The primary types of garden plants include annuals, perennials, bulbs, ground covers, vines, shrubs and trees. Annuals last one season or year, and generally die when a hard frost occurs. Perennials last for several years, dying back to a dormant condition with the first frost and developing new growth when temperatures increase after a season of cold weather. Bulbs are a type of perennial which, in their dormant stage, consist of a short stem base with one or more buds enclosed in layers of fleshy leaves. Ground covers are plants which can spread to blanket an area of ground. Vines are climbing plants which require some type of support. Shrubs are plants with permanent woody stems from which new growth arises. Trees are large woody plants which generally have a single trunk. A woody stemmed plant which grows less than 12 feet high is usually classified as a shrub, whereas a single trunked plant which grows more than 10 feet high is usually considered a tree.
Annuals, biennials and perennials are some of the most popular and well-loved garden plants, offering diverse flowers and forms as well as a mixture of textures and colors. Experienced home gardeners can use the life cycle differences between these plant types to create gardens which offer satisfying textures and colors year after year.
Bulbs, tubers and corms produce some of the most interesting and fastest growing plants in the garden. Their colorful blossoms range from the curiously curving cyclamen to the large alliums and calla lilies, and their crocus species flowers bloom at the first hint of spring.
Climber and creeper plants offer real versatility, whether used to festoon an arbor with bright flowers and foliage or modestly covering a bare patch of ground. These useful plants offer upward or spreading growth habits which can lend a sense of height or dimension to a garden.
Shrubs have a reputation as reliable, dense green plants which grow in planting beds near houses, but they are actually a rather diverse group of plants and have a wide range of forms, uses, and attributes. Many flowering shrubs add fragrance to the air; others feature striking growth habits and beautiful forms.
Trees are the aesthetic structure of a landscape, lending dignity to the places where they grow, providing shelter for people and wildlife, and producing the oxygen needed to sustain life on our planet. Trees are typically selected for their ornamental characteristics or their fruit.
What does the wrong exposure do to your plants? Take a long look at the conditions you have in your garden and choose your plants accordingly. Plants are usually clearly marked whether they prefer sun, partial shade or complete shade. Shade plants grown in sun turn yellowish and grow poorly. They will get a sunburn which will develope dead spots on their leaves. Avoid south or west exposure. The sun lovers are often stunted and spindly when grown in the shade. If they grow at all, they are usually weak looking and have few leaves. Reduced flowering on many plants may result from shade placement.
Use water conservation landscaping whenever you can. Most gardeners in drought climates have come to realize the importance of water conservation. But in areas where water is plentiful, however, waste in the garden is way too common. We take our water supply for granted by wasting more than we ever need and in many areas, more groundwater is pumped than nature can replace through precipitation and runoff. Mulch every plant you have. Some grass species need less water than others, but lawns generally need a large amount of water to stay green and growing. If you replace the grass with drought-tolerant ground covers or flowers you'll save a large amount of water and even - money. Probably your favorite plants will have high water requirements. By grouping and mulching these plants allows you to irrigate them together, thus reducing water waste.
The Value of Mulch
No matter what your style, no matter what your taste in plants there's one thing that every garden should have - and that's mulch.
Nature creates mulch by the leaves, twigs and plant debris that fall to the ground to make a varied and matted cover. This blanket is porous, in that it lets the rain seep through yet, when it's thick enough, it provides a major discouragement to weeds that may already be in the soil by depriving them of light. It also provides an unstable and difficult base for new weed seeds to lodge in. In summer it insulates like a thermal blanket keeping the top soil cool and therefore minimizing evaporation of water and damage to shallow rooted plants like azaleas. In winter it does the opposite keeping in the warmth of the day to keep the roots warmer. So all year round your soil will be kept in a more moderate and balanced state, encouraging better root growth, more worms and beneficial organisms and as a result of all these it will be better structured and drained. Most importantly it will reduce your need to water the garden, helping to maintain the environment and saving you time and money.
Natures own mulch is everywhere and it has done a terrific job for millions of years. So how do you go about re-creating it in your very ordered backyard?
