Transcript Plant Selection

By C. Kohn, Waterford, WI
Based on “Designing Your Gardens and
Landscapes” by J. Macunovich
 Warm
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Stand out from a distance
Give the impression of warmth or power
Create a sense of urgency or excitement
Are good if the landscape is meant to impress
 Cool
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colors…
Colors…
Disappear at a distance
Create a soothing feeling
Are good if the landscape is meant
for escape
 Analogous
Color Schemes are those
that consist of 2-4 colors immediately
near each other on a color wheel
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These create a more peaceful or soothing
atmosphere
 Complementary
Color Schemes incorporate
two colors that are directly opposite each
other on the color wheel
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E.g. yellow/orange and violet/blue
These create an exciting and eye-catching design
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Monochromatic Color Schemes have
only one color, but this color exists
in multiple shades and tints.
This is seen as a sophisticated form of color selection
but is very difficult to get exactly right
 The fewer colors used, the more classical or
professional a design will feel (unless it is
monotonous)
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Polychromatic Color Schemes include colors from
throughout the color wheel
Green foliage acts as a harmonizer and enables many
colors to look good together
 The more colors you add, the more simplistic and
carefree a design will feel
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 Your
selection of colors should reflect your
design’s goals
 Are you trying to be calm or exciting?
 Eye-catching or relaxing?
 Professional or Partying?
Eye-Catching
Colors
Color Schemes
Warm
Complementary
Amount of Color Polychromatic
Shades
Lighter
Peaceful or
Serene
Cool
Analogous
Monochromatic
Darker
 For
each plant in your design, you may want
to include a symbol that denotes its texture
at a glance
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Texture – smooth (like a gumdrop) or jagged (like
an evergreen)?
 Your
design should incorporate an effective
use of multiple textures; you will want a
balance between variety and repetition
 Texture is particularly important for
perennials when they are not in bloom
 Texture
refers to the visual pattern made by
the parts of the plants
 Coarse textured plants such as hostas or
rhubarb stand out from a distance; their
leaves can clearly be seen from far away
 Fine-textured plants appear more like a solid
mass from a distance and create a solid mat
of color
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E.g. grass
 Large
leaves usually mean the plant will have
a coarse texture (e.g. bean plants or
rhubarb)
 Lacy, feathery leaves or divided leaves
usually create a finer texture (ferns, lobelia)
 Leaves with variegated edges (multi-colored)
are coarser than leaves of one solid color
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This is because the leaf edge stands out more
E.g. Hosta, Coleus
 Highly
reflective or shiny leaves are also
coarser because of the sharp contrast
between dark and light shades.
 When
selecting plants, you will want to pick
and assortment that…
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Fits within your budget
Will not create excess needs for care and
maintenance
Will meet the goals created by your client (or
you)
Will create non-chaotic variety and nonmonotonous repetition
 Your
first consideration is to find plants that
will thrive in the conditions present at your
site.
 While
a landscape design is meant to fulfill a
person’s goals, plants that immediately die
because they are not suited to the site are
rarely within someone’s goals
 For this reason, survivability in the site
conditions should be the first consideration
 Begin by avoiding pictures – they will always
make the plant look good
 Instead, analyze the needs and growing
conditions of each plant.
 Be sure to also consult more than one source
to verify the needs of each plant
 The
three main considerations in selecting
plants that will thrive are
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Sunlight – Full, Partial, or Shade?
Soil – Sand, Clay, or Silt?
Water – Dry, Moist, or Wet?
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 If
Often this is directly related to soil conditions
a plant does not meet the sun, soil, or
water criteria of your site, immediately
disregard it (and certainly do not look at its
picture!)
 Do
not allow existing plants to have any
more consideration than new plants
 Treat existing plants as if they only existed in
the catalog you are paging through
 Put them on your final list only if they meet
the criteria of the site and your design’s
overall goals
Notes about catalog descriptions –
 Flower size/fragrance/color – always look for a
picture of a whole plant; close-ups of blooms can
be misleading
 Season of bloom – take claims about long-season
blooms with a grain of salt
 Hardiness- refers only to cold-weather
resistance, not other environmental factors
 Durability/Vigor – overall health and stamina;
vigorous plants tend to be the last to succumb to
problems
 Speed of Growth- slow growers are often longerlived and require less work once established
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“Do not allow to dry out” – will thrive in moist soils
or areas by a downspout
“Does particularly well in dry soils” – can tolerate
drought or dry soils but will easily rot if over-watered
“Cut back in late winter/after flowering” – will be
ugly at some point if not pruned
“Deadhead regularly” – old flowers must be removed
to keep up appearances
“Mulch well in cold areas” – extra work in late fall!
“Lift and Divide Regularly” – extra spring pruning is
needed; additional time and maintenance
“Slow to Establish” – long-lived but probably higher
maintenance plant
“Protect from Early Frost” – more work!

Begin by making a long list of all the plants in
consideration that can survive in your
landscape’s conditions and meet your most basic
goals
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Also record the details of each plant to narrow
your list (color, size, price, etc.)
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It is a good idea to write the botanical name as well
as the common name as sometimes multiple species
can be called by the same common name
Be sure to also consider the leaf color!
About 10 plants is a good start – too many plants
at once is too overwhelming
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Choose 10 plants from your “will survive” list that are
the right price, the right color, and the right size
 While
the cost of annuals will most likely be
less, you will make up for this in terms of
your cost of time and labor
 A perennial, while more expensive, will
provide more for the same cost with its
continual return each year
 A mix of annuals and perennials is often ideal
for most designs, but this is entirely
dependent on the goals of your client (or you
if it’s your own home).
 An
easy way to consider whether or not
specific color combinations will work is to
imagine those colors in clothing.
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In other words, would a combination of colors
work in a wardrobe? If not, then they probably
won’t work in a garden either
 Use
surrounding materials as guides for
choosing color schemes – narrow your list by
excluding plants whose colors would not go
with the already-existing colors
 Consider
your lighting – dark or shady areas
will benefit from light or bright colored
flowers such as white, pastel, or yellow
blooms
 Areas that are sunny can gain depth and
contrast by using dark and light plants
 The main color in your focal point should be
repeated throughout your landscape (but not
too much!)