Planting Today – Planning for the Future

Plants grow, and that’s a good thing! One unique challenge when designing and installing new landscape plantings for your property is to design not just for right now but for years down the road as well. Overgrown landscapes are unsightly, and we often see properties where previous plantings were installed to fill in the space immediately, rather than providing appropriate space for the landscape to fill in naturally over time. With a combination of horticultural knowledge, planning, and ongoing maintenance, your landscape can mature gracefully into its space.

Landscape designs are a plan for the future growth of your ornamentals, shrubs and plantings.

Accounting for Growth Rates

Any new planting plan needs to account for the fact that landscape plants grow at drastically varying rates. Ornamental trees and shrubs may take several years to achieve a mature size, while perennial flowers will often explode once they gain a foothold in your landscape. A key part of landscape design is recognizing differing rates of growth and choosing specimens that will complement each other as they grow.

Designing with Maintenance in Mind

Pruning is a key facet of landscape maintenance, and it’s crucial in keeping a landscape from becoming overgrown. It’s not unusual, though, to see a landscape that is planted too densely to encourage ongoing landscape care. A well-planned landscape design takes this into consideration and allows for easy access to prune and maintain the landscape. 

Professional design accounts for the aesthetics and future maintenance needs of your landscape.

Proper Planting Requires Patience

It’s not unusual for brand-new landscape plantings to feel a bit diminutive right out of the gate. This is normal, because each of those specimens has a true size and shape to achieve. In the meantime, the space between new plantings provides the air, water and sunlight that they need to reach their potential. Planting for mature size requires a bit of patience at the beginning, and it pays off beautifully in the long run.

Springtime rain is a welcome drink for your lawn and garden, but it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Landscapes that do not drain properly run the risk of collecting water – water that can be damaging on several fronts.

Root systems still need oxygen, and excess saturation cuts off their oxygen supply.

Pooling water in your lawn itself turns a carpet of grass into a muddy mess. In plant beds, too much water can flood root systems, causing disease that can be harmful or deadly to valuable landscaping. In warmer weather, standing water is also a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other nasty pests.

There are a few ways to improve your lawn’s drainage, and the right solution depends on the severity of the problem.

Planting Solutions

Minor drainage issues can sometimes be addressed with the introduction of thirsty landscape plantings that will thrive in wet areas and withstand repeated inundation with water

French Drains

Significant drainage issues typically involve some level of excavation. French drains are a typical solution, involving a pit or trench filled with stone and gravel which acts as a natural sump for excess water. When the situation warrants, a more robust drainage system involving perforated piping laid under the soil surface can move the moisture fully out of the area. While more involved, a full drainage system of this type is really the best way to address chronic drainage issues.

French drains can be constructed in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, depending on your specific needs.

Bioswales

Gently reshaping the slopes of your landscape by creating “swales” is an option that re-directs stormwater in a more useful direction. These swales typically include plantings that make use of the excess water and allow it to be gradually filtered into the ground. Bioswales are a more common solution for commercial and municipal applications, but they can work in some residential settings.