31 FEATURES OF LANDSCAPE GARDEN AND GARDENING PLANTS

P. Sudha

FEATURES OF LANDSCAPE GARDEN AND GARDENING PLANTS Introduction:

Growing ornamental plants to decorate indoor and outdoor area is called landscape gardening. Gardening is one of the most important division in horticulture. Landscape garden is a place where ornamental plants are grown with non- living elements mainly for recreation . Landscape garden is a planned place where people can relax and enjoy. Garden is created both natural and man-made materials. A Garden helps us to maintain clean and beautiful surroundings and also gives us a regular exercise. Foliage plants, flowering annuals, biennials, perennials, climbers, succulents, cacti, palms, ferns, etc., are grown in gardens to have a good scenery in these places. Gardening improves the aesthetic value of the locations. The common forms of garden are public gardens, fruit garden, vegetable garden and residential garden. Among all of these landscape garden increase the peace, beauty of the surroundings.

Objectives

• Landscape facilitate to gain precise knowledge regarding materials, practices planning of garden etc.,
• To understand the importance of plants in landscape gardening
• To learn the principles of landscape gardening have a knowledge regarding different garden elements and adornments

Planning a Landscape Garden

While Planning a garden the following points should be taken into consideration.

•  Climatic consideration
• Type of soil
• Design style
• Care and maintenance

1.  Climatic Considerations

• The annual rainfall, temperature, frost, etc. should be considered while making a design of gardens. City is usually warmer and more sheltered all year round than the rural areas. Coastal regions are vulnerable to salt – laden winds. So suitable plants should be selected according to the general climate of the area.

2.  Soil Considerations

•  Plant growth essentially depends on soil type, drainage, soil texture and soil pH. Therefore, the soil should be surveyed properly before choosing plants to grow in the area.

3.  Design Considerations

•   While designing a garden its immediate surrounding is considered rather than in isolation. A more detailed plan may be drawn, showing good and bad views, the direction of prevailing winds, and shelter.
•  If there is frequent noise, it should be checked by growing evergreen trees along the margin of the garden. The garden should be viewed from the street or from the front door of the house. The existing area should be minimum but enriched with plants.
• Foundation areas should be allotted for attractive shrubs and herbaceous perennials because these areas receive primary attention of viewers.
• Outdoor living areas should be away from the garden, especially on either sides of the house. They should be separated from the garden by erecting fences or shrubs.

4.  Maintenance Considerations

• All gardens, even if informal or wild, need some care and attention to keep them in good condition. Before deciding on a design, be realistic about the man power required for making the garden. Choose the plants that need less care.
•  In South INDIA, home landscapes are planned to provide enough shade to the home lands because light intensity is high in this area. Further, the home land is judiciously assigned for outdoor living, vehicle parking, children play and others to avoid the interference of the garden area. Separate areas are also allotted for growing sacred flowers, vegetable gardening and flowers for personal decorations.

Planting Operations

The planting operations involve the following steps:

1.      Hedges and edges are planted in linear system.

2.      Trees are planted in square system or rectangular system or hexagonal system or diagonal system or triangular system.

3.      Boarders are grown along the sides of foot paths.

4.      Arche is erected at the entrance of the garden.

5.      Pergolas are created over the foot path.

6.      Rockery is created at an elevated place.

7.      Shrubs, flower beds and lawn are grown at suitable locations in the garden.

8.      Climbers and creepers are planted near the walls, pillars, arches and pergolas and allowed to grow over them.

9.      A greenhouse is constructed in a suitable location in the garden.

10.  Sunken garden is established in natural depression.

11.  Water garden is established in water pools.

12.  Trophy is made on slopes.

13.  Ground forms, structures and plants should be organized into a pleasing composition.

14.  Shade trees should be planted in suitable places to protect shade loving plants in the garden.

Styles of Landscape garden:

There are two different basic styles

·        Formal style

·        Informal style

Formal Style garden:

The elements are arranged in a very formal way. This is also called as Moghul style .Formal gardens is a perfect symmetry in the design.

