Landscaping with Shrubs, Trees, and Plants

Even if you are not a gardener, a good portion of your landscape involves living plants in some fashion. Plants, trees and shrubs are structural elements of a landscape and planting them is an integral part of your project. How do you choose the best landscaping plants for your yard? A visit to your local garden center will reveal to you that there are many choices, so you need some advice when it comes to choosing the right landscaping plants.

Landscaping Goals

Before you start buying your landscaping plants, it is important to have a clear vision of your landscaping goal. Define what you want to accomplish with your new landscaped yard - privacy or a place to enjoy nature. You will also need to think about what the plants will do for you.

do it yourself

Get Familiar with your Yard

If you do your strategic landscaping, you will be able to define outdoor spaces, attract wild life and provide privacy. Best of all, you will have a beautiful landscaped yard with plants that fit your backyard. One easy way to start is to learn the conditions about each part of your yard. Once you know the areas of your landscape, you will be able to choose plants that will thrive in each area.

Trees and Shrubs

Tress and Shrubs not only provide ornament but form the wall and ceiling of your out door landscaped area. It is critical to take care when planting a tree. A large sized tree may be one of the most expensive features of your landscape, but the result of poor planting can take years to become evident. Trees can grow quickly and shade out lawns and sun loving plants. Falling limbs from large trees can damage structures and power lines.

Trees are the most significant aspect of any landscape, as they not only provide the area with shade, they also prevent soil erosion and can be employed as wind breaks. The most popular trees used in landscaping are deciduous, weeping ornamentals (such as cherry) and fall foliage trees such as Japanese Maple.

Hedges

A hedge creates a natural landscape wall, offering privacy as well as beauty. Shrubs fall into two categories: fast growing and steady growing. A second option, if you want your landscaping plants to provide privacy, is to use an ivy vine. If you are unfamiliar with the ivy vine, you have probably seen it in movies or in quaint cottage depictions. This vine is quite hardy and requires only a fence or the side of a house to climb up of. However, you might want to keep this in mind that the ivy will eventually completely cover over the area that it is placed upon.

Landscaping Flowers

If you would rather use flowers as landscaping plants, you have to consider the overall climate, light and soil in which you live. Find out which plants thrive in shady and sunny spaces. For instance, shade loving plants will suffer in you plant them in sunny areas. Before planting in sunny areas, find out which plants will tolerate the sun and drought conditions. Tropical flowers that you see in your garden store can only be placed outside if the climate is temperate throughout the year. Otherwise, they are meant as indoor plants.

How to Landscape

3D Landscape Software Free landscape design software download 3D with best landscaping software design ideas. How to Landscape How to landscape and lawn care with best landscape design ideas and free pictures. Backyard Ideas for Landscaping Landscaping backyard design ideas with free backyard pictures and how to build backyard. Swimming Pool Landscape Designs Landscape design ideas for a swimming pool with free swimming pool landscaping pictures.

Evergreens

An evergreen tree does not drop its leaves - it retains its beautiful foliage all year and as such is the "backbone" of a landscape design. The more commonly used evergreens are Fir trees, Junipers, Spruce, many varieties of Pine trees and Yew trees.

Bushes, Shrubs and Hedges

These are defined as plants that have a woody stem structure and grow up to six meters high. Unlike trees that have one or two main "trunks", these have many stems that commence at ground level and then spread close to the ground. Bushes, shrubs and hedges can be "trained" to grow into certain shapes to add interest to the landscape. Boxwood makes an ideal hedge. Others that make interesting plantings are Alpine Currant, Barberries and Adam's Needle.

Annuals and Perennials

These plants usually have short lives that are completed in one seasonal cycle, although perennials can continue through further cycles as they re-seed. In the right climatic conditions, perennials can continue to grow beyond the life span of their seeds.

Ornamental Grass

Ornamental grass, in addition to plants that require little attention such as the tough Aspidistra elatior, have become increasingly popular in modern landscape designs. The average height of ornamental grass is between six and fifteen inches, but they have many varieties of shape, color, size and texture.

Vines

Vines are climbers that require some form of support. This support can be in the form of a tree, other plants or a frame or wall. Vines can be used as an attractive cover on walls, but care should be taken as some can damage the mortar on brick walls. The vine can act as an insulator against high temperatures.

Ground Covers

These plants grow close to the ground and form a dense cover. They can be planted in place of grass and to prevent soil erosion.

There are a number of ways that landscaping plants can be bought. They can be "balled" plants (the roots are surrounded by soil and covered in burlap), packaged (the roots are wrapped in plastic, not necessarily with soil, but often with wood shavings), in containers or pots, bare-rooted or in "market" packs or punnets (ground covers, perennials and annuals).

Arthor and Source: Thomas Fyrd and Jake Borjas