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Landscaping To Complement Architecture And Minimize Maintenance
The more modern a building is in design, the fewer plants are likely to be required for the front foundation planting. Most buildings of this type are attractive in themselves so the only real reason for using any plants at all is to soften the vertical lines. By keeping this in mind you will considerably reduce the cost of your landscaping.
Ground Cover
It is advisable to use plenty of ground cover material under the foundation planting for three reasons: first, it prevents mud from splashing up onto your home; second, it ties one plant to another which may be quite a distance away by providing a green carpet between them; and, third, it adds another long horizontal line to the picture.
A ground cover also makes it unnecessary to cultivate and weed the shrub beds. And when mowing adjacent grass, if you run the mower along the edge of the ground cover, you will not have to trim the grass by hand. This is an age when anything that cuts down the maintenance of a property is in order. And, if you do employ a gardener, he will have to devote much less time to the maintenance work if your garden is designed properly.
Blank Wall Spaces
A common mistake in the past was the attempt to cover all blank wall spaces with plants. Only under the rare circumstance in which a building is admittedly ugly is it necessary to cover all blank walls; and perhaps not always then.
An architect, in designing a home, may use large wall areas to obtain a certain desired effect. If the owner tries to conceal them with plants he not only spoils the intended architectural effect but wastes money as well.
Avoid Plants under Windows
The long practiced but really unnecessary habit of placing plants under windows is also to be frowned upon. We have urged locating plants where vertical house lines meet the ground. But the vertical lines of windows, even picture windows, do not do this. Again, we must train ourselves to refrain from this practice even though we have long been accustomed to seeing it done on many properties.
Instead of copying what others have done, you should use your head when landscaping your property. Originality in carrying out ideas will keep your home from looking exactly like the one next door, even though the same landscaping principles were followed in developing both.
About the Author There is much more to explore on a variety of subjects like rock landscape design. Today you too can take advantage of our years of experience, visit www.plant-care.com.
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