Clinton News-Record, 1984-04-25, Page 49Designer
£ardens give year round color and beauty
Page 7
categories: light green foliage color,; dark. _ shawingthe variety of material in. a. subtle
green foliage color, and plants withunique and pleasant gray..,
or strong colors in them. - Of . course, occasionally _ introduce..
A good planting design can be achieved draniatic contrasts in variety, but use
just be ,using the inherent colors of the restraint here. It is also a good idea to
vegetables and herbs. But an exciting and repeat strong changes to maintain a sense of
joyful garden can be produced by introduc- unity throughout the garden. For example,
ing a few strokes of bright color - the type use only one color for contrast throughout
only found in annuals such as marigolds and the garden.
impatiens - in a few spots in the garden in Repetition reduces confusion and gives a
bunches. sense of order to the garden. This is most
These splashes of color in a predominant- easily achieved by ,placing vegetables of a
ly-green garden excite the eye but, as in the single species _together. Repeat these
use of contrasting forms, it is important to similar masses in other areas of the garden,
avoid adding too much variation. creating a sense of unity.
Plant texture is 'another important con- Or repetition can also be achieved by
sideration because it influences color. selecting plants with at least one same
Smooth textures have less visualimpact designquality, such as formor texture:But
and therefore tend to reinforce the again, too z much repetition leads to •
significance of color and form.. monotony. .
Rough textures command more visual at- s Balance in design ;does; not necessarily
tention but at the same time, evoke a waren, • i mean that one part of your garden must be a
comffQriable. feeling: • c'mirror image of the other side. In fact, the
For, example, the smooth tex4,ure of term A refers ° to , a ;feeling of equilibrium
rhubarbis eat ng-and•directs- yotar--. atten•, ihroughoutwegarden. -
tion,to: its form and size; parsley's soft, fine ` Consider the visual strength of each plant
texture invites you to stroke it. Here the . or groups of plants and. achieve a balance
Develop a plan or design for your property before buying plants. Be sure to think about
the different seasons and what theplants will look like in eachof them.
Don't just plant a vegetable garden this
year --_- design .it with .an _eye, to its_beauty.
Why not look at the color and texture of
those lettuce plants and consider how they
would look beside the cabbage or chard?
Few see beauty in their vegetable garden
but there are many design qualities to con-
sider which will make your garden much
more interesting and fun, say Landscape
Architects Maurice Nelischer and Lise Bur-
cher
urcher of the University of Guelph's landscape
architecture department.
•
(onion, leek).
When massed or planted together, many
plants' individual forms are altered so be
sure to consider the form of the individual
plant as well.'' as the form created by a
number of them.together.
It is also important to avoid too much
variation in forms in a small area which
creates .confusion,_ rather than a pleasant
composition where the eye can rest.
To develop an understanding of plant.
forms, try designing a quick outline sketch
Form, size, color and texture are the pro- of each plant you will use.
minent ,desigrr. qualities -present ii every - -Plant size should -also be:considered. .Rank
plant. Although they are . discussed here
separately, . "their qualities cannot be
disassociated from one another. For exam-
ple, the color of a plant is also dependent on
its texture•and form.
,The form of your vegetables should be the
first characteristic you consider when
designing your. garden, Nelischer says.
Form andsize are the most visually
your plants by height and breadth and put
them into relative groups: very small,
small, medium, and large.
Avoid positioning tall plants where they
will shade others from sunlight.
Consider each plant's rate of growth with
an eye to having a . pleasant design
throughout the season,, not just at harvest
time.
demanding characteristics and therefore Size will also determine the spacing of
create the skeleton and framework of your 'plants. But by planting vegetables in dense
composition. groups, overall visual impact is stronger
Basically, 'herbs and vegetables may be and yields remain about the same.
grouped into six form or shape categories: . .Color is extremely important in creating a
upright (brussels sprouts, broccoli); V- mood in the garden, but color contrasts
shaped ( chard, leaf lettuce, beets) ; horizon- • usually must be quite strong to stand out
tal (strawberry, thyme) ; mounded ( lettuce; , and make an impact.
cabbage) ; Spreading . ( squash) ; and spiked Group all . your vegetables ' into three
Fertilize the right way
for excellent lawn results
There's a right way and a wrong way tc
spread lawn fertilizers, according to the
gardening specialists in the lawn and
garden section of C -I -L. — •
. Not only : is the method of spreading
fertilizer important, but the time of
application can affect the results "too.
Spreading by .hand, for example, can lead tc
problems because it puts too much fertilizer
in some spots, which can result in burn and
not enough in others. •
The experts suggest using a good spreader
with an accurate flow setting. Adjust the
flow setting to apply to half the
recommended rate, then criss-cross the
lawn, that is cover it from side-to-side and
then from end-to-end. This covers each part
of the lawn twice and all of it gets a full
feeding.
C -I -L lawn care specialists suggest that
fertilizer be applied in the morning once the
dew is off. the lawn and before it gets too hot.
They also point outthat directions on the
bag should be followed carefully. Apply
exactly the quantity recommended, not
more, not less.
Fill the spreader off the lawn with the
spread shut and open it only when moving
over the lawn. Shut off the spread when
• turning corners and before stopping. Walk
steadily at a normal walking pace otherwise
you'll get a spotty laydown of lawn food and
a spotty lawn.
Brush away any spills and hose down the
spot to avoid burning the grass.
Hose the spreader down after use tc
remove all fertilizer the C -I -L spokesmen
suggest. They point out that fertilizer will
absorb moisture from the air which will
cause rusting of the spreader.
AFTER
A HARD DAY.
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form is the weakest 'characteristic while
texture and color are dominant.
Again; the'textures of your vegetables are
relative to each other and should be grouped
"according to fine, medium or coarse tex-
ture.. When deciding on a plant's texture,
between elements of differing
characteristics.
Think about the plants -- coarse -textures
appear heavier than fine textures, complex
form and lines have more visual weight than
simple ones, and warm colors such as
look both at -the individual leaf and the • orang_e, red and brown are heavier than cool
overallplant texture created -by the solid- _____.__ _ eriati _ . _ -___.W_._____....__....__.___- -_..._.__.
ones such as green and"blue. _
leaves and spaces in between. Finally, use emphasis in your garden to
Your next task is to arrange these herbs draw attention to a few dominant plantings
and vegetables into a visually pleasing com- in special areas.
position using the major principles of For example, use the bright color of
design: variety, repetition, balance and em- • marigolds or the large leaves of rhubarb as "
phases. the dominant feature in your garden. By .
These principles: should serve only as a limiting their numbers they can become the
guide; once you understand the basic 'special feature people remember about
theory, add your own personality to arrive your design. •
at a more interestinglhasis, or dominance and
garden. Without this emphasis,
-A for-var-ietg -by using the qualities of--_subordination--of: -plantings, your -garden_ _ _�____
form, texture and color to produce would be remembered as simply a mass of, .
graduated and sequential changes, thereby. green.
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