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Beautiful Trees In the Garden

 

 

You might prefer being surrounded by trees—on all sides—for the greenery and privacy. Or your #1 goal is to reduce energy bills, which can be accomplished with well-positioned trees and evergreens. Around homes with existing solar panels, though, use shorter trees or large shrubs instead of tall trees that would shade the system.

Maybe you’d love to plant a garden that bursts into early season bloom with magnolias, flowering cherry trees, azaleas, and hundreds of spring flowering bulbs. Beautiful…a great improvement to your home’s curb appeal!

Garden centers in warm summer regions restock their yards with new plant material in late summer to early fall and again in spring. Concentrate on trees and shrubs for now, which provide structure to the gardens. Photograph the plants you like, take notes, research the candidates, and find room for some native species to help the local populations of pollinators. Each year, new cultivars of trees, shrubs, and perennials arrive at retail, so look for a garden center that seeks out these new plants.

Examine your priorities and expectations. Make lists. Study styles, colors, and materials. Compare straight lines and curvilinear patterns. Perhaps, after seeing more options, a new style might appeal to you more now than it did in the past.

 

Lessons From Well-Designed Gardens

Visit parks and botanical gardens, and observe how plants relate to one another in the landscape and to you as you follow the paths. Look at the layers of greenery—tall trees, clusters of shrubs, and drifts of perennials and ground covers. Don’t underestimate the visual impact of a vista suddenly appearing after the path changes direction.

Notice how unique specimen plants have been spaced apart to avoid competing with each other. A specimen commands attention in its proximity, and surrounding plants complement it. Specimens might include a weeping evergreen, a Japanese maple with yellow bark (‘Bihou’), a multistem tree with exfoliating bark, or a large perennial grass whose texture and movement set it apart from nearby plants.

Return periodically to see how the focus of a garden changes from one season to the next. Summer-blooming shrubs and herbaceous plants take over from the early flowering trees and bulbs. Later, fall foliage, late bloomers, and ornamental bark take center stage. An architectural feature takes on a personality of its own when dusted with snow, so position the bench strategically.

 

 

 

First, Call 8-1-1

 

Call 8-1-1 before you dig anywhere on your property! Take advantage of this free service offered by your municipality and the local utility companies before putting a shovel in the ground. They’ll mark the underground utilities, but keep in mind that there is a margin of error, as much as 2′ or more from the painted line or the little flags.

Record the locations marked, because they will disappear over time as the grass is mowed or the gardens mulched.

 

 

Establish the Hardscape

 

 

For a new home or where renovations have been made, establish the “hardscape” (driveway, sidewalk, patio, fence, arbor, shed, greenhouse, a spot for trash/recycle bins, underground utilities) before planting begins. Hardscape is everything but the plants, which compose the “softscape”.

Plants are sensitive to changes in soil elevation. Many die if their roots have been covered with only a couple of inches of soil. It’s important to get the major hardscape in place first.

Large boulders also qualify as hardscape. Instead of trying to remove them, make them a focal point, and incorporate them into the landscape. Boulders lend an air of permanence and stability. Install a rock garden or an alpine scree with miniature conifers, Armeria, species tulips, and other small spring flowering bulbs. Plant native ferns and woodland flowers around boulders under trees.

 

 

Dealing With Slope

 

While grading the property or planting near buildings, provide slope down and away from the structure. Water in the basement is often caused by inadequate drainage and cracking around the foundation. Downspouts, extensions, and splashpans should direct water away from the house. If the opportunity presents itself during major projects, waterproof the foundation again if needed.

Pack heavy red clay right against the foundation and compact it a foot or two out from the wall. Save the nice dark topsoil and organic matter for the gardens. Water percolates very slowly through tiny clay particles, so it’s more inclined to run down the slope before it saturates soil near the house.

Landscaping a slope should slow soil erosion. Carefully chosen plant material will break the force of pelting rains, and root systems will knit the soil together. Underplanting with shrubs and ground covers eliminates the dangerous chore of cutting grass, while providing habitat for native insects and animals.

When working on your property, always consider drainage around plants and structures. In most towns, it’s illegal to alter the drainage patterns from your property to adjoining properties.

 

 

Why Should We Plant Trees and Shrubs?

