Choosing the right plants for your new landscape.

Agastache x ‘Acapulco Salmon & Pink’
Item # 11829 		Agastache 'Acapulco Salmon & Pink' (USPP 16,023)
Acapulco Salmon & Pink Hummingbird Mint

each $7.99
3 to 6 plants $7.79
7 or more $7.59
Buchloe dactyloides 'Legacy®'Buffalo Grass
Item # 27050 		Buchloe dactyloides Legacy®
Legacy® Buffalo Grass

1 to 3 flats $44.95
4 to 12 flats $42.95
13 to 24 flats $40.95
25 or more $38.95
Agave parryi
Item # 12753 		Agave parryi
Parry's Century Plant, Flagstaff form

each $6.99
3 to 6 plants $6.79
7 or more $6.59
Fallugia paradoxa
Item # J1450 		Fallugia paradoxa
Apache Plume

Each $14.99
3 to 6 Plants $14.79
7 or more $14.59
Castilleja integra
Item # 30805 		Castilleja integra
Orange Indian Paint Brush

each $12.99
3 or more $12.79
Muhlenbergia reverchonii
Item # 71138 		Muhlenbergia reverchonii
Autumn Embers Muhly Grass

each $8.99
3 to 6 plants $8.79
7 or more $8.59
Mahonia haematocarpa
Item # 69435 		Mahonia haematocarpa
Red Berry Mahonia

each $7.99
3 to 6 plants $7.79
7 or more $7.59
Delosperma congestum 'Gold Nugget'
Item # 39715 		Delosperma congestum 'Gold Nugget'
Gold Nugget Ice Plant

each $5.49
3 to 6 plants $5.29
7 or more $4.99
  • Topic: Garden Design
  • Author: Mary Ann Walz
  • Keywords: design, perennials, choosing plants, lawns, Starting from Scratch – Plant Selection, Starting from Scratch – Plant Selection, Garden Design, gardens
  • Date: January 2004

© All articles are copyrighted by High Country Gardens. Republication is prohibited without Permission.

This is the third part of a series on starting a landscape from scratch, and may be the most fun—choosing the plants for that beautiful landscape you have in mind. The perennials and shrubs in our catalog can be a substantial part of the formula, but not the total solution because you will also need some trees, both deciduous and evergreen.

  • Plant Selection—This aspect of gardening is best done with some preliminary research. There are numerous ways to find plants [see accompanying article] that will do well in your area and in the particular location you want to landscape. When designing your landscape, it’s wise to consider first the vertical aspects such as trees and shrubs along with medium height and shorter plants.
  • Trees—Trees are going to be the most expensive plants because of their larger size. But they provide shade and bird habitat in the landscape and form the backbone of a landscape. Trees have long lives and can get huge so select carefully, and place thoughtfully. Native species are always a sure bet. Look around your city or region to get ideas for the best adaptive (non-native) species that thrive in your climate. A 5-gallon tree might be 6 feet tall when purchased but it may get to 60 feet at maturity. So don’t plant it where you only want something 10-feet tall. And don’t forget fruit trees. Not only do they add interest, but a source of fun eating.
  • Conifers—Conifers, whether full size or dwarf, provide yearlong interest in the landscape because they don’t loose their needles. Do be careful in the selection for your space and the placement in your design. Conifers can be especially problematic with getting too big for the given space. Drive around a bit and see how some magnificent Blue Spruce trees can totally consume a small front yard. Instead, plant grafted dwarf cultivars that stay small and won’t out grow their site.

Helpful Hint: Be careful of placing trees over water and sewer lines, septic tanks, leach fields or too close to foundations and sidewalks.

  • Shrubs—These are woody plants that usually increase in size by growing new wood from old wood or by growing new stems from the base. Some shrubs are trimmed to have special shapes or can be limbed up to resemble a small tree. Shrubs typically compose the medium height element in landscapes. They should also be used to create living fences and provide shelter and food for wildlife. Again, native species are always a good choice for your most difficult planting spots. But many adaptive species and cultivars of shrub roses, lilacs and many others are also an indispensable element of any well planned landscape.
  • Perennials and Ornamental Grasses—Most perennials and ornamental grasses are herbaceous (non-woody) plants, and die back to the ground in winter and then emerge again the following spring. Some perennials and grasses are evergreen (keep their leaves all year). Perennials differ from annuals by usually having a particular season of bloom. Some bloom for a week, others for several months. Perennials and ornamental grasses can withstand the rigors of harsh climates the most successfully of all the plant groups mentioned. They should be used as a landscape’s most conspicuous element for color and texture.
  • Food Crops—Vegetable patches can be separate or part your ornamental landscape. I like to use Rhubarb as a perennial accent plant. Its large leaves and showy bloom are an added bonus to its edible stalks. A few other food crops I often include in perennial beds are strawberries, asparagus (very delicate, fernlike foliage), and culinary herbs.
  • Annuals—Annuals are plants that complete their life cycle in a year or less. Seed germinates, the plant grows, blooms, sets seed and dies. Annuals typically have profuse blooms that last most of the summer. They are especially useful as spots of color to fill empty spaces or as container plantings.
  • Container Plants—Containers can be used to create color or plantings on patios, porches, or within the garden itself. You can use annuals, perennials, small shrubs and dwarf conifers. Even ornamental grasses can be grown in containers. Containers prove a good place to test plants that might be marginal in your climate.
  • Lawns or Lawn Alternatives—Do you want a lawn? If so, will it get lots of hard use from children or pets? Consider using a native grass such as Buffalo grass or Blue Grama grass. They use up to 75% less water than a typical Kentucky Blue grass lawn. You might also consider an alternative like thyme for a groundcover in a small space. More open areas are suitable for a short grass prairie look combining native grasses with wildflowers. Next fall, you can add some wildflower bulbs for early spring interest.

Once you have determined the overall placement of plants in your landscape, you can start looking at our catalog for the perennials and shrubs that will best compliment your taste and climate. When selecting, consider plant groupings. I prefer at least three rather than single specimens of many different plants. Many of the following books have groupings that work well together and will make your landscape look like home.