Water, Sun, Rocks - Solve Common Ladscape Problems
Lend Me Your Landscape
Life's
not fair, is it? All those wonderful landscapes out there with
just the perfect conditions to support gorgeous gardens, and you're
stuck with, well, a mess. The grass just doesn't seem to be catching
on over there, and absolutely nothing will grow in that nasty,
wet area. And what is one to do about that rocky slope? What is
an owner of a not-so-wonderful landscape to do with all these
afflictions?
It can be frighteningly easy to locate the problem areas in
your landscape, but it's a bit tougher to create a solution
for them that is economically viable, yet still looks superb.
The problem might obviously be that steeply sloping bank, but
do you really want to rent a bulldozer and completely raze the
offending hill and everything on it, including your house? Thankfully,
there are better ways of turning this and other landscape eyesores
into assets without bulldozing your house or your wallet.
Problem number one: there's so much water in my backyard
I would need all the sand in the Sahara to dry it up! Many people
have wet, boggy places in their landscape that only seem to
grow weeds and mosquitoes. However, before you begin planning
an excursion to Africa for your sand, here are a few ideas you
could attempt first. Try to determine where the water is coming
from. You might be able to reroute the water to keep from pooling
into that one area. By keeping the water flowing through and
out of your landscape, you will make that area more useable
for your gardening whims.
Another idea for a boggy situation is to not get rid of the
water at all. Instead, create a bog garden or even a water garden
area there. After all, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. There
are quite a few plants that tolerate and even love boggy situations.
Some prime examples are bald cypress, river birch, inkberry
holly, and winterberry holly. Some water-loving perennials are
astilbe,
iris, canna, and calla lily. Forget the sand, and incorporate
a bog garden into your landscape instead.
Problem number two: my grass hasn't seen any sun in three
years and it shows. Shady situations can be a problem for many
people, especially when they're trying to grow a thick, lush
lawn. Unfortunately, turfgrass is one of those features that
needs almost full sun, so you're never going to get that lawn
growing underneath the magnolia tree. There is some good news,
though. A landscape does not necessarily need a spread of green
grass to look fantastic. If your yard is shady, you can still
work with it, and even make it look spectacular.
In the areas where it is impossible to grow grass, try a sweeping
blanket of groundcover. You are certainly not limited to english
ivy; there is a huge selection of choices out there for you.
Not only are there the plants that are marketed as groundcovers,
such as asiatic jasmine, liriope, and mondo grass -- you can
use other perennials and shrubs as well. Any flower or shrub
that stays two to three feet tall or less is fair game in groundcover
selection. This includes dwarf versions of nandina, azalea,
and cotoneaster.
If you have a big expanse of shaded areas, incorporate a shade
garden into your landscape as well. By breaking up the shady
area in this fashion, you will create different areas of interest
and keep the eye moving. You will be surprised by not only how
good your landscape will look, but also by how well it tolerates
your landscape's conditions, not to mention the less time you
will have to spend mowing your once-sparse lawn.
Problem number three: I think my landscape has aspirations
of being a cliff . . . a very rocky, steep cliff. Determining
how best to treat slopes in your landscape can be very tricky.
Even the slightest of slopes can make mowing and other maintenance
very difficult. However, you can quickly turn this landscaping
nightmare into a picturesque dream. First things first, though:
if you are having trouble maintaining a lawn on your slope,
then get rid of the lawn. Not only is it difficult to maintain,
it can be dangerous, too. You do not want to go rolling head
over heels down a slope with a running lawnmower tumbling after.
There are a few options you can utilize here instead of turfgrass.
One option that can work great whether your slope is slight
or steep is terracing. By breaking up your slope into a few
smaller ones, you help stabilize the area and create new planting
spaces. Even the material that you use to create the terraces
can add to the overall look of your landscape.
The second option is to stabilize your sloped area with plants.
There are many plants that are well-known for having a stabilizing
root system that can keep the ground from eroding away. Some
examples of these plants are groundcover-type junipers, jasmine,
loropetalum, cotoneaster, and even forsythia. You can add some
perennials to the mix as well with daylilies, liriope, and carolina
jessamine. By using tenacious plants or terracing on your slope,
not only will it keep it from eroding away and keep you from
mowing it, your slope will look fantastic as well.
More than likely, all of those wonderful landscapes with the
lush gardens that you envy started out with some of the exact
same problems that you see in your landscape now. By following
design principles and gearing your landscape to work with your
existing conditions, you will be making a huge step toward having
that same fantastic look in your very own yard. So next time
when you're out in your landscape, glance around and take a
visual survey. Imagine the potential: some of those eyesores
that you see just might turn into the best parts of your garden.
About the Author
Carrie Paulk is a professional landscape designer with Turf Tamer, Inc. She has written many informative landscaping articles for Turf Tamer's Tip of the Week program. Want to learn more landscaping tips and tricks? Go to http://www.turftamerinc.com/tip.shtm to sign up for the 'Tip of the Week' and learn more tips!