Basically there is not a part of the garden that shouldn't be mulched - all garden beds and borders, shrubberies, under trees, under groundcovers, rockeries and banks even all your pots and tubs as well. Even if you don’t plan to have plants grow in some areas then still mulch it to keep the weeds at bay and for its fine decorative effect.
Purchase a good amount - if you just have a few pots on the patio then a bag or two of mulch will do but otherwise you'll need quite a lot to make it worthwhile. A fair few cubic meters will be necessary for most gardens and that'll take a truck to deliver it.
Types of Mulch:
• Pine bark is one of he most popular mulches - it comes in various chip sizes and will mat together quite well.
• Cypress wood chip and eucalyptus wood chip are other good looking mulches that make a good mat and can be got in various shades from golden yellow to a deep red. This is achieved with harmless organic stains and is for cosmetic purposes only.
• Leaf litter is as its name suggests and is often the output of those large "Tree Gobblers" that local councils now use to chop up street tree prunings.
• Gravels - they don't decompose but they do everything else very well.
Spreading it About:
The one disadvantage of mulch is that it can rob the soil of nitrogen when it starts to decompose - so sprinkle some blood and bone or nitrogen rich fertilizers over the soil first. Alternatively you can spread an under blanket of compost or easily compost able materials like sawdust, straw, grass cuttings etc. first then cover it over with mulch. Whether you do this or not always water the ground well first, and again after you've finished. It helps bind the mulch together and establish good water seepage through the new mulch mat.
Whatever you buy make sure that you calculate enough to provide a good cover depth. In general spread your mulch around 10 - 12cms deep - its best to buy a bit too much than not enough as you can pile up the left overs in a corner of the garden to top up areas that may thin out due to wind loss etc.. (And you'll never bother to go and get a bag or two to top up later, will you?). If you live in a windy area then make sure you buy a mulch that is rough edged and medium to large in size - like Forest Fines. These rough edges bind together and will make a good strong mat to withstand the wind.
Fertilizing:
It’s a good idea to apply some fertilizer to mulched areas in springtime and perhaps also in autumn to counteract the slight nitrogen negative effect. (You can tell if the soil is nitrogen deficient as the leaves will go yellow) Water soluble fertilizers are good like sulphate of ammonia or you can sprinkle a little Urea which is the purest form of nitrogen and can be bought in bags of small white granules. The best way however is to pull back the mulch and rake in some blood and bone into the top soil then replace the mulch. This is a slow release form of nitrogen and is the most gentle of the lot and will be tolerated by most natives that normally hate fertilizers. Whichever form of fertilizing you choose, always ensure you water the area well first and again afterwards to help get the goodness down into the soil. If your soil has developed a water repellent quality (and many soils will, particularly sandy soils) then you should also apply a soil wetting agent which breaks down surface tension and allows the soil particles to thoroughly absorb and maintain the water.
Newspaper Under blanket:
If you are worried that your soil is already infested with weeds seeds you can lay a few sheets of newspaper down first and spread the mulch on top. This will form an impenetrable barrier for new weed seeds germinating yet the paper will let the water seep through. Just make sure you cover it deep enough so the classifieds don't peep through in a week or two.
Just in case there's anyone out there who still thinks that black plastic underneath mulch is the best way to stop weeds - DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT - it’s the worst thing you can do to any patch of soil as it deprives it of water and air - result death to everything, plants, worms, good bugs and organisms etc.
Steep Banks:
Mulch can also help to stabilize soils on steep banks. A good, deep layer of rough edged woodchip of a decent size (5-6 cms) makes a good start then cover the area with a fine garden netting and stake it down at regular intervals.
Topping Up:
Mulching is not, however, a one off exercise. An added benefit of a good mulch is that it will decompose and rot down into the top layers of the soil - the worms will then pull it down to help keep the soil well drained. So top up your garden beds at least once a year, keeping the cover around 10 - 12 cms deep. It’s easy to make the effort once and forget it but you'll eventually see weeds making their way through. All mulches will also fade. That lovely redwood chip that looks fabulous when you spread it all around for the first time will eventually go grey. So for those who have color co-ordinate "Designer" gardens beds - be prepared to re-dress.
