A common mistake made by homeowners is to purchase plants, bring them home and plant them without carefully checking to make sure they will grow in the locations where they are planted.
Several mistakes are commonly made:
- Plants are not adapted to the amount of light they receive: Shade-loving plants are placed in the sun and sun-loving plants are planted in the shade.
- Plants that will grow too tall are planted in front of windows.
- Plants are placed too close together to get immediate effect and outgrow their location.
- Planting beds are made too narrow with plants growing past sidewalks and other areas.
- Large trees or shrubs are planted too close to buildings where they grow over or into buildings and cause damage to foundations. When they are large they can be expensive to remove.
- Power clippers are used to confine plants to their location, resulting in artificial-looking balls and boxes.
Whether you are making plans for a new landscape or replacing overgrown shrubs in an existing one, planning and plant selection are very important.
You may want to hire a landscape architect or landscape designer to create a plan for you. Many landscape contractors also offer a planning service. Landscape contractors can also install and maintain your plants. However, regardless of their reputation, look at some of the landscapes they designed or installed about five to seven years ago. Even well-known professionals make the mistake of using plants that are not appropriate for their location.
If you are making your own plan, obtain some 11-by-17-inch paper with light blue squares available from any office supply store. Your measurements can then be put on paper with one square equaling 1 or 2 feet.
