How to choose a plant for your garden? This question may seem silly. It is not so. We will see some selection criteria. Nevertheless, the pleasure factor must be present, without supplanting the other criteria.
A plant, what for? The final destination of the plant is the first criterion. Decoration, report, privacy screen, shade, biodiversity… Let’s take the example of the tree:shade tree, fruit tree, or decorative tree. It could be all three. If it is a shrub, we have the same criteria with the addition of the separation side, privacy screen.
In the case of a flower bed, the decoration takes center stage. Then come the criteria of colors, masses, shapes…
We could also talk about the vegetable garden. Having aromatic plants that you never use may seem like heresy, unless, in full conscience, you have opted for such a plant for ecological purposes. I never use hyssop but its spikes of melliferous blue flowers attract many insects.
Choosing a plant for its ecological virtues is of great interest. Melliferous plants such as the hyssop mentioned above, seed plants for birds, green manures to enrich the soil, plants with powerful roots to loosen it... And those that pump excess water from marshy land , those that prevent slopes from collapsing thanks to their root system, and other plants that act as windbreaks.
We have decided on the plant, or at least on the type of plant to choose...
It is obvious that it is better to find out about the dimensions of the plant, height, width, and its growth rate. This is of great importance in terms of the time you will devote to maintenance, especially the sizes if necessary. Also important is the number you need to plant. For a bed of marigolds, count 25 plants per m². For Hosta, one specimen will suffice. Hedge plants follow the same pattern. The distance between two feet varies between 50 cm to more than a meter. Also pay attention to the location, there are full sun plants and others preferring shade.
The minimum temperatures indicated in catalogs and other specialized books should be taken into account with caution. If a cold snap does not kill the plant, it can harm it every year. And some plants considered frost-prone in your area can grow without worries because your garden has a favorable ecosystem... But as a general rule, don't take any risks and choose a plant that can withstand the vagaries of the climate in your area.
It will also be necessary to take into account the root system, deep or tracing of the trees, the fact that the leaves fall in autumn for the deciduous, that the fruits require a hint of maintenance. But that's not all...
A plant can be the most beautiful in the world, the one that makes you capsize towards a feeling of well-being, its location can ruin everything! A plant gives off – and it is sometimes very subtle! - an ambiance; rural, mountain, seaside, desert, lush… and therefore, it is fashionable to combine plants that give off the same atmosphere. Cedar and palm side by side border on bad taste!
All that remains is to choose from your favorite seller THE plant. It must have a container of a size proportional to the height of the plant. Shrubs that do not stand on their own indicate over-tightening or excessive nitrogen fertilizer forcing. The roots should contain a root ball – the soil does not escape from the pot if you remove it – but without coming out of the pot, which would show a container that is too small. In general, it is better to choose a low plant in a container with a high volume than the reverse. To be clearer, for the same plant size, prefer a 1.5 liter pot rather than an 8 bucket, a 5 or 7 liter container instead of a 3 liter. The volume of roots is greater there and the recovery is faster.
You can continue reading about choosing a tree here
All you have to do is treat yourself and enjoy your garden while dreaming...
