|
Native and Ornamental Plantings |
|
Our planting philosophy is simple. By studying the site to
determine its conditions; among these are soil characteristics, solar
exposure, and moisture regime. Then based on the horticultural
zone we narrow down the types of plants that will prove suitable.
This establishes the plant palette for a particular project. 
Not
all plants that thrive are necessarily appropriate for planting.
For instance, purple loostrife is very prolific and some people believe
that it is a beautiful plant. Unfortunately, it will completely
overrun the native vegetation. For this reason, we unyieldingly
stand by our decision not to plant invasive exotics. There are
numerous other examples of these types of plants and the list is
growing.
Some plants, while not native or indigenous to an area, are not
necessarily undesirable invasive exotics. Instead these plants
propagate slowly and are in balance with the local ecosystem. Including
these plants in our designs add to the diversity we offer our
clients. There are some extremely good cultivars developed by
growers every year having some very aesthetic characteristics. We
enthusiastically integrate them into our designs – but with caution.
Our planting plans work towards achieving many of the goals listed below:
- To shelter and protect from the afternoon heat of the sun.
- To provide seasonal interest with ever-changing plant
characteristics including: spring to fall flowers, summer foliage, fall
color, branching, berry and bark characteristics in the winter.
- To create privacy
- To soften severe architecture or ground a building in the landscape
- To provide additional food for local birds or butterflies which in turn are interesting for people to watch.
|
