Harsh Landscapes
If you are the happy possessor of a new home with harsh
landscapes, in all likelihood the builder will give you an
allowance for purchasing the plant material of your choice. Or
he may already have taken care of the planting prior to the
sale of the property. In this case, check over the form and the
ultimate height of each plant in relation to its location; by
doing this, any errors that may exist can be corrected promptly
before the plants become large and troublesome to move. If
this is overlooked, the plants may become crowded, grow into
each other, and lose their shapeliness. When this occurs, even
if they are transplanted and pruned back, it is questionable as
to whether or not they will eventually regain their
characteristic forms.
If your builder has given you an allowance for purchasing
plant material, you are then a free lance. In spending this sum
it is much wiser not to attempt to stretch the planting over
too extensive an area, but rather to make each part perfect in
itself. Be sure to buy your trees and shrubs from reliable
sources. A good buyer looks over the plants for harsh
landscapes carefully to make certain that each one is compact
and vigorous. It is important not to introduce too great a
variety of evergreens in the planting scheme, but rather to
have each kind well represented, otherwise the planting would
be too heterogeneous, which would give a confused effect. This
does not apply to plants that are columnar or globular in
shape. These should be used sparingly, as mentioned earlier in
this chapter. Since each case presents an individual problem,
it is not practical to give specific advice.
Take care of the key planting first of all; this is usually
along the foundation of the house. Evergreens are unsurpassed
for tying the house to the ground; they give an exceptionally
handsome setting—in fact they bring about a real metamorphosis.
A touch of deciduous material introduced into the evergreen
planting gives a light note. It adds interest and beauty to
harsh landscapes because of the contrast in habit of
growth and color of foliage that it provides. Flowering shrubs
which are conspicuous for their blooms, berries, and autumn
coloration are excellent for this purpose. Arrange your
planting so that it will give a well-balanced effect. To
illustrate this point, the foundation planting along the house
wall should not be more massive on one side of the front door
than it is on the other side of the front door, since this
would give a lopsided effect and the result would be poor
balance. As a rule, the front door is the focal point and it
should be featured with an attractive planting on each side.
The first evergreen that comes to mind for this salient
position is Dwarf Box, the much loved Box of old-time gardens.
Box has held its place through the ages as a plant of
distinction. If this species is not hardy in your locality,
Korean Box (Buxus muroþhylla koreana) is a lovely bush which
attains a height of about 2 feet, and it has the advantage of
being hardier.
Harsh landscapes
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