When it comes to selecting plants for your garden or deciding on a suitable plant palette for your landscape design project, there are three key considerations to keep in mind. The Department of Horticulture has developed a coding system to assign the numbers of the specification elements for the planting of trees and other vegetation. With a good site evaluation and a good selection of plants, woody ornamentals can thrive and improve the landscape for many years to come. While sapling plantations may work in larger restoration projects, they are generally not the best choice for managed private or commercial landscapes. When choosing a tree species, it is essential to take into account its size and shape, origin, and mature conditions.
A smaller conical, columnar, or vase-shaped tree is usually more suitable for the location and requires less maintenance. Deciduous trees are a versatile, attractive, and dynamic element for use in any landscape design because they provide numerous benefits. By considering these factors, you can help ensure that the tree or shrub you plant grows and functions as desired. Many trees grow slowly, so you will have to wait years to reap the benefits of planting them. The distance to the site is also an important factor to consider when planting trees.
Keep in mind that this calculation is simply a good “guess” and assumes that the planted tree was selected using all three criteria above. Choosing the right plant for the right location is an important consideration for all types of gardening. In addition to plant selection, proper planting practices and grouping trees and shrubs according to their water, fertilizer, and maintenance needs will go a long way in ensuring good plant health. Remember that the beautiful specimens of mature trees you see in historic neighborhoods and in landscape photography would never have reached their full potential if they had been planted in poorly matched locations. When landscape architects choose a tree, they look at the different characteristics that a tree shows throughout all seasons. When planting near public services such as power lines, be sure to pick up small trees that won't interfere with the cables at their maximum height.
Alternatively, if you plant large trees, be sure to place them far enough back so that they don't grow inside the cables. The red lines on the right show how the tree has been trimmed to allow pedestrians to access the sidewalk without the low branches of the trees preventing them from doing so.
