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PLANT
SELECTION
It would be great if we all had our landscapes designed
by a professional with many years of experience and the wisdom that comes
with that. Unfortunately such people are few in number and expensive
to hire. So most of us will wind up designing our landscapes using what
knowledge we have gained from our own experience and that of our friends
and relatives. Most of us will also tend to copy the landscapes we see
in our neighborhood.This seems to be a sensible and cost effective method
of providing a home landscape that is acceptable among our peers.
Trouble is that most of our friends, neighbors, and relatives are not skilled
in cutting edge landscape techniques or horticulture. So they continue to plant
the same tired old plant selection. They continue to repeat the same old design
with the lawn as the major focus, a tree or two planted squarely in the middle,
and a row of tightly clipped evergreens stretching from corner to corner against
the house. Thankfully this old routine has begun to slowly evolve into landscaping
that involves less lawn (or no lawn in some cases) and a more practical plant
selection that requires less pruning, less fertilizer or chemical support, and
above all, less water.
 Homeowners today are demanding low maintenance landscaping. Perhaps the most
critical factor in providing this is selecting plants that are best suited to
our environment. However if you watch what these same homeowners purchase on
their own you will find that the plants they bought were selected for one reason
only.........they looked good at the nursery. Ask any person in the nursery business
and they will tell you, "If it doesn't look good, it won't sell." Very
few people are willing to purchase a plant on merit alone. If it is the least
bit scraggly or bare branched it will be passed over. The perfect dense leaved
varieties that have been the mainstay of the old high maintenance landscapes
of the past remain popular on the basis of looks alone.
A good example of this is the desert willow. This native of western Texas and
Mexico enjoyed popularity in your grandmother's time (say 60 to 80 years ago).
Once the general public decided that any tree worthy of purchase must have a
straight trunk and closely resemble a big lollipop, this beautiful but typically
crooked tree fell by the wayside. Desert willow as a young tree resembles a wiry,
scraggly, crooked shrub rather than a tree. After a few years of growth it finally
does stand up and develop a nice (but usually still crooked) multi-trunked tree
form. Desert willow is making a strong come back among today's homeowners because
of several very desirable attributes. First of all it requires no extra water
other than rainfall once established. It grows fast so one doesn't have to wait
long for shade, but the most exceptional quality and saving grace is the flower.
The large trumpet flowers ranging from white, to pink, or maroon usually appear
the first year of growth. The bloom period lasts typically from May through October
and at times is very showy. Still the nurseryman must be able to explain all
this to convince the buyer to purchase this scraggly young seedling. Even then,
the customer will select the straightest one in the bunch even though they were
just told (by a professional) that the crooked ones make the most interesting
specimens.
It is strange but so very true that when we shop for plants we let our eyes make
the final decision. We all have a concept what pretty is and conversely what
ugly is. This is a natural response. We can be taught to appreciate the beauty
that others see but have a hard time learning to like it ourselves. In order
to make good plant choices sometimes we must force our eyeballs to take a back
seat and let our common sense prevail. Sure that specimen may look great now,
but will it eventually get too large for the space we intend to use it in? Sure
you could cut it back but pruning often is high maintenance, isn't it?
 The following are some of the things that should be considered as you plan your
landscape. These points are extremely important to achieve that goal of low maintenance
that most of us say we want.
1. Weather- This is the absolute most critical factor to consider when selecting
plants. The plants should be capable of surviving not just the "average" weather
we expect but the extremes as well. Study the weather records in your area to
learn just how hot, cold, wet, or dry it has been. Understand that these extremes
can and almost certainly will occur again.
2. Exposure- The slope of your land, presence of water (rivers and creeks, lakes
and ponds), trees, building structures, and even large rocks create micro-climates
that have a great effect on plant selection. Is your home on a hilltop or down
in a wooded valley? What direction do the prevailing winds blow? Plants dry out
quickly in areas exposed to wind. Choose accordingly. Place a thermometer on
the sunny south side of the house then place it on the shady north side. On any
given day this experiment can show you the wide range of temperatures the plants
in those locations must endure. Paying attention to exposure and micro-climate
greatly increases the number of plant species you can choose and their success
in surviving.
