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