogwood shrubs) mix well with Prunus varieties like Sand Cherries. Depending on the size of the overall layout, I might put "masses" together to form a nice swath or "clump" of color, which performs the same function as alternating them one by one, just on a larger scale.
I will then look at tree varieties, taking care to maintain the color schemes of foilage and bloom. The trees locations will have been, for the most part, already decided on. This is an entirely separate category of design, really.
Thence I go to the lower-lying design features and here is where we encounter, of course, ground covers, but also those most delightful accent plants known as Perennials. These plants provide the small slices and pinpricks of colors that make a garden what it is. Scents, blooms, shapes, different gorgeous grasses and Hosta's, all these make up a finished product. They bloom seasonally, giving one a great shot at providing wondrous color all year long and they have one other major virtue: they come right back up every year, just better.
The pictures below show a garden that we arranged somewhat with all these elements in mind. We also did indeed opt for scents. Notice the Lavender and roses. Maybe you can see why I enjoy this gig.
The types and colors of plants are less arbitrary than one might think. There are areas of a landscape garden that cry for some feature such as an upright look near the corner of a house. Typically, this mitigates the hard lines of a house and softens the overall look. Exposed foundations have plantings referred to as "foundation plantings", which hide the cement look and, once again, soften the lines. Once I arrive at the basic "structural" planting elements, meaning shrubs and their locations, I then pick out varieites to perform certain features, such as "variegation", or particular colors to match a home's colors, either by bloom or by leaf color. I mix purples and green shrubbery, alternating, usually in "odd numbers", and place accordingly, looking especially at their size at the years 3-10. Vareigated leves on plants like Cornus Alba Elegantissima (Variegated Dogwood shrubs) mix well with Prunus varieties like Sand Cherries. Depending on the size of the overall layout, I might put "masses" together to form a nice swath or "clump" of color, which performs the same function as alternating them one by one, just on a larger scale.
I will then look at tree varieties, taking care to maintain the color schemes of foilage and bloom. The trees locations will have been, for the most part, already decided on. This is an entirely separate category of design, really.
Thence I go to the lower-lying design features and here is where we encounter, of course, ground covers, but also those most delightful accent plants known as Perennials. These plants provide the small slices and pinpricks of colors that make a garden what it is. Scents, blooms, shapes, different gorgeous grasses and Hosta's, all these make up a finished product. They bloom seasonally, giving one a great shot at providing wondrous color all year long and they have one other major virtue: they come right back up every year, just better.
The pictures below show a garden that we arranged somewhat with all these elements in mind. We also did indeed opt for scents. Notice the Lavender and roses. Maybe you can see why I enjoy this gig.