Ornamental plants in human everyday life.

Advantages and disadvantages of trees and shrubs in landscape design

With a moderate use of green spaces and their competent distribution on the territory, there will be no special drawbacks in planting trees or shrubs for the purpose of landscaping, but this issue should not be approached casually. To assess all the strengths and weaknesses of vegetation in landscape design, you need to carefully study each characteristic.

Trees and shrubs in landscape designДеревья и кустарники в ландшафтном дизайне

  • The list of advantages of such a solution includes the following:
  • longevity of green decorations – once planted plants will delight you for decades;
  • minimal care (most trees and bushes can be called unpretentious to care for, and all that is needed from a gardener is to occasionally feed the vegetation and cut off excess shoots for decorative or sanitary purposes);
  • ceremonial-classic view of the garden (if you do not clutter up the space with excess overall vegetation, then its appearance will never get bored);
  • protection from prying eyes and the possibility of dividing a large area into more secluded zones, for which tall trees and wide shrubs are excellent;
  • the possibility of decorating the site not only with classic flowers, but also with larger flowering plants (some varieties of shrubs are almost completely covered with unusually large and lush flowers);
  • preservation of the high decorativeness of the garden even in winter, which only requires the use of evergreen, fast-growing conifers, planting them in groups, in the most beneficial compositions (to achieve the most positive effect from such a decoration is possible thanks to structural plantings, such as “living walls”).

Did you know? The art of ennobling parks and garden areas using this or that vegetation dates back to the 8th – 10th centuries BC. e. and is associated for the most part with Ancient Greece. Straight paths, vases and sculptures were integral attributes of public parks and private estates of that time, and trees and shrubs were located between them.

  • Of the disadvantages of using bushes and trees in landscape design projects, the following points should be highlighted first of all:
  • the limited ability to use floral accents, which is explained by the short flowering of most crops;
  • not everyone likes the classic design of the garden;
  • the complexity of compliance with the ratios of scaling, mass and other compositional means for the most positive result;
  • the need for bold and unexpected, often original solutions for a non-standard solution to the problem (this is exactly what is required of a landscape designer, and the use of only bushes or trees complicates the task);
  • the need for a harmonious combination of vegetation with a house and other buildings on the site (too tall trees and a large number of shrubs can cover structures);
  • the need for careful selection of contrasts in the shape of leaves, silhouettes, texture, in compliance with the rules of deep contrast (no plant should be lost against the background of the rest, which is sometimes difficult to achieve).

Trees and shrubs in landscape designДеревья и кустарники в ландшафтном дизайне
Despite the presence of some disadvantages of landscaping using only trees and shrubs, you should not assume that with their dominance, the garden will suddenly become boring and dull. The species and varietal diversity of deciduous and evergreen plants is so extensive that it is quite possible to find completely unexpected exotic forms and colors, it would seem, in completely inconspicuous crops.

Poisonous or not white snowberry?

White snowfield (another name for a shrub) can cause poisoning of the body when eating its berries, which are called “wolf”. Poisoning occurs due to the saponin contained in the fruit and a toxic substance that has not yet been studied by scientists . Symptoms accompanying poisoning:

In contact with the skin or mucous membranes, it causes local irritation, sometimes inflammation of the affected areas. First aid is not required, but you should consult a doctor to determine the need for gastric lavage.

Ornamental plants in human everyday life.Ornamental plants in human everyday life.
You can observe the flowering of a snowberry in the middle or late summer.

Criteria for choosing trees and shrubs for landscape design

The choice of trees or shrubs for use in landscape design should be based on some principles that guarantee the possibility of their fullest possible use in the future.

The key criteria in this case will be:

  • the possible functionality of a particular instance;
  • its compatibility with another plant or group of plants;
  • dimensions of adult plants;
  • the direction of their growth.

Various types and varieties of elderberry are also used in landscape design.

functions

The functionality of any bushy or tree-like culture is its ability to advantageously complement a specific section of the garden or local area . So, for open areas, you can use large bushes and trees, and for decorating a gazebo or pergola, it is better to choose more compact varieties of a bizarre shape (it is possible to use shrubs with liana-shaped shoots). Evergreen thuja or separate spherical bushes are often planted along the paths or on the border with neighbors.

Video: Ornamental trees in the garden

Compatibility with other plants

An excessive number of trees or large spreading bushes will hide other decorative elements of the site from the eyes, creating the impression of an impassable jungle. For this reason, if trees are already growing next to the house, then it is better to supplement them with medium-sized shrubs that will harmoniously fit into the overall picture.

