Landscape trees
A tree is a tall plant with one strong trunk and a crown of leaves. In a landscape, trees do many jobs. They give shade, cool the air, block wind, hide ugly views and make a tall frame for the whole garden.
Trees are chosen by their features: final height, shape of the crown (round, spreading, narrow), whether leaves fall in winter (deciduous) or stay all year (evergreen), flowers or fruit, and how fast they grow. A narrow tree suits a small yard. A wide tree suits a big park.
Ground-cover plants
Ground-cover plants are low plants, usually below knee height, that spread to cover the soil like a green carpet. Lawn grass is the best-known one. Others are creeping herbs and low shrubs.
Why use them? They hide bare soil, stop soil being washed away, keep weeds out, keep the ground cooler and look neat. They are very useful on slopes and under trees where grass struggles. Their features are: low height, quick spreading, tough roots and easy care.
Flowers used in landscaping
Flowers give colour. Designers plant them in flower beds, borders and pots. They are chosen by colour, bloom time and height.
Some flowers are annuals: they live for one season and are replaced (for example marigold). Others are perennials: they come back every year. Choosing flowers that bloom in different months keeps colour in the garden all year.
Using the three together
A good planting has layers: trees on top, shrubs or tall flowers in the middle, low cover and flowers at the bottom. Each kind of plant does what it does best, so the garden is shady, green and colourful at once.
Key formulas and definitions
- Tree = tall, gives shade, forms the frame
- Ground cover = low, spreads, covers soil, stops weeds
- Flowers = colour, show the season
- Deciduous = loses leaves in a season; Evergreen = keeps leaves all year
- Annual = one season; Perennial = returns every year
Worked examples
1. A school wants a cool place to sit in the playground. Which kind of plant should it choose?
A tree. Trees give shade and cool the air. Choose a spreading tree with a wide crown.
2. A slope behind the library keeps washing away in the rain and grass does not grow well. Which plants help?
Ground-cover plants. Their spreading roots hold the soil and their leaves hide it from the rain.
3. A gardener wants colour in a small bed all year. How should flowers be chosen?
Choose flowers that bloom in different months, and mix annuals for quick colour with perennials that return each year.
4. A planter puts a tall tree in front of a bed of low flowers. What goes wrong and how is it fixed?
The tree hides the flowers and its shade may stop them blooming. Put tall plants at the back and low ones in front, and give flowers sun.
Common mistakes
- Thinking ground cover means only lawn grass. Many low creeping plants are ground cover too.
- Putting tall plants in front of short ones, so the short ones are hidden.
- Choosing a tree only by how it looks when small, and forgetting its full-grown height and spread.
- Thinking flowers are only for decoration. They also feed bees and butterflies.