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I’ve heard many times: I bought a plant, planted it and it died. Or, I bought a plant, planted it and now it’s all over the place. For many people, walking into a nursery is intimidating. Even with the help of the nursery personnel, the array of trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, grasses, herbs, water plants, vines...need I say more? can be overwhelming. All of these plants have developed a specific gene set to survive in certain conditions that match up with soil, water and light. If you know your needs, and you know your soil, water and light, you are on your way. You are not there, just on your way. So, let’s take a look at this.
Let’s say you want to camouflage a long cedar fence across your back
yard. How to do that? There are a couple of ways, but I’m glad to hear
you say “I’m not going to buy fifty arborvitae and plant them two feet
away from each other.” Arborvitae is the builder’s special. For
numerous reasons, avoid it. Landscape failure is often
attributed to poor growing conditions and that includes poor soil. Add
at least six inches of compost for every twelve inches of depth dug. Looking for a conifer? Are you an aspiring lumberjack? That’s OK; just choose wisely. Some conifers can grow at the rate of four feet a year once their roots have established. Then, look for shrubs that are
scaled to work with the tree you’ve chosen and that match your light,
soil and water conditions. You don’t want shrubs that get to be
enormous in ten years if your tree is slow-growing. Low-growing shrubs,
some evergreen and others deciduous with different bloom times and
foliar color would be just the thing. Do you like perennial color?
Include some drought-tolerant perennials such as daylilies, salvias,
bee balm or daisies and enjoy the show. A drought-tolerant sword fern
for fluff is a nice touch. This bed is a good start. Plan a low, shrubby transition area, and repeat. Include a bench or some seat rocks and now you have a destination point. Plants aren’t the only thing to
distract the eye from a long fence line. Consider a large trellis with
a fast-climbing vine and colorful shrubs at the base. Do you want a
vegetable garden and have full sun? Use the fence as a trellis to grow
peas, beans or small squash. Or, consider a patio area with a cocktail
table and chairs. This summer I’m teaching Selecting Plants for Your Landscape at the Lake Washington Technical College (August 2010). You will walk away with plant lists and solutions. Bring your notebook and questions. See you there! ~ Nancy Tom is an environmental horticulturist who designs, installs and maintains landscapes for Down-to-Earth Gardens, Inc. This article was written for the Redmond Reporter, and the Kirkland Reporter, May 2010. ~
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