Tree planting is about visualising an end result and then having the energy and patience to make it a reality. It’s also about thinking before you plant.
The benefits of trees are well-known. They clean the air, which allows us to breathe, they prevent soil erosion with their strong roots, protect against wind, and shade us against the sun. Trees are equally important to wildlife as they are a source of food and a place of shelter.
The emotional value of trees is important too. Mature trees play an anchoring and peaceful role in a world that often scares us! Generously treed neighbourhoods make us feel safer, and are also quieter. Trees’ economical value is also acknowledged, and trend forecasters claim that well-chosen and cared for trees add value to properties, and that consumers tend to spend more money on consumables traded in treed streets.
Before you buy
Trees are important design elements in any garden and supply the framework around which you plant your garden. But if you choose the wrong tree they can cause damage, and great heartache if they have to be removed after years of nurturing. Planting a tree for its mature beauty should carry equal weight to the immediate purpose. Consider the following points:
If you already have trees in your garden that please you, it is much easier to choose new trees to plant. Keep to the species that are happy in your garden and climate, and rather keep to a limited variety of favourites.
Remember the concept of ‘borrowed landscape’. If your neighbour has lovely evergreen trees that can be seen in the background, you might need to only plant smaller, flowering trees, or those with an interesting but controlled growth habit.
Obtain a copy of your property’s site plan to enable you to see exactly where underground cables and water pipes are, as these can be damaged by tree roots.
Denne historien er fra July 2017-utgaven av The Gardener.
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Denne historien er fra July 2017-utgaven av The Gardener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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FIRE AND Feathers!
On a dreary winter's day, a screen of fiery and feathery leaves puts up a fight against dullness!
GET THE ladies in!
At this time of year, early-flowering shrubs vie with each other to get the most attention. We say: Trust those with female names for frills and butterflies. They go the extra mile to flower their hearts out.
Vegetable Soups and dumplings
Vegetables make the most delicious soups and classic combinations are always a winner.
Yummy sweet potatoes for your good health
Boiled, baked or braaied, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are a delicious and healthy winter comfort food. Just a dollop of butter, a little seasoning and you are good to go.
Pretty and functional
If cooking is your main thing, you would probably be more interested in the culinary value of the three herbs and some of their varieties we are describing.
Dried Seedheads & Pods
Autumn and winter are the best times to see what flowers produce the best seedheads that can be left on the plants to feed the birds and bugs and for harvesting for dried arrangements.
SO MANY FACES and so many choices...
Whoever associated a Cotyledon orbiculata (pig's ear) with the ear of a pig obviously did not know about all the varieties and cultivars this species in the genus Cotyledon has.
COLOURFUL Cold Weather WINNERS!
If it comes to a vote, these dependable shrubs will be the top candidates for prime performance in winter and in other seasons...
What makes a garden sustainable?
It is interesting to note that the United Nations defines sustainable development as: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Nurturing NATURE-The Story of Kraal Garden's Transformation
Nestled within Prince Albert's rustic embrace lies a gem that is a testament to the transformative power of human vision and nature's bounty.