Sweeten Your Yard With Ornamental Trees and Plants
In terms of your yard, ornamental trees and plants are the icing on the cake. Without them, a yard can look bare and boring. But with a careful selection of landscaping trees and plants, you can transform your yard into a place of beauty.
Whether you are starting from bare soil or adding to existing landscape, proper plant and tree selection will determine your yard’s future landscaping success. For best results, consult with a professional landscape architect, garden center or arborist to help you create a landscaping plan.
Keeping your landscaping goals in mind will help you avoid plant mistakes, so be sure to share your goals with the plan designer. Here are some common landscaping goals:
- Add fragrance
- Attract butterflies and birds
- Create a mood or theme
- Reduce maintenance
- Enhance entertainment areas
- Improve curb appeal
- Reduce water needs
- Provide shade
As your consultant begins to choose plants, he or she will keep in mind climate, soil and space restrictions. The latter is extremely important so that each plant or tree is given room to grow. Your consultant will think about color and texture and how plants look next to the home’s exterior. He or she will consider the appearance of the plants from various vantage points around the home or yard. The consultant will also group together plants with the same fertilizer, sun and water needs.
Special consideration should be given to tree selection because landscaping trees tend to be more expensive and, once established, harder to remove. A landscaper must be very familiar with a tree, its space needs and its growing habits before recommending it. Choosing the right tree can avoid problems like buckled sidewalks or French drains clogged with tree roots, both caused by faulty tree selection.
If your new landscape has been installed and the final effect isn’t quite what you expected, be patient. Landscapes always look their worst when they are brand new. As time goes on, your new landscaping trees and plants will flourish and fill your yard with beauty.