Putting plants together
Finding the right plants for the right parts of your garden is relatively straightforward - its label usually tells a plant which soil it prefers or wants sun or shade. But putting plants together can be tricky. How do you know what's going on?
Garden designers and talented gardeners may seem to put plants together using only intuition, or they have a knack, but anyone can learn to put plants together successfully. Here are some tips to help you get a glossy look.
1. Learn when and how to edit a border
Improving your own garden is not always easy to see without being emotional. Many techniques can come in handy to help you stay more purposeful in your planning. Memories can be selective or sticky, so notes taken throughout the year can be of great help. If there is a vase of something on a border at the peak of summer and its flowers fade to innocence, it will be easier to forgive and forget and leave it in place. Keep a notebook throughout the year, the words on the page are undeniable. Photos can also be an invaluable aid. Keep a record of the year your boundaries develop and then use photos to mark areas of improvement.
2. Use photos to evaluate planting performance
In one speech, Fergus Carrett of The Great Dixter suggested photocopying photographs to change the images of the borders to black and white (most smartphones quickly adjust the camera settings and take black and white images). Once the color is removed, you can see if the border relies solely on variations and variations in color, or if there is a lot of variation in shape, form, and texture - to make sure a border is consistently beautiful. The flowers have faded and only the leaves remain.
3. Try a trace paper planting plan
Another great way to use photos is with a planning tool, such as a sheet of tracing paper. On top of the original image, you can outline the plants you want to keep, revealing the size and location of the areas where the plants need to be replaced or fill in the gaps. It also gives you a better idea of the overall shape and texture of the new additions and is a great way to identify the best texture or leaf shape needed to complete the look and give it variation. A filigree fern maybe next to the solid heart-shaped leaves of the hosta or the curved meadows of the Hakoneklova, which contrasts with the bold palm leaves of Rodgersia.
4. Think about floral patterns and shapes
Tracing paper, or black and white photography, can help identify areas that require a different floral pattern. Take a leaf from Piet Oudolf's book and think about combining plants from these three groups, determined by the basic shapes of their flowers:
Spires (Verbascum, Lythrum, astilbe, perovskia)
Daisies (echinacea, helenium, rudbeckia)
Umbellifers (cow parsley, sedum, achilleas).
The famous landscape designer often creates plants with these different shapes - you can also add plants with spherical floral patterns such as echinopsis, flames, or allium sporocephalon. Aims to add new plants with different floral patterns from neighboring countries. At the same time, try to choose ones that are completely different in color from the flower or have harmonious tones - and the glossy, professional look border is not too far away. If you want to move it in a 'prairie' direction, add grass - Tom Stuart-Smith recommends doing about 25% of planting them.
5. Address a lack of seasonal interest
If the problem is seasonal apathy, there are ways to ensure that the border or area of the garden remains attractive year-round. A simple, yet effective way to highlight an uninteresting time of year, suggested by designer Mary Payne, is to take a piece of A4 paper and divide it into a grid. Draw six columns with January-February, March-April, and more, and then rows - you can have three for small, medium, or tall plants or divide them into a bulb, herb,
and tree specimens. Use each square to write them down while the plants currently on the border are beautiful. Where in interest Lie is soon to be known, and it is much easier and more focused to look for plants to fill that gap. If the growing color is low in March-April, for example, there may be a response to pulmonaria, Lathyrus vernus, or daffodils.
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