Notes

The Garden Plan Success Story You'll Never Remember
How to Choose a Garden Plant

Garden plants add color, structure, and variety to outdoor spaces. Trees, perennials, and shrubs add interest to the garden all year long.


Many popular garden plants require sun for growth. When choosing what to plant, take into consideration the area available, the soil type and other garden aspects. Also, find out the best ways to start seeds and transplant.

Shrubs

There's a tree for every garden, providing all year-round structure and a wide array of colors, foliage and fruits. They provide the ideal backdrop for flowers, act as a low ground cover or are used to form hedges. They are also simple to care for and provide a natural habitat for wildlife.

Shrubs have multiple stems and are perennial woody plants. They do not die to the ground during winter, as most herbaceous plants. They can be upright, like forsythia or lilacs or lay flat on the ground, like the evergreen camellia. The height of a shrub is usually less than 13 feet, although some experts use a lower limit of 10 feet. Those that are taller are called trees.

In general, they are slower-growing than trees and have a more rounded shape. They can be shaped by annual pruning or let grow naturally. They are perfect for small gardens with small space.

Many plants produce stunning flowers, including camellias, which can add a touch of elegance to your winter garden. Their showy blossoms come in shades of white, pink or red. Forsythia, azalea and flowering shadbush are able to add flowers to the garden in spring, whereas rhododendron offer a variety of scents and colors throughout the summer.

Low-maintenance shrubs include holly juniper, Japanese boxwood, and inkberry that are ideal for establishing as hedges or accent roles in the landscape. Inkberry trees are favored by bees because of their beautiful deep-green foliage. Bees pollinate the flowers and produce gallberry honey, which is sweet honey.

There are also shrubs that are low-maintenance for their scent. These include chamomile and lavender. This herb is well-known for its relaxing properties. It is used to ease anxiety and stress as well as improve digestion. Mint is a low-maintenance herb that is well-known for its medicinal properties and refreshing flavor. Its antiseptic properties, in addition to its anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties, can help to treat stomach upset. The leaves are then brewed into tea to soften minor cuts and abrasions, and to ease digestion.

Trees

In many cultures trees have been adored for centuries. They can endure for centuries and have a significant impact on the natural world. They provide shade, shelter and food for wildlife and improve the appearance of gardens and homes. Select a tree that is suitable for your home and location. Avoid trees that produce a mess of seeds and fruit or that shed regularly branches and twigs.

Like all plants, trees make their own food using the process of photosynthesis. Through their leaves they absorb carbon dioxide and water from the air. They combine them with chlorophyll, and produce oxygen and sugars. This happens in special cells in the leaf known as stomates. gardening transports these chemicals through a system of tubes known as phloem or xylem to the rest of its plant.

The upper part of a tree is called its crown. It is comprised of branches and leaves, and shields the roots from sunlight. The crown also absorbs energy from sunlight (photosynthesis) to keep cool and evaporate excess water through its leaves.

Due to their size, trees have deep roots, which ensure they remain stable in wind and snow. They also aid in preventing erosion by holding soil in the right place. Trees are the backbone of our natural environment and help to regulate climate by absorbing and exchanging carbon dioxide, removing water and taking out the smells. They are also able to absorb pollutants and reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide oxide, oxygen, and other harmful gases.

A variety of species of trees have distinctive shapes. They can have wide and round crowns that provide dense shade, or narrow oval crowns that are more airy and open. There are also species with a general egg-shaped appearance and some with broad, rounded tops like oaks, maples and horse chestnuts. Some have a slender, open-headed appearance with a canopy which resembles an umbrella, similar to hackberries and elms. They also have Zalkovas.

Trees are divided into three botanical groups - the ferns (including tree ferns) and gymnosperms like conifers and cycads as well as angiosperms including flowering plants. Many of the same characteristics that distinguish gymnosperms and ferns from other woody species, like their cambium or tuberous root systems, are also found in the other categories.

Vines

Vines can change the look of your garden by adding interest to shady spots and concealing unsightly fencing. They soften the look of a plain structure or wall and create a stunning frames for entrances or windows. They add color and a sense of beauty to the edge or bank of a slope. They can be used to disguise an area that is used for use in utility and to block a powerful breeze from seating areas.

There are over 30 kinds of vines, however the majority fall into four categories based on how they grow. Twiners, who are able to work by wrapping themselves around a type of support, include clematis, honeysuckle, and wisteria. Twiners can be divided into two groups which are those who twine clockwise, and those who twine counterclockwise. Climbing figs Virginia creepers, and philodendrons are among the plants that are able to attach themselves to structures with tendrils.

Many of the same guidelines apply to planting woody plants as other ornamentals made of wood. Evaluate the growing site including light exposure and soil conditions before choosing a plant. Once established, vines require regular pruning to maintain their desired appearance.

Pruning should be done in conjunction with the time you fertilize. This will help to avoid the build-up of nutrient salts and promote the growth of your plants to be vigorous.

The amount of pruning you need will depend on the species, the surrounding environment and your level of energy. If you don't wish to spend too much of your weekends checking your trellises using loppers or herbicide, select an average-growing plant like Dutchman's pipe or crossvine. You can also consider a fast-growing, but sturdy vine like American bittersweet, which produces bright red berries that hold their color well into the winter landscape.

Use tie-ups to train perennials such as clematis and sweet pea vines. They will remain in your garden for a number of years. Use rubber ties that won't cut the stems as they grow. For raised garden beds , like runner beans, hyacinth bean, or morning glory, tie them to the structure using string or yarn that isn't too tight. If necessary, you can also attach the vine to a teepee with wire or string, but make sure you don't strain the plant.

Containers

Containers can be used by gardeners to add interest and color to the home landscape without occupying space in the patio or yard. Many plants can be planted in containers, such as shrubs, flowers and vegetables. The most important thing is to know the requirements of the plant and the kind of container that is required. A container could be anything that can hold soil and is sufficient in size to support the plant's roots and allow for adequate drainage. This could include terra cotta pots, wooden half-barrels window containers, baskets and buckets as well as other old kitchen equipment or cooking pots.

Container plants require more frequent watering than plants planted in the ground. This is due to the smaller size of the root system and the drying effects of direct sunlight in summer afternoons. The containers need to have adequate drainage to prevent standing water, which could lead to disease and rot.

The addition of an organic material, such as coco coir, peat or compost, to the bottom of the container helps retain moisture in the soil. The OM is also a source for nutrients. Regularly watering the container in order to moisten all the soil and allowing the container to drain completely will allow the plants to flourish.

The soil mixture used in the container should be well drained, especially in hot weather. To improve drainage and keep soil texture, it is ideal to combine organic matter, such as manure that has been rotted, shredded leaves or sand with coarse granular materials such as sand.

Supporting vines in containers with a trellis could be beneficial. This will prevent them from becoming top-heavy, and falling over. It is recommended to protect the containers from rain and wind because they can be easily blown over or rained on and may turn muddy very quickly.

Fertilizing is recommended regularly, as the soil in a pot doesn't contain a lot of nutrients. The ideal time to do this is during the initial stage of soil mixing. In this stage, you can add 1 cup of an organic general-purpose fertilizer such as 5-3-4 or liquid fish emulsion.

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