Every gardener's ambition should be to introduce plants that provide something of interest in the garden every day of the year. If you have sufficient space, it is possible to have a plant flowering every day of the year, and although this might be desirable, flowers are not the only, nor even the main, attraction of many plants.
When climbers or wall shrubs are being sited it is important to remember that the plants will have a certain amount of forward spread, and if such a plant is in a narrow border next to a path, it can impede easy passage when the plant is fully developed. A Garrya elliptica, for example, can spread forward by as much as 2m (6ft) in as little as two or three years, and reducing such a plant by pruning will substantially (kininish its overall effect. Blending the shapes and sizes of all the plants in a garden is crucial to the overall design and the effect that can he achieved. However, planting architectural conifers so that they grow together should be avoided.
A bold carpet planting or a plant that tumbles down a bank or wall can be pretty whether in flower or not, and even the twining effect of a climbing plant like wisteria as it makes its way skywards to cover even greater areas can be spectacular. Winter flowers are always a delight, of course, but winter stems and the effect of winter sunlight can be as startling and attractive as any summer flowers. Management by pruning is required to produce the best stems, but it is worth the effort.
The alkalinity and acidity of the soil may enhance or depress growth rates if the individual plants are like rhododendrons and azaleas, which require a specific soil - in their case, an acid soil. If they are planted on an alkaline soil, they will often grow and struggle for a number of years, but in the end they will never reach their expected potential and may even die.
Even when a planting scheme is thoroughly researched, the results may be disappointing, and this is usually because of time. As we have already noted, plants can take many years to reach a useful shape and size and to produce their full display potential.
Pruning in order to encourage the flower production of a shrub will not reduce the overall height but, of course, that used to shape or contain foliage shrubs will. Feeding and watering will improve growth rates, as will mulching and general weed control, but they cannot change the probable ultimate dimensions of any plant.
When climbers or wall shrubs are being sited it is important to remember that the plants will have a certain amount of forward spread, and if such a plant is in a narrow border next to a path, it can impede easy passage when the plant is fully developed. A Garrya elliptica, for example, can spread forward by as much as 2m (6ft) in as little as two or three years, and reducing such a plant by pruning will substantially (kininish its overall effect. Blending the shapes and sizes of all the plants in a garden is crucial to the overall design and the effect that can he achieved. However, planting architectural conifers so that they grow together should be avoided.
A bold carpet planting or a plant that tumbles down a bank or wall can be pretty whether in flower or not, and even the twining effect of a climbing plant like wisteria as it makes its way skywards to cover even greater areas can be spectacular. Winter flowers are always a delight, of course, but winter stems and the effect of winter sunlight can be as startling and attractive as any summer flowers. Management by pruning is required to produce the best stems, but it is worth the effort.
The alkalinity and acidity of the soil may enhance or depress growth rates if the individual plants are like rhododendrons and azaleas, which require a specific soil - in their case, an acid soil. If they are planted on an alkaline soil, they will often grow and struggle for a number of years, but in the end they will never reach their expected potential and may even die.
Even when a planting scheme is thoroughly researched, the results may be disappointing, and this is usually because of time. As we have already noted, plants can take many years to reach a useful shape and size and to produce their full display potential.
Pruning in order to encourage the flower production of a shrub will not reduce the overall height but, of course, that used to shape or contain foliage shrubs will. Feeding and watering will improve growth rates, as will mulching and general weed control, but they cannot change the probable ultimate dimensions of any plant.
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