Planning to landscape your property, but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Today, we’ll talk about plants and how to choose the right ones.
When we think of landscaping, one of the first things that come to mind is a beautiful picture of lush green lawns with a paradise of plants and trees. And, for good reason. While plants (or softscapes, as we like to call them) are just one aspect of landscaping, plants are what make a house a home.
For this reason alone, it is important to be wise and careful in selecting the plants that you want to end up on your property. Not only will this greatly affect how your landscape will look and feel like, the type of plants you go with will also influence what you can get out of your landscape, and how much maintenance you have to put into it over time.
Think of it this way- different plants grow better in different climates and soil conditions, some plants bloom once and die, some bloom once a season, and some bloom all year round. Some plants are green, some purple, some stand up straight, some follow the sun, some crawl all around trees and walls.
To guide you in selecting the right plants for your landscape, read on below to know more about the different types of plants:
Trees
While trees take years to grow and mature, the long wait is worth it. Trees are stately, beautiful, often fruit bearing, and give the idea that your property is well taken care of. But, this wait time alone is something you need to consider. Are you willing to exert effort in growing a tree over several years?
Moreover, since trees are big, deeply rooted plants, it is important to carefully plan where to plant them, as these are hard to move even just an inch to the right. The main rule is to keep them away from your house and other structures.
There are many kinds of trees to choose from, such as flowering trees, evergreens, dwarf trees, fall foliage trees, and fast growing shade trees.
Shrubs
There are a variety of beautiful garden shrubs that can be categorized according to the type and purpose. Some of them are flowering, evergreen, fast growing, and fall colored shrubs. The most popular shrubs in many locations across the globe are roses- they are beautiful and come with a lovely scent.
The same with trees, shrubs should not be planted too close to your house or any other structure like patios and decks. If you want garden shrubs to be adjacent to these structures, plan carefully on which ones are not intrusive and require minimal maintenance.
Vines
A landscape that resembles a slice of paradise is not complete without vines. These are easy to grow, versatile, and vibrant.
However, many types of vines are invasive species, and even the ones that are not have the tendency to grow quickly and aggressively, so, unless you want to end up with a thickly vined, forest looking backyard, you will need to spend a good amount of time on regular maintenance.
Ground covers
Most ground covers are not flowering plants, or if they are, they do so rarely. That said, there are many options of beautiful foliage plants to serve as amazing ground covers, which are also less expensive and more low maintenance than their flowering counterparts.
Regardless of what ground cover you settle with, the most important thing is that it serves in function in, well, covering the ground, and protecting it from erosion.
Perennials
Nothing beautifies a backyard more than vibrant, lovely blooms, and with that, perennials may be your lowest maintenance option. You plant them once, put in a bit of effort every so often, and they just keep on blooming year after year.
When selecting perennials, you can take your pick from tall, short, and long blooming varieties. From there, go crazy with all the colors, scents, and fantastic looking blooms.
Annuals
Annuals are some of the most beautiful plants, but like humans, they live a beautiful life once, and then die. If you are an avid gardener or a stay at home with a lot of time in his hands, feel free to play around with planting annuals on a regular basis.
These are the best plants for bedding, decorations, and adding much needed bursts of color to your otherwise green and brown facade.