Gravel Mulch:
Some think that mulches can only be organic - but gravels make an excellent mulch as well, though they do not decompose and feed the soil. They are very decorative and deter the weeds probably better than wood chips but they also have an added bonus. For those who worry about security, the gravel flower beds will deter the most ardent burglar as it makes a noise to walk on. Gravel under any window or as a path leading up to doorways will make most criminals think twice about walking across it - a great burglar alarm.
And for those who recognize the beauty and serenity of Japanese garden designs, gravels raked into patterns can add a distinct extra element of character to your garden.
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Shrubs
Save money by rooting many of your favorite plants from pieces of stem or root.
Softwood Cuttings
These cuttings should be taken in late spring, when new growth is still green and supple.
1. Snip off a 4- to 5-inch section of new growth. For most plants, cut just below a node (the swollen area on a stem where a leaf forms). If stems are densely covered in leaves, cut between two nodes.
2. Strip the leaves from the bottom portion of the stem. Keep only the top leaf on stems with large leaves. In most other cases, keep the foliage on the top half of the stem. (The goal is to keep some leaves for photosynthesis while reducing water loss from the rest.)
3. Dip the cut end of the stem into a small amount of powdered rooting hormone that has been poured out (to prevent contamination, avoid dipping into the container). Use just a little, because using too much can harm plants.
4. Insert the base of each stem into a moistened mixture of equal parts perlite or vermiculite and peat. Gently but firmly tamp the soil into place.
5. Mist the stem or stems with a spray bottle, covering the leaves and stems.
6. Place a plastic bag securely around the pot and plants to increase humidity. Keep the pot under a grow-light until the plants are well-rooted (you can test root development by giving a gentle tug on stems after five or six weeks). Acclimate the cuttings to a drier atmosphere by opening the plastic bag gradually, but keep them well watered.
Semihardwood Cuttings
These cuttings should be taken in summer (early summer in hot climates, mid- to late summer elsewhere), when new growth is starting to firm at the base but is still supple at the tips. Follow the same process as for softwood cuttings. One difference: For plants that are difficult to root, such as barberry, take a wedge cutting. First, remove a large stem with at least one side shoot from the donor plant. Cut the side shoot off the larger stem, leaving a wedge-shape portion of the larger stem attached. This area of the plant naturally contains more rooting hormones, so there’s a better chance the cutting will root. Discard the large stem and use the side shoot with its attached wedge as the cutting.
Hardwood Cuttings
These cuttings should be taken in fall or early winter, when plants are dormant.
1. Remove 8-inch stems from the donor plant. Several cuttings can be taken from the same section of ripened stem, particularly on long-branching plants and climbers. Take cuttings of medium thickness, rather than the thin tips or the fat bases. To help you remember the direction of the plant’s growth, cut horizontally just below a node and diagonally away from the top bud.
2. Dip the horizontal ends into rooting hormone, then bundle them together with twine.
3. Bury the bundle outdoors in a 6-inch-deep trench filled with sand. (Well-drained soil is critical because the stems will die in waterlogged soil.)
4. In spring, remove the bundle from its protective trench and untie the stems. Plant stems several inches apart, the horizontal portion facing downward, either in containers or outdoors in a well-drained site sheltered from drying winds. Keep the stems well watered throughout the growing season. They should be ready for transplanting the following fall.
Root Cuttings
These cuttings can be taken any time of year, but late winter and early spring are optimum.
1. Remove 2-inch sections of young, vigorous roots, choosing a thickness between that of a pencil and your index finger. Plants with narrower roots may also work, but the cuttings will need to be at least 4 inches long. Cut diagonally to mark the portion of the root farthest from the trunk.
2. Treat the root cuttings with fungicide to prevent rot, then press them into a moist potting medium with the diagonal portion facing downward. Leave just the top of the root section exposed.
3. Top-dress with moistened sand. Put container in a cold frame or other sheltered area until new plants have emerged and are ready for transplanting.
