Putting the Right Plant in the Right Place

Cute cuddly little puppies may grow up to be very large dogs. Plants sprout the same way and sometimes with greater consequences.

Plants that grow too large for their designated space will block window views, tangle overhead wires and crack walkways and driveways with their roots.

For these reasons, it is extremely important to receive assistance when planning your landscape. A landscape professional or nursery expert can tell you the ultimate size, shape, color, flower and fruit of desired plants.

I strongly recommend learning whether a plant casts light or heavy shade and its screening or sound barrier capabilities. Understanding these characteristics will help you determine which plants meet your needs.

I also suggest you consider the service life of a shrub or tree. Most plants if cared for properly will maintain their attractiveness for a service life of 12 to 20 years. Its real life span might be 40 to 50 years, but it may not keep its intended shape or purpose that long.

In order to make your trip to the local nursery or garden center more productive, take an inventory of what you need and want your landscape to accomplish over time. Many plants are initially not large enough to serve your purposes, so extra filler plants should be purchased.

For example, you would like some shade in the backyard. Two large maples would do the job in time. These maples should be planted about 40 feet apart in anticipation of their eventual mature size, but at that distance the trees are currently too small to offer much shade. Planting a third maple between the two would accomplish the task for awhile. When the plants become larger, then the filler tree should be transplanted to another area.

Determining all these plant characteristics and landscape needs may seem complicated, but if you seek professional advice and ask the right questions, you will have a landscape that will truly serve your needs for many years.