 

 

Planting Trees and Shrubs Can:

1. cool the patio for backyard barbecues
2. reduce energy consumption
3. mitigate winter wind (with evergreens, primarily)
4. diffuse traffic noise
5. give you more privacy
6. provide pleasant scenery to admire from indoors
7. relieve the boring look of big lawns and inject some character
8. establish natural environments to discover and enjoy with the children
9. provide subjects for your new interest in photography or painting
10. replace grass that needs to be mowed, fertilized, and weeded
11. give the birds places to nest, perch, feed, and find shelter
12. provide branches for hanging the bird feeders
13. provide a canopy for shady gardens, with rhododendrons, azaleas, hostas, and ferns
14. indulge your Washington, D.C.-inspired fondness for flowering cherry trees
15. give your property year-round interest, something different every season
16. provide a framework for a serene Asian-inspired garden
17. soften architectural lines of the house and structures
18. improve curb appeal
19. raise your property value
20. provide dazzling fall color
21. provide berries and fruits for the family
22. turn your yard into a park, with paths, for a stroll around the grounds with visitors
23. make exercise fun
24. assuage your concern for the environment by doing your part: sequestering carbon and helping populations of native birds, frogs, bees, and butterflies

 

Finding Help

Help is available, if you need it, for projects beyond your capability.

Invite the family and friends for a planting party, after which you’ll lay out a feast. Helping in each other’s yards is a great way to reconnect after Covid-19 kept us “safely distanced” for so long.

Landscapers can help turn your yard into the kind of paradise you’ve envisioned. Ask neighbors and the garden center for recommendations of licensed and insured companies. Maybe a detailed plan or timely consultations from a landscape designer will help set the pace.

This doesn’t have to be completed in the span of one growing season. Besides, gardening is a dynamic process. It’s never finished!

The blueprint shows hardscape for a water garden I designed in Derwood, Maryland. The owners built the bridge and the pergola. After the contractors had installed five waterfalls, the pond, boulders, the flagstone patio, and utilities, I planted this garden and subsequent gardens for over 20 years.

 

 

Choosing Plant Material

 

Because trees and shrubs are long-lived and can be costly, selecting the best plant for the space is of paramount importance. We also need to weigh practical considerations of each candidate. Tree selection that enhances your property’s appearance depends on several criteria:

• Scale of the setting. Trees that grow 80′ tall are lovely on acreage, but will dominate a small property and dwarf the house. Use tall trees in the background or far from the house.
• Distinguishing features. Flowers, bark, structure, and fall color create interest.
• Appropriate for your hardiness zone. Plants outside their zones will struggle for survival and usually succumb to temperature extremes.
• Maintenance. Does the tree drop twigs and fruits? Will fallen petals stick to your shoes and follow you indoors? A location farther from the house will work better. We’re dealing with a ‘Bradford’ pear in the common area that, for many weeks, has been dropping annoying little fruits (birds ignore them) on our patios. Use smaller species and cultivars of shrubs to eliminate the odious practice of shearing.
• Suitability to your climate and soil type. These plants, often native varieties, are less fussy. Avoid plants that require frequent irrigation if you have dry seasons.
• Able to get along with others. Some trees have notoriously vigorous root systems, making gardening under them very difficult or impossible. They can also crack the pavement or wreak havoc with pipes underground.
• Suitability to the site’s design. Are the trees compatible with the house style and the existing landscape? Would a hardy palm tree look out of place in a garden filled with temperate zone conifers? Do the plants fill a conspicuous void?
• Placement. Where should they be planted? How far from the house? Full sun?

Those are just a few points. Yes, a ‘Bradford’ pear tree can look beautiful with its early white blossoms…but wind and ice storms often wrench major limbs from its trunk. Silver maple, weeping willow, and sweet gum are more trees I avoid planting in the home landscape.

 

 

 

Next: Part 2

 

In the next post, Part 2 of “Plant Trees To Transform Your Landscape”, I’ll walk you through soil preparation and the process of planting trees and shrubs. You’ll also see a section on native plants and their value in the landscape.

But, for now, study features that could make your property more functional for the family, and, therefore, more enjoyable. Photograph different elevations (front, back, sides) and critically note the faults, what can be improved, and those aspects you like. Talk with neighbors whose landscapes you admire and visit local botanical gardens for ideas.

Planning a large and complicated design can be a daunting procedure, so begin with those features that are absolutely critical to a garden that functions better. See where trees can improve curb appeal and tone down the relentless summer sun. It doesn’t have to be completed in one season. Besides, as you live with a few alterations, the evolution of your garden might take a different course than you had originally planned.

 

 

Headings:

Page 1: It’s Time To Plant Trees! (Room For Improvement), The Sun’s Path (For the Record), Drawing Up the Plans (Tools Of the Trade, Start the Sketch, Elevating Your Skills, Simple Might Work Better, Symmetry vs. Balance, Depth Perception, Take This Photo, For Example), and Options For Cooling

Page 2: Beautiful Trees In the Garden (Lessons From Well-Designed Gardens), First, Call 8-1-1, Establish the Hardscape, Dealing With Slope, Why Should We Plant Trees and Shrubs? (Planting Trees and Shrubs Can:, Finding Help), Choosing Plant Material, and Next: Part 2

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