Book V Sustainable Landscaping in Visual Studio .NET

Drawing QR Code in Visual Studio .NET Book V Sustainable Landscaping

Ornamental grasses make great specimen plants, ground covers, and mass plantings They even grow in containers Mixing grasses with perennials and shrubs gives a natural feel to your landscaping (Most wild plant communities have a grassy element) Here are some basic considerations for working grasses into your plantings: Cool and uncool grasses: Grasses fall into two categories: cool season (which are most active when temperatures are low) and warm season (which do better in that other time of year) Mix cool and warm season grasses for year-round interest Winter brings a fourth season of beauty to many grasses if you wait until spring to cut them back Runners and clumpers: Running grasses spread, often vigorously, by underground shoots; they can be handy for erosion control, but many of them can get out of hand quickly and become a nuisance Clumping grasses hang out in one place and don t get in anybody s face; they re easier to live with

Light: With a few exceptions, grasses like full sun, so plan on using them in open areas where they get at least half a day of the stuff In shadier areas, try grass-like rushes and sedges Special effects: Exploit the unique charms of grasses their fountainlike growth habit, the graceful way they move and rustle in the wind, the way morning and afternoon light settles in the foliage Plant grasses to the west of a bench or patio for a wonderful back-lit sunset show Use the showy blooms in flower arrangements Plant a tall specimen grass where you want an eye-catching vertical element Soil stabilization: Take advantage of the extensive root system of grasses to knit unstable soil together

Choose your grasses well and give them an appropriate home, and you shouldn t have much trouble with them Here s a rundown of tasks: Watering: Know the water needs of your grasses Many are quite happy with rainfall alone, but some need supplemental irrigation Even drought-tolerant grasses can take wet soils if need be, but they often grow too lush and floppy and lose much of their charm in wet soil Overwatered grasses may end up being short-lived, too Wet the soil to a depth of 12 to 18 inches at each irrigation, and water as seldom as you can get away with Fertilizing: Most grasses don t need to be fertilized, and, in fact, overly fertile conditions encourage weak growth Especially avoid excess nitrogen, which produces lush foliage to the point where it can be a problem Pests and diseases: Overwatering and overcrowding can encourage diseases, but absent those conditions, you should have no problems Gophers eat grasses from below ground, and other critters will browse on your grasses from time to time; remember that grasses are here for just that purpose and can t be hurt by a little grazing, so chill out and let the other species have their fun, too Weed control: Pull young weeds, roots and all, carefully out of the grass clump Wetting down the ground first helps a lot Don t let the weeds get too big or you end up lifting and dividing the grass just to get the weeds out, or removing it altogether Cutting back: Some grasses can go along for years with no pruning, but most look better (and be safer in a fire) if you cut them back hard annually in early spring You may also want to try combing dead foliage out with the hands (wear gloves) Meadows can be mowed or grazed if you happen to have a few head of cattle around

Vines have a special place in the landscape The form they take can be useful, especially when you need plants for small or narrow spaces But they can also be problematic, growing into trees and invading spaces not meant for them Using vines well can result in a richer garden environment; misusing them can cause grief Vines developed as a way to exploit limited sunlight in forested, mostly tropical, environments where trees beat small plants to the light Vines tolerate shade when young and scramble quickly to the tops of the trees to get to the sun, spreading out as soon as they reach the canopy All vines compete with their host trees, and some, like the strangler fig of tropical rainforests, ultimately kill the tree and become one themselves by developing huge trunks and branches Some introduced vines, such as the famous kudzu in the southern United States, have become a severe problem with no solution in sight If all this domination by vine sounds kind of violent, or at least rude, it is Natural isn t always gentle Properly chosen and planted in a suitable location, the right vine can be just the ticket for special garden needs Vines need more trimming than other plants, but sometimes that s a small price to pay to get a lot of function Here are some tips for using vines without risk: Conceal and cover: Make use of vines to cover fences where you don t have space for a hedge Plant them on walls to help insulate the house and conceal bad architecture Send them over the hill to control erosion Climbing styles: Some vines twine around their support, others hold on using small tendrils that wrap around wire or the stems of other plants, and still others stick to the side of your house with little holdfasts that look like teeny lizard s feet Some just sprawl Choose a vine type that will grow on the support you plan to offer it Holdfasts, by the way, are well named; they can be nearly impossible to get off if you want to paint Evergreen or deciduous: Some vines hold their leaves all year; others lose them in winter Choose one of the former kinds if you need consistent coverage for screening purposes Speaking of support: Make it strong, since mature vines can be surprisingly heavy A building will do, as long as you re willing to keep the vine trimmed away from eaves and openings where it may cause damage Install horizontal stainless steel wires on fences and hand-train the vines onto them Make trellises out of natural materials, such as the whip-like branches pruned from deciduous fruit trees