Imagine coming home to a beautifully landscaped yard. A paradise-like scene straight out of a fairytale that offers instant relaxation is something many homeowners can only dream of.
But having such a landscape takes more than just consistent lawn care in West Chester, Ohio. You also need to choose the right kinds of plants for this very purpose.
In this article, we’ve compiled four things you need to think about in your plant selection and some examples of species and varieties you might want to consider in your landscape.
Height, width, and shape
The height and width of the plants you choose will affect the appearance of your garden. If you have a specific theme, these factors become even more crucial as you need to match them to complement the existing hardscape, structures, and other elements of the landscape.
For example, landscapes following geometric inspiration look particularly great with plants shaped into wonderful topiaries based on the homeowner’s preferences. Among the shrubs that are best used for this very purpose are:
- Yew bushes
- Dwarf Alberta spruce trees
- Boxwood
- Japanese holly
- Herbs like lavender, rosemary, and germander
Texture
Plants can offer plenty of elements in landscape design, and one of them is texture.
Texture, in landscaping, refers to the overall surface quality of plants and other features. For plants, this is not limited to the feel of the leaves alone — it also depends on the play of light, shadow, and viewing distance.
Although feathery foliage may seem airy up close, they may look quite different from a distance. This means you’ll have to step back to see how the big picture looks rather than focusing on the smaller details alone.
Take note that too much texture can feel a bit chaotic, so you need to create a sense of balance throughout the landscape. To do so, mixing textures in a way that highlights other aspects of your landscape would be the best course of action.
Generally, a 1:2 proportion between fine and coarse textures should help you achieve this. Of course, you need to know what plants can get you the specific texture you’re after. Fortunately, there is a wide range of options you can choose from.
Infographic created by Sweep-All, a driveway sweeper provider
Bold and broad
Broadleaf plants can work as excellent borders for your garden. They complement many other textures, from spiky leaves to feather foliage and delicate flowers.
You can get this kind of texture from several plant species, but hostas offer the most options. Puckered varieties even add a second layer of texture that goes well with a lot of landscape design.
Other bold-and-broad plants you can choose from are:
- Petasites
- Colocasia
- Arum
- Ligularia; and
- Darmera (umbrella plant)
Fine
Fine-textured plants with thread-like leaves appeal to the sense of touch, much like a feather boa. They’re excellent when viewed up close, offer additional dimension, and create an illusion of movement in the garden.
Be warned, though, as overdoing the landscape with wispy foliage might make everything look quite fuzzy.
Remember that, out of all textures, fine is most dependent on contrast to stand out. This means that you need to be strategic when adding it to your landscape.
Here are some fine-textured plants you can choose from:
- Cosmos
- Baby’s breath
- Asters
- Amsonia
Fuzzy and furry
Who says fur only appears on animals? Certain plants have them, too, and these make them wonderful additions to any garden.
Plants with fuzzy leaves come off with a greyish hue and tend to disappear in the bigger picture. However, they play the background role quite well as this tactile foliage makes other colors in the garden more vibrant and appealing.
Besides, plenty of these grey and fuzzy plants are deer resistant, including:
- Lamb’s ear
- Lavender
- Santolina
- Artemisia
- Russian sage
- Yarrow
Color
Color is arguably the most striking element that can tip the balance of a particular landscape design. And what provides more color than flowering plants?
If you’re going for a bright and sunny landscape, sunflowers, marigolds, and other similar plants may just be what you need. Of course, once their flowers are spent, these plants – particularly sunflowers – need to be replaced now and then.
If you don’t like planting and replanting seeds from dried up flowers, you might want to add color to your landscape some other way. One is by choosing foliage with striking colors and patterns.
Calatheas have plenty of such wonderful foliage, but they are mostly indoor plants. Of course, this doesn’t mean you cannot plant them outdoors. As they dwell in Africa’s tropical forest floors, they can thrive even under the shade of trees where they occasionally get some dappled sun.
If you don’t have lots of shade in your landscape, don’t fret as there are plenty of other plants you can include in your landscape. Coleus is a perfect example.
Although they also bear flowers, coleus plants are more famous for their festive and vibrant leaves. After all, this plant isn’t just about color or variegation because it has both.
The coleus foliage has as many variegation patterns as its color options. In fact, a few new varieties are introduced every year, with hues ranging from the usual green and yellow to rare and more vibrant pink, purple, red, orange, and even bronze.
Ease of maintenance
When choosing plants to create a relaxing haven in your own yard, you’ll also need to consider their level of maintenance. After all, how can you relax when all you can think about is keeping your plants in your backyard alive?
All plants require a certain level of maintenance – there’s no such thing as a “no maintenance” plant. However, some only need little upkeep that comes with just a small amount of time, effort, and money.
Different plants have varying growing requirements. Think about how much sun or water they need. Do they require regular pruning to prevent them from overtaking your garden? You may also need more than lawn treatments in West Chester, Ohio to keep your landscaped yard in tiptop shape.
Keep these things in mind when picking a plant and determine how much time you’re willing to spend on your garden. If you intend to avoid this task altogether, it’s best to pick low-maintenance plants that can still thrive in neglect.
In general, low-maintenance plants are those that have already adjusted to the climate in the area. In short, these are plants native in the area. Besides these, there are several hardy-yet-beautiful ones you can try, such as:
- Hosta
- Ferns
- Sedum
- Hibiscus
- Coneflower
- Shasta daisy
The perfect foliage for your lawn and landscape
Lawn and landscaped yards serve as an excellent space for some quiet time after a hard day’s work. Create your own paradise with these helpful plant selection tips.
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