Important! When choosing a pair for a particular tree or bush, it is worth considering the possible seasonal changes in these plants. It is highly desirable that at a group planting the life rhythms of the cultures used at least partially coincide.

It is possible to build an ensemble of plants according to the principle of contrast, when varieties with a different set of characteristics visually interact with each other. Contrast can capture several characteristics at once (for example, bush shape, leaf size, color or shape of inflorescences), or emphasize only one of the listed criteria.

A combination of plants always has a semantic meaning, based on the shape of their crown and leaves, as well as the abundance and brightness of flowering. For example, thuja and spiraea, buzulnik and ornamental cereals will contrast favorably with each other.

Trees and shrubs in landscape designДеревья и кустарники в ландшафтном дизайне

Dimensions

The sizes of the crops selected for landscaping also play an important role in landscape design. In small areas, the main emphasis can be made on the bushes, and in large areas, a variety of group tree plantings can be used.

It is better to start filling the projected volume with vegetation with the largest available specimens, gradually adding to them the medium and smallest ones. Reverse order is much more difficult, not to mention the fact that such a decision will be devoid of any logic.

Find out which varieties of spruce are best suited for landscaping.

A maximally balanced composition will be obtained if the number of specimens grows with a decrease in the significance of the structural element, that is, when planting small bushes in groups, there should be more than large trees.

Direction of growth

If the crown of most ornamental trees is spherical or vertical, then shrubs can also have almost horizontal shoots. Dividing the bushes into groups depending on the direction of growth of the branches also helps them choose the most profitable pairs from among other plants.

Shrubs and trees in landscape designКустарники и деревья в дизайне ландшафта

Vertical bushes resemble trees, as they have a well-defined trunk and a clearly marked crown (for example, hawthorn). It is better to plant them next to lower, spherical “congeners”, because in combination with trees they can visually “drown out” each other.

The crown width of horizontal shrubs is much greater than the height of their stem; branches are located almost horizontally in relation to the soil line. A classic example of this group can be considered a horizontal juniper, which, unlike vertical bushes, perfectly complements tree-like plants.

Recommended reading

Dwarf pines in landscape design

The term “globular bushes” can include all varieties of shrubs with a rounded crown, such as lilac or viburnum.

They go well with the previous two types, although in this case, too, much depends on the location of a particular culture.

Using trees and bushes with different directions of shoot growth, it is possible to advantageously equip the space of the personal plot, creating real artistic masterpieces from seemingly ordinary cultures.

Correct planting and caring for a white snowberry

Ornamental plants in human everyday life.Ornamental plants in human everyday life.

With the arrival of autumn, nature is raging with bright colors, only a snowberry reminds a person of the approach of winter. Its white berries are so original that they can be mistaken for lumps of snow, and from a distance it seems that the bush is completely covered with snow. The snowberry bush leaves with berries-balls before winter and this picture looks incomparable. That is why white is popularly called a snow berry.

Popular trees and shrubs for landscaping

It is difficult to understand the existing species and varietal variety of trees and bushes even for a sophisticated landscape designer, let alone newcomers to this business. By and large, no one is obliged to know the characteristic features of absolutely all plants, it is enough to pay attention to the most demanded of them.

Video: Garden planning rules

trees

It is possible to achieve the most positive result from decorating a site with the help of tree-like cultures only if each selected specimen has some attractive feature of its appearance. An example of such plants with a “twist” would be the species described below.

Did you know? In some regions of Japan, maple leaves are not only a decorative element, but also a good ingredient for cooking. A good snack is considered there
deep-fried leaves; however, at first they have to be kept in containers with salt for about a year, and then covered with a special sweet dough.

Japanese maple

This is a medium-sized tree, up to 10 m high, in culture it can be in the form of a bush. What exactly will grow in your territory depends largely on the success of formative pruning at the initial stages of growing a seedling.

Japanese mapleЯпонский клён

Maple branches are always characterized by an attractive reddish-gray color, with smooth, non-cracking bark on their surface. Serrated at the edges, rounded leaf plates can grow up to 8-15 cm in diameter and usually have dissections up to half of these values.

In autumn, the surface of the usually green leaf becomes orange-scarlet, with small yellow blotches throughout the area. The flowers are always bright, purple-red in color, blooming in April, even before the appearance of the leaf blades.

We invite you to learn more about the application, planting and care of the red Japanese maple.

Three-centimeter lionfish (fruits) always hang under the leaves, can be pubescent or devoid of pubescence. Based on the shape and degree of pubescence of individual parts of the maple, several of its subspecies are distinguished, and individual varietal variations of this plant can change the variegated color of their foliage up to three times in one season.