3. Soil- Soil is usually the first thing people tend to blame when a plant dies
(actually most plant deaths are attributed to weather instead). Know your soil
type and select plants that can grow in it. While it is relatively easy to improve
a small area (say for a vegetable garden or bedding plants) it becomes increasingly
harder to improve large areas. Large plants like trees and shrubs have extensive
root systems that quickly grow well beyond the holes we plant them in. Better
to choose your plants to fit your soil rather than attempt to change the soil.
A soil test is a very good way to understand your particular soil and what is
or is not in it as far as minerals and nutrients are concerned.
4. Drainage- Along with soil type you will learn of another critical factor called
drainage. This refers to how quickly water percolates through your soil. As you
read nursery tags or study plant books and catalogs, you will find that most
plants are recommended to be planted in "well drained" soil. There is
a good reason that you see so many of these plants in the nursery trade. That
is because most plants are grown in pots with drain holes so they lend themselves
perfectly to this culture. Remember that plants have to "look good" to
sell. Does this mean that if you are plagued with tight clays, caliche, or have
an underlying shelf of solid rock that you can't have a nice landscape? Certainly
not. Although raised beds can be built and are a good way to insure drainage,
you will find that nature provides plants for all situations. There are a good
number of plants that can grow in tight soils or boggy conditions. It will take
a bit more study to learn about these versatile plants and possibly a bit of
searching to find a nursery that sells them but that is way more cost effective
than having to build raised beds for everything.
5. Mature size- Still the number one mistake made by novice landscapers and even
professionals lacking in experience. Plants are chosen and arranged paying strict
attention to color, texture, and growth form. The finished landscape looks great
the first year. Somewhere around the third year some plants will begin to swallow
others, it becomes apparent that the bed isn't wide enough, or we find ourselves
having to constantly shear off new growth that seems determined to block the
view from the window or grow into the eaves of our house. What comes to mind
immediately is topiary. You know those shrubs we see that are clipped into spirals
or "poodles" that you find so many new homes will display on either
side of the front door or in those little squares the builder left on either
side of the garage? If more people realized that these topiary are fashioned
from shrubs capable of growing quite large (some are actually small trees) we
probably wouldn't see so many planted. Again we let our eyes get the better of
us. Topiary look great and are fine for people who really enjoy pruning. The
rest of us should pass on this temptation.
There are many other factors that come into play when designing a low maintenance
landscape but plant selection is the most critical. All of us are aware of our
favorite colors, shapes, and texture. There surely are trees, shrubs, grasses,
and flowering plants that you will find attractive that are capable of surviving
local weather extremes. They may be different from the ones chosen by your mom
and dad back in the 1950's. Back then water was cheap and few of us had a clue
about the problems we would eventually face regarding chemical pesticides and
fertilizers. They also had us kids to help with the mowing, weeding, and pruning.
Back then, most of the plants we used were exotic species collected from foreign
countries. Most were not native to the United States let alone Texas. Some of
these exotics managed to adapt and survive our environment very well. However,
many could not survive without our extra help. Visit your old neighborhoods today
to see what has withstood the test of time.
When you ask the question, "Will this plant survive in my soil, exposure,
and climate once it becomes established?" You will find the best choices
are your local native plant species. These guys have withstood every drought,
flood, and cold winter we've had in many hundreds (or in some cases thousands)
of years. Although they may be the latest thing to show up at your local nursery
or neighborhood, they are nature's oldest and best solution. Today's cutting
edge low maintenance landscape will utilize mostly native plants. With literally
thousands to choose from, it shouldn't be too hard to find some that will be
perfect for your needs. Likely some of these will look a bit scraggly in their
nursery containers, but that doesn't mean they won't grow to be excellent landscape
specimens. It just means they don't respond well to nursery culture. Survival
in Texas often calls for deep and wide reaching root systems. That's hard to
do when you are only allowed a one gallon pot to grow in. |
