Plan for garden planting
Plan for garden planting.
In planning a new home or improving the looks of an old one, in other words, whether you build, buy, or suddenly become conscious of the place in which you already are living-a good working plan for the grounds is essential. In fact, in acquiring a property, a certain amount of money should be set aside for the garden. Too frequently this is not done and, when the place is purchased, all the funds have been spent, leaving nothing with which to beautify the grounds.
This does not mean that the job must be completed immediately, in the very first growing season after the family has moved in; but a good plan may be developed at the outset and the basic planting done which can be added to over the years. A house may depreciate with time, but a well-planned garden grows in value and in beauty through the years. The planting of young trees at the start provides a practical example of the efficacy of wise planting. When trees are young they can be bought cheaply, from $10 to $20.
In fifteen or twenty years they could not be purchased and engineered into place for twenty times that price. Naturally such long-range planning is not for those of us who, through choice or force of circumstances, shift residence yearly from apartment to apartment, from house to rented house; it is for those who may fortunately, with pride, pleasure and hope, acquire a dwelling within the true, enduring meaning of the word home.
Layouts for specific purposes
The prime factor in planning the grounds concerns the needs, desires, and activities of those who occupy the house. A garden may be practical, useful, and beautiful at the same time. It may provide an attractive appearance from the outside, so that it graces its neighbourhood and does not stand as an eyesore to the community. It may provide a screen for privacy within the grounds, creating an outdoor living room and separating the areas of the property according to their specific uses, such as service yard, vegetable garden and playground. It may screen unsightly objects and structures, so that even a stark, unlovely tool shed does not mar the total view.
Within the framework of these purposes are various sub-considerations, such as the location of the property, both geographically and topographically. The geographic location will influence the selection of the species of plants which must be used, with a view to their hardiness and the effects of wind, rainfall, temperatures, and types of soil. The topographical considerations-contour of land and immediate surroundings-likewise will bear largely on the plants selected.
The architectural details of the house must not be ignored, although there is no hard and fast rule that prescribes specific plantings for specific types of structures. Rather it is a matter of common sense and judgment that leads the property owner to consider the growth habits of certain plants in placing them in his grounds.
Other factors, and important ones, are costs, and labour available for planting and upkeep. In an era of high costs and scarce labour, the home owner must do most of the work. Granted the pleasures of working his grounds, nevertheless there are many ways of saving his toil. Less space may be devoted to hedges that need frequent pruning and more to shrubs that require little attention beyond keeping them in healthy condition. Keeping flower beds and borders well mulched will prevent weeds and wild grasses from cropping up among them. Frequent light mowings of lawns will preserve a trim look and make their maintenance easier.
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