The aral sea

Aralia is a medium-sized deciduous tree with a prickly trunk and a branchy crown top, although some species are represented by large perennial shrub forms or even herbaceous crops. The height of tree-like cultivated plants usually ranges from 2-10 meters, although even 20-meter specimens are found in their natural habitat.

Their shoots, leaves and inflorescences are almost always completely naked. The leaf plates are alternate, large, without stipules, twice or three times pinnate, densely collected closer to the crown apex, which makes the plant look like a palm tree.

Aralia in landscape designАралия в ландшафтном дизайне

Numerous umbrellas form large complex paniculate inflorescences. Flowers – bisexual, small, four-, five- or six-membered. The fruit is berry-shaped, spherical, with seeds compressed on the sides. The popular ornamental types of aralia today include Californian, heart-shaped, Chinese, whose height rarely exceeds 3-5 meters.

Barberry

Trees among the plants of the genus Barberry are much less common than shrub forms, but they are still used in landscape design. In height, tree-like cultures reach three meters, characterized by a predominantly deciduous spherical (less often columnar) crown.

We invite you to find out how spruce and pine trees are used in landscape design.

Saturated green leaf plates grow in bunches, in regular order. The branches are thin, densely covered with thorns and are located upward at an acute angle. Plants can look unkempt without regular pruning, as branches will stick out in all directions at different angles.

During flowering (in late spring or early summer), you can see purple, purple, yellow, white or any other bright shades of flowers on the shoots that remain on the branches for 2-3 weeks. Towards the end of summer or early autumn, they are replaced by oval berries of red, burgundy or black. They stay on the tree for a long time, even in winter, highlighting bushes on the white snowy surface.

Shrubs

There are much more shrub forms of plants for decorating the site than tree-like ones, therefore the choice here is wider. The most popular shrubs in domestic gardens today include the vesicle, rhododendron, stefanandra, hydrangea, spirea, and jasmine. Each of them has its own characteristics of appearance and cultivation.

Caring for a snowberry in the garden

You can not accompany the growth of a snowberry with any actions. Thanks to his adaptability, he will not die. But if you make even a little effort and take care of the plant, then the result will not be long in coming: the snowfield will thank you with its beauty.

Watering and top dressing

Young shrubs need to be watered regularly in the first months of growth, but if the summer is humid enough, then the procedure can be canceled. It is imperative to mulch the soil with a layer of peat and then loosen the earth near the trunk of the plant. Thorough breakthrough from weeds, fertilizing with fertilizers, timely pruning of shoots and protection from harmful insects will contribute to the rapid growth of the snowberry. Together with this, it will reveal itself in all its glory.

In the fall, you need to dig up the ground near the bush. In the spring, the soil is fertilized with humus, superphosphate and potassium salt.

Ornamental plants in human everyday life.Ornamental plants in human everyday life.
Adult shoots of a snowberry tolerate frost well

Shrub pruning

The snowberry easily tolerates the pruning procedure, which is carried out in early spring, when the juice has not yet begun to move. It is necessary to cut off all dry and damaged shoots , thickening and frost- damaged branches are also removed. If the shoot is massive enough, its thickness is more than 0.7 cm, then the cut must be processed with garden varnish or other means.

An adult plant can grind: leaves and flowers appear small, and shoots are thin and weak. Then you need to cut it almost at the root without pity (at a height of 0.5-0.6m) This will help the bush to rejuvenate and acquire strong young shoots over the summer.

Disease prevention and pest control

The natural presence of poison in a plant gives it protection against most pests and diseases. But still, there are diseases that affect the berry. These are powdery mildew and gray berry rot , which are related to fungal infections.

To prevent such a nuisance, the plant is treated in the spring with a solution of Bordeaux liquid. The procedure must be performed before the kidneys swell. If time is lost and the plant is sick, then it should be sprayed with a modern fungicide, which can be purchased in specialized stores. You can also face aphid infestation, which can be exterminated by spraying with serum or ash.

Ornamental plants in human everyday life.Ornamental plants in human everyday life.
The snowberry easily tolerates the pruning procedure, which is carried out in early spring, when the juice has not yet begun to move.

Preparation for winter

Adult shoots tolerate frost perfectly, and young ones need help and warmth. To do this, hilling the roots to a height of up to 0.2m is done. In the spring, the extra soil layer is removed. Shoots and berries remain uncovered, since they are not afraid of frosts. Berries are tasty food for birds in winter.

How to properly use trees and shrubs in landscape design

In decorating the territory with plants, the main task will be to create a logical and harmonious landscape with the obligatory consideration of the proportions of the objects used.

