Gardening in the Landscape

Landscape gardening is frequently compared to painting a picture. Your art teacher has most likely told you that a good picture should have a main point of interest, and the rest of the points simply serve to make the main idea more beautiful, or to form a nice setting for it. So, in landscape gardening, the gardener must have a mental picture of what he wants the finished product to look like.

This research will allow us to develop a basic theory of landscape gardening.

Let's go to the grass. A large amount of open lawn space is always lovely. It is relaxing. It gives even small grounds a sense of space. As a result, we can generalize and say that it is beneficial to keep open lawn spaces. If one covers his lawn with a lot of trees and a few flower beds here and there, the overall effect is choppy and fussy. It's similar to an overdressed person. As a result, one's grounds lose all individuality. On the lawn, a single tree or a small group is not a bad arrangement. The tree or trees should not be centered. Allow them to fade into the background. 

Make them a pleasing side feature. A number of factors must be considered when selecting trees. You should not choose a tree that is overpowering; instead, choose a tree that has interesting bark, leaves, flowers, or fruit. While the poplar grows quickly, it sheds its leaves early and is thus left standing, bare and ugly, before the fall. There are places, however, where a row or double row of Lombardy poplars is very effective. But I believe you'll agree with me that a single poplar is not. The catalpa is lovely on its own. Its leaves are broad, its flowers are lovely, and the seed pods that cling to the tree until the winter add a touch of picture squeness. The brilliant foliage of the sugar maple, the blossoms of the tulip tree, the bark of the white birch, and the leaves of the copper beech are all points of beauty to consider.

The location of a tree influences its selection. If the lower portion of the grounds is low and moist, the location is ideal for a willow. Don't put awkwardly grouped trees together. A long-looking poplar does not complement a nice, rounded little tulip tree. A neat and prim juniper would look ridiculous next to a spreading chestnut. Proportion and suitability must be considered.

I would never recommend planting a clump of evergreens near a house or in the front yard. The overall effect is depressing. Houses surrounded by such trees are not only gloomy to live in, but also truly unhealthful. The most important requirement inside a house is plenty of sunlight.

Shrubs, like trees, should be chosen for specific reasons. I'd like some that bloomed early, some that bloomed late, some for the beauty of their fall foliage, some for the color of their bark, and others for the fruit in a clump. Some spireas and forsythias flower early. The red bark of the dogwood provides some color throughout the winter, and the red berries of the barberry cling to the shrub throughout the winter.

Certain shrubs are ideal for use as hedges. A hedge is usually more attractive than a fence. Californian privet is ideal for this purpose. Other shrubs that make good hedges include osage orange, Japan barberry, buckthorn, Japan quince, and Van Houtte's spirea.

I forgot to mention that when choosing trees and shrubs, it is usually best to stick to those native to the area. Unusual and foreign plants perform poorly and frequently harmonize but not well with their new environment.

Landscape gardening can be done in both formal and informal ways. The first would have straight paths, straight rows in stiff beds, and everything would be perfectly formal, as the name implies. The other method is, of course, the inverse. Each has potential hazards.

The formal arrangement is likely to appear stiff; the informal arrangement is likely to appear fussy and wiggly. When it comes to paths, keep in mind that they should always lead somewhere. Its job is to point you in the right direction. Now, if the effect is to be that of a formal garden, straight, even paths are not unappealing. The risk in the curved path is an abrupt curve, which produces a whirligig effect. Unless you can make a really beautiful curve, it is far better for you to stick to straight paths. Nobody can teach you how to do it.

Garden paths can be made of gravel, dirt, or grass. There are grass paths in some very beautiful gardens. However, I doubt they would work as well in your small gardens. Your garden areas are so small that they need to be re-spaded every season, and the grass paths make this work difficult. Of course, a gravel path looks nice, but again, you may not have access to gravel. It is possible for any of you to dig a two-foot path. After that, add six inches of stone or clinker. Pack dirt over this, rounding it slightly toward the center of the path. There should never be depressions in the middle of paths because they provide convenient places for water to stand. The stone beneath acts as a natural drainage system.

A building frequently requires the assistance of vines, flowers, or both to tie it to the grounds in such a way that it forms a harmonious whole. This work lends itself well to vines. Plant a perennial vine and allow it to become a permanent part of your landscape design. Virginia creeper, wistaria, honeysuckle, climbing rose, clematis, and trumpet vine are all excellent choices.

Close your eyes and imagine a natural-colored house, the mellow gray of weathered shingles. Add a purple wistaria to this old house. Can you see how lovely it is? I'll never forget a rather unappealing corner of my childhood home, where the dining room and kitchen met. A trumpet vine was climbing and falling over a trellis right there. It transformed an awkward angle, an unsightly piece of carpentry, into something beautiful.

Of course, the morning-glory, moon-vine, and wild cucumber are all annual vines. These now serve a specific purpose. Often, it is necessary to conceal an ugly thing for a short period of time until better things and better times arrive. This work's 'the chap' is the annual.

A hop vine along an old fence is a thing of beauty. One could attempt to compete with the landscape work of the woods. The ampelopsis vine is frequently seen festooned from one rotten tree to another.

Flowers could be planted along the side of a building or along a walkway. In general, keep the front lawn space open and free of beds. What could be more lovely in early spring than a daffodil bed near the house? Hyacinths and tulips are also in full bloom. These are easy to do and get the spring started right. Some bulbs may be an exception to the rule of an unbroken front lawn. Snowdrops and crocuses planted throughout the lawn look lovely. They do not detract from the overall effect, but rather blend in with it. According to one expert bulb gardener, in the fall, take a basketful of bulbs and walk around your grounds, dropping bulbs out here and there. Plant the bulbs wherever they fall. Small bulbs, such as those used in lawns, should be planted in groups of four to six. Daffodils can also be planted in this manner. You've all seen the grape hyacinths that grow in Katharine's backyard.

A flower garden is typically located on the side or back of the house. Isn't the backyard garden a lovely idea? Who wants to leave a lovely front yard, turn the corner of a house, and discover a dump heap? Not I. The flower garden can be laid out formally in neat little beds, or it can be careless and hit-or-miss. Both have their advantages. Large masses of bloom are appealing.

You should have some idea of color blending in mind. Nature appears to disregard this entirely and still produces wondrous results. This is due to the vast amount of her perfect green background and the limitlessness of her space, whereas we are confined to relatively small areas at best. As a result, we should try not to blind people's eyes with color clashes that do not blend well at close range. You can always use masses of white flowers or something like mignonette, which is in effect green, to break up extremes of color.

Let us conclude our landscape lesson. The grounds serve as a backdrop for the house or buildings. Open, free lawn spaces, a well-placed tree or group of trees, flowers that do not crowd the front yard, and groups of shrubbery are all important considerations. The paths should be either straight or well curved and should lead somewhere. If one begins with a formal garden, one should not introduce the informal until the work is completed.