Consider these factors when planning a landscape

Builders construct houses, but homeowners are the ones who fill each room with paint, fabric and fixtures that give the house its distinctive look and feel. The same is true for landscapes. No matter the dimensions or shape, it’s the plants you choose that make it your own.

The good news is that we have an almost endless array of plants at our disposal. That’s also a curse, however, because it makes choosing those plants all the more difficult. Let’s feel our way through that fog, as we outline some of the factors you’ll want to consider.

Size

If you’re adopting a puppy, you probably ask "How big will he get?" That’s pretty logical, and it’s no less so to ask how tall or wide a plant might grow in your garden. One of the most common mistakes gardeners make is to plant trees and shrubs too close to their house or too close to one another. Pruning should not be used as a routine means of controlling a plant’s height or width. Do your homework, and ask plenty of questions. Know each plant’s genetic potential before you head for the cash register. Remember, too, that plants in 1-gallon pots will ultimately be just as large as the same species you buy in 10-gallon containers. Those small plants may look lonely when you space them properly in your landscape, but they’ll eventually need that extra room.

Growth form

Like people, plants come in all shapes. Rounded and oval forms are the most common, so they’re the least dramatic in our gardens. Spreading plants are useful for covering banks and as a transition from shrubs to turf. Weeping plants are unusual. Some types (weeping willows, Italian jasmine and others) are relaxed and visually restful. Other plants (weeping yaupon holly and weeping mulberry) are tightly weeping and extremely dramatic. But the biggest drama comes from columnar and vase-shaped plants. These are so visually stunning that they can quickly overwhelm their surroundings. Use them with caution.

Color

Use color wisely. Let it be the exclamation point of your garden. Use it to draw attention to entries, walkways and patios. Have a color scheme for each "room" of your landscape. The scheme can change through the seasons, but keep it in mind as you plant.

Every plant and hardscaping element you put into your landscape brings its own colors. Use green as your default color, because the further you depart from plain, basic dark green, the more dramatic the impact will be. Use variegated plants sparingly, and only where you want to draw attention. They show best when planted in front of plants or walls of contrasting colors.

Annual and perennial flowers are the prime sources of color. You’ll get the biggest bang for your effort with annuals. True, you have to replace them a couple of times a year, but they bloom continuously for three to six months. Perennials, by comparison, flower for a couple of weeks, so you require a variety of types to keep the show going. It’s best not to use masses of one type of perennials, but a mix of many. And, with perennials, much of your work is done by hand, so they’re not really the labor savers some people imagine.

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