In order for the plantings of trees and shrubs to look as decorative as possible, you should not use the same elements when creating groups , that is, when selecting zones in an open area for organizing flower beds, you should not choose the same sizes for them, or plant one-size or one-color plants in the areas (it is good if one the color in the composition is the main one, and the other two will be additional).

It is important to adhere to the “law of the circle” in landscape design. If you divide the imaginary figure vertically into two parts, then the warm shades of the palette should be on the right, and cold shades on the left. It is desirable that the main compositional elements are present in one color group.

Color circleЦветовой круг

This does not mean that the color palette from different parts of the composition cannot be mixed, but a specific color from the opposite group can act as an accent that attracts attention (usually contrasting group plantings are designed to divert attention from the fence, individual parts of buildings and other unattractive details of the site).

Check out

Viburnum in landscape design

Separately, it is worth highlighting the so-called “law of the square”. Despite the fact that in the limited space of a small country courtyard or mini-garden there is nowhere to turn around, this law still affects the planting of plants. In this case, focus on the cardinal points.

The tallest landscape design elements (trees and large shrubs) are best placed on the north side so that the rest of the space receives enough sunlight (this visually enlarges the area).

It is good if such plants have a high level of shade tolerance, since the northern areas are always more shaded than the southern ones.

Approximately two or three meters from this zone, the light becomes more, which means that light-loving crops of more compact sizes can be planted. To make the garden as original and unusual as possible, it is worth choosing the appropriate design style, the so-called “regular”.

The main difference between this option and the others is the geometrically correct forms of landings, which are based on the following principles:

  1. The crown should be as even as possible, for which the leaves and branches of bushes or trees are carefully trimmed.
  2. All selected plant varieties should tolerate shearing well (for example, thuja western, small-leaved linden, hawthorn, irga, common juniper, berry yew, boxwood).
  3. If there are paths, it is better that they are straight, and the flower beds are symmetrical. If the severity of the forms is not to your liking, you should give preference to landscape gardens, with the absence of straight and clear lines.

Landscaping planПлан ландшафтного дизайна

The landscape style of the site design provides for the creation of compositions that are as close as possible to the natural growing conditions of trees and shrubs. When planting plants, it must be borne in mind that on the forest edge or in the woods, bushes and trees do not grow in a strict geometric order.

In addition, there is no need to use only coniferous or only deciduous crops, because mixed plantings are much closer to natural growing conditions, with the absence of plants with evenly trimmed crowns.

See also landscape compositions with blue spruce.

In one planting, spruce, thuja, juniper and hawthorn can be perfectly combined with each other, and a bladder or snowberry will help to “dilute” their company. The dark green needles of the juniper will also perfectly highlight the light foliage of the barberry against its background.

As you can see, trees and shrubs can really become key elements in any landscape design, beneficially complementing the herbaceous and flowering crops on the site. Therefore, adhering to the general rules of single or group planting, there is every chance of landscaping the local area for many years.

Propagation of a snowberry by layering, seeds, cuttings and shoots

Shrub propagation is possible in all available ways:

  • seeds;
  • cuttings;
  • layering;
  • root shoot.

Growing from seeds is the most time consuming process. They need to be removed from the fruit, then placed in a container with liquid, where the remaining pulp will separate. After that, we dry the seeds and store until autumn. It is best to plant the prepared seeds before winter, but not in open ground, but in boxes that are covered with glass. Watering should be gentle from the sprayer so as not to wash out the seed. In the spring, the first shoots will appear that can be transplanted into the garden.

For propagation by cuttings, you need to prepare cut branches after flowering. They must be ripe enough to be brittle when folded. You need to cut off the upper edge above the kidney, and the lower one obliquely. The number of buds on the shoot is 3-5 pcs. The cut branches are placed in liquid, after which they are planted in boxes with a special composition of the earth to a depth of 0.5 cm. The boxes are placed in greenhouses until autumn, the necessary and favorable conditions for the rooting of the plant are maintained. For the winter, young bushes are planted in the soil in the garden, where they are covered with leaves and spruce branches.

Why do we need ornamental plants?

Many gardeners and land owners use their holdings to harvest their crops. They grow various vegetables, plant fruit trees. But in addition to work, people prefer to relax at their summer cottage.

Ornamental plants are used to create a beautiful, pleasing to the eye, environment around.

The owners of country cottages, as a rule, do not need vegetable gardens and fruit trees. In this case, ornamental plants are an integral part of the decoration of rich villas and cultural cottages .

Anna Evans

Author-editor

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