It’s time to select your plants. Two goals I always start with are “year round interest” and “low maintenance”. How you get there are client and site specific. So each garden is a custom design.
At the end of the project each plant needs to enhance each other and contribute to the whole garden composition. Each plant serves a function or purpose in the composition. It’s a win-win for the garden audience when a plant selection serves multi purposes.
How to choose the right plants for your landscape. Here are just a few things I consider when designing a garden in your landscape. They are not in order of importance. They are all important.
- Attributes: Easy Care, Pest and Disease Resistant, Year-round Interest, Attractive Bark, Edible, Native, Adaptable, Ornamental Berries, Non-invasive
- Wildlife: Attracts Birds, Butterflies and Pollinators, Deer Resistant,
- Ornamental Plant Types: Shrubs, Trees, Ornamental Grass, Clinging Vines, Supported Vines, Running Vines, Perennials, Ground Cover, Specimen, Focal Point, Espalier
- Cultural Needs: Water Needs, Light Needs, Soil Needs, Directional Slopes, Wind Direction
- Height: From Ground to Sky
- Growth Rate: Fast, Medium, and Slow
- Growth Habit: Compact, Narrow, Columnar, Pyramidal, Round, Weeping, Mounding, Spreader, Dwarf, Structure, Bark, Contorted
- Color: Foliage, Blooms, Stems
- Texture: Foliage, Bark
- Bloom Attributes: Color, Color Drama, Blooming Season, Life Span, Cut, Fragrance, Showy, and Repeaters
- Garden Styles & Themes: Life Style, Cottage, Pet-friendly, Formal, Woodland, Natural, Child Friendly, Informal
- Landscape Uses: Specimen, Espalier, Topiary, Barriers, Borders, Hedges, Privacy Screening, Windbreaks, Mass plantings, Erosion Control, Firescaping & Firewise, Waterwise, Xeriscaping, Energy Saving, ground covers
- Landscape Place: Pool Side, Green Roof, Rock Gardens, Container, Wet Area, Rain Garden, Water Garden, Woodland Garden, Shade Garden, Hot-n-Dry, Natural, Street Side
- Soil Conditions: Clay, Loam, Sandy, Wet, Dry, pH, Compact
- Light Conditions: Full Sun, Filtered Light, Shade, Exposure Time of Day
