The Proper Placement Of Plants Enhances Their Beauty

The proper placement of plants is a critical aspect of gardening. Do your homework, particularly before choosing long-lived perennial plants like trees, shrubs or bushes. Be aware of how tall and wide they will be once mature and what light, water and soil conditions they need. Consider carefully where they will be placed in relation to other features on or near your property such as buildings, water mains and power lines. You don't want to block visibility from your windows or for traffic approaching intersections.

Another consideration is whether there will be children or pets playing nearby. You'll want to be careful where to place thorny or potentially poisonous plants, including roses or lilies-of-the-valley.

In a flower bed, the border should be deep enough to accommodate three different kinds of plants, with the tallest in back and shortest in front. Bloom times are another consideration; perennials typically only bloom for two to four weeks a season, so you'll want to disperse plants to maintain a continuous floral display throughout the garden rather than have long stretches with nothing of interest in bloom. Plants should also be grouped together according to their light and water requirements.

This may seem like a lot of research to have to bear in mind, but it'll pay off in the long run. You won't have to be continually pruning plants just to keep them within bounds. Expensive perennials won't die because you've situated them in the wrong spot or have to be moved once mature because you've planted them too closely together. If your flower beds seem too sparse before the perennials reach maturity, you can fill in the blank areas with annuals for a long-lasting burst of color.