Selecting Plants for the Design

Selecting Plants for the Design

Chapter 7

Plants: Building Blocks of the Landscape

The residential landscape is made of different elements. They are the plant materials and the physical structures.

Physical structures in the landscape are patios, walls, fences,


Plant Types: Trees Shrubs Groundcover Vines Annuals Perennials Ornamental Grasses


Trees:

can be defined as a single stem, woody, perennial plant reaching the height of 12 feet or more


Shrubs:

are multi-stem, woody plants that do not exceed 20 feet in height. In general shrubs are usually as tall as they are wide. They may be deciduous or evergreen

Some examples of shrubs are: viburnums, honeysuckles, spireas, hollies, junipers and yews


Ground cover:

May be woody or herbaceous. It forms a mat less than 1 foot high covering the ground. Grasses is the most common plant used as a ground cover.

Examples of other ground covers are: English ivy, periwinkle (vinca) euonymus , and Japanese spurge


Vines:

are woody or herbaceous (soft stemmed) plants that require some type of support. They may climb on objects or creep along the ground.

Some examples of vines are: Boston ivy, wisteria, and clemtis


Annuals:

Are herbaceous plants that live for one growing season and are valued for the color of their flowers or ornamental foliage adds to the landscape.

Common annuals are : Impatiens, marigolds, petunias, coleus, and zinnias


Perennials:

is a plant that has a life cycle of more than two growing seasons. They may be called woody as with trees and shrubs or herbaceous.

Some popular perennials are: daylilies, peonies, lilies, and iris.


Ornamental Grasses:

Are valued for their texture and colors that add interest to the landscape. Ornamental grasses can be annuals or perennials. Some grow best in warm climates while others prefer cool climates


What is plant nomenclature?

it is the naming of the plants. All plants have two types of names:

Common Name Botanical Name


What is the genius?

it is closely related group of plants comprised of one or more species


What is a species?

it is composed of plants that show characteristics that distinguish them from other groups in the genius


What is a variety:

Is a group of plants within a species that show a significant difference from other plants in the species.


What is a cultivars?

a plant with a distinguishing characteristic from other plants in the species but does not transfer that characteristic to it off spring through sexual reproduction

Selecting Plants

Trees: Are the largest and most permanent plant

material used in landscaping Trees that are smaller and have a higher

ornamental value are often called ornamental trees.

Examples of ornamental trees are flowering dogwoods, flowering crabapples, redbud, and Japanese maple.

Selecting Plants

Trees: Hardiness refers to the ability of a tree to

withstand cold temperatures . Trees have differing abilities to survive in areas in the United States.

Selecting Plants

Trees:

choose resistant to disease and insect problems. If a tree has beautiful characteristics but is susceptible to insect infections and diseases, its value is reduced

Selecting Plants

Trees:

They may also have a common problem involving the pH of the soil . pH is a measure of acidity and alkalinity of the soil

pH scale ranges from a extremely acid reading of 1 to and extremely alkaline reading of 14 . A neutral reading is 7 . Most plants prefer a pH between 5.5 and 7.0

Selecting Plants

Shrubs: Shrubs can have multiple functions in the

landscape . The can be used as specimen plants, group plantings, hedges, screens, foundation plants, or shrub borders.

Select shrubs on their intended use. Also consider their flowers, foliage, branching habits, and their suitability to the growing conditions

Selecting Plants

What is a Specimen Plant?

it displays outstanding form, texture, and color. The plant can also stand alone

Selecting Plants

What is a group planting?

consist of several different species of shrubs. They are considered a overlapping plant that will reach over plants to form a huge mass.

Selecting Plants

What is a Hedge?

consist of all one type of shrub. The define space , they tie other landscapes elements together and they may screen views

They can range from 20 feet to 1 foot high. They can be clipped for a formal appearance or

unclipped for an informal natural look.

Selecting Plants

What is a Screen?

is a solid mass of one type of shrub. It serves as a living wall that effectively blocks views.

Selecting Plants

What is a foundation plant?

Are shrubs placed around the foundation of the house. They help tie the house to the landscape by softening the corners and they block the view of the foundation

Selecting Plants

What is a shrub border?

A mass of many shrubs on the border of the property . They help create the outdoor living area, screen views, and serve as a backdrop for annual and perennial flowers

Drawing Plants into your Plan

It is helpful to use symbols in your design work that represents the different types of plants. The symbols styles used vary from one designer to the other.


Here are some examples of plant symbols Deciduous Tree -- Ground Cover Evergreen Tree --Gravel Broadleaf Evergreen tree Deciduous shrubs Evergreen shrubs Deciduous Hedge Evergreen Hedge Broadleaf Evergreen Hedge Cobbles


Labeling: The most important thing after drawing in your

plants is to label each one and to make sure to keep thing nice and neat to read.

Lets Review!!

The Design Steps!! Step 7 Locate Trees on the plan Step 8 Locate Shrubs Step 9 Assign textures and colors Step 10 Select plants to meet needs Step 11 Trace the plan on to quality vellum. Draw

plant symbols on the good plan Step 12 Label everything

Geometry for the Landscape

Objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to calculate: the perimeter of a given section of land the area of given section of land the volume of container

Terms diameter (d)- the line that divides a circle

into two equal parts radius ( r)- one half the diameter pi () - 3.14 or 22/7 height- line segment that shows how tall a

triangle is. It is always drawn from a corner of the triangle to the opposite side forming a 90 degree angle.

Terms continued perimeter(P)- the distance around

the sum of all sides How much fence do you need to go around a yard?

Circumference (C)- perimeter of a circle C= diameter X How much edging do you need to go around a

flower bed?

Terms Continued

volume (V)- how much fits in a given space Volume of a box= area of bottom X height Volume of a sphere+ 4/3 X pi X radius X radius

X radius How much soil do you need to fill a flower pot?

More Terms

area (A)- the space inside the perimeter rectangle= side X side triangle= (base X height)/2 circle= radius X radius X How many square feet of sod do you need to

order to cover the yard?

Example of perimeter

Examples of area rectangle

Examples of area circle

Examples of Area of Triangle

Volume

Notes

If a shape is not standard break it down into smaller standard shapes to make calculations

Calculations must be done in the same unit of measurement (change feet to inches or vice versa as needed)

Simplify all answers, do not write feet as decimals, convert to inches.

Units

Perimeter- feet, inches, cm, m, mm, yards…….

Area- sq. feet, sq. inches, sq. cm, sq. yards…...

Volume- cubic feet, cubic inches, cubic cm, cubic yards…….

Homework problems

1.How many cubic feet of mulch do you need to buy if you are mulching a 3 foot ring three inches deep around 4 trees that are 1 foot each in diameter?

2. How much soil is needed to fill 24 planters that are 1 ft wide, 6 feet long, and 1ft 6 inches deep?

3. Find the perimeter of the yard to the right.

4. How many sq. feet of sod would be needed to cover the yard at the right?

38’

72’

5. If three inches of snow had to be removed from a walk pictured below, how many cubic ft of snow would be removed?

50’

46’

12’

8’

The End

Any Questions!!

Selecting Plants for the Design

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