The main features of formal garden are

• The layout is symmetric  and     roads cut at right angles.
•  Enclosure or boundary around the garden.
• Flowerbeds are geometric design
• Fountain, pools, cascade are main elements.
• The seasonal flowerbeds are in geometrical patterns. The flowers include jasmine, carnation, hollyhock etc.,
• Baradari is a important feature in formal garden. It is aarbour – like stone and masonry with a roof and raised platform for sitting.
• These gardens are created around a Tomb or Mosque
• The main disadvantage of formal garden is suitable for government and large buildings. Present day home gardens can be laid out in frontage.

Informal Style

The elements are arranged in informal way. The garden looks very natural. This is also called as British style of landscape gardening. There is no symmetry any where in the informal style. Also there is no repetition. Elements like umbrellas, seats, cascade, rockery, water pool, etc are used.

The features are

•  Natural
• Asymmetric
• Irregular arrangement of water bodies
• Have no trimmed plants or the borders
• The paths are curved or wavy
• Waterfalls, lakes, rocks, huts, and umbrella are scattered
•  No restriction in the arrangements of garden elements and adornments.

Features of Landscape Garden

•  Extensive modern garden is usually make up of the following features.
• Lawn
• Shrubs and Shrubberies
• Climbers and Creepers
•  Trees
•   Flower beds and borders
• Ornamental hedges
•  Drives, roads, walks and paths
•  Carpet beds
• Topiary
• Trophy
• Fern and fernery
• Sunken garden
•  Garden adornment

1.    Lawn

• A lawn is an inseparable part of a good home garden.
• It provides a natural setting for the growing flowers and shrubs like a canvas for painting a picture.
• Lawn is a permanent picture in both formal and informal garden.
• Shape of a lawn may be regular or irregular. The most popular regular shape is rectangular. An irregular shape, unequal in length and breadth.
• The grass planted in the garden should be thick and good green colour, without any weeds.
• Lawn is an important features of garden. Without lawn the garden is incomplete
• A lawn is an area of closely – cut grasses in the garden.
• The grasses are very short in size and longer grasses are cut by the help of lawn movers.
• Hence, the lawn referred to as green carpet.
• Lawn helps to increase the beauty of the garden.
• Shrubs, trees, flower beds and borders form the suitable background of the lawn.

Methods of lawn making

Common methods of making lawn are

• Dibbling grass roots
• Sowing seeds
• Turfing

For making lawn the following points should be taken into account

• Selection of site
• Preparation of soil
• Raising of grass
•  Mowing
• Watering
• Weeding
• Top dressing
• Tree Planting

Grasses Useful for Lawn

• Hariyali
• Buffalo grass
• Chain grass
• Blue grass
• Japan grass
• Doob grass
• Dwarf bermuda grass
• Kenya grass, Korean grasses and Hybrid Bermuda grasses
• Astroturf is a synthetic lawn made from synthetic fibres.

2.Shrubs and Shrubberies

• Shrubs offer a wide variety of colour, shape, size and adaptability.
• A shrub, like a tree may be grown as a focus if attention in a lawn or rockery.
• Shrubs are much branched woody perennials which have no central trunk.
• Shrubs are smaller than trees.
• Branches are grown in all sides and cover the centre portion of the plants.
• Shrubs are planned at the corners of the garden and trimmed at regular intervals to a particulars height.
• They also form border of footpaths
• In formal gardens, the shrub border is created with more than two kinds of shrubs. Such a shrub grow is called shrubbery or shrub – border.
• Dense foliage and bright coloured flower shrubs are create charming, excellent beauty to the landscape garden.
• The shrubs may be evergreen or deciduous.

The important shrubs used are

•  Aralia elegantissima
•   Aralia papyrifera
•   Manoranjitham
•   Baloon Plant
•   Umbrella Plant
•   Cassia Alater
•  Cape Jasmine
• May Flowe
•   Shrubs are always resistant to pest and diseases

3.  Climbers and Creepers

 

• Climbers and creepers are an essential part of garden designing.
• Climbers  may  be  annual  like  morning  glory  or canary creeper or perennial like bougainvilla or rambler roses.
• Climbers and creepers are used to grow against over walls, trellises, arches, pergolas, arbour, pillars or large trees.
• These are light or heavy depending on its woody nature.
• They spread over the structure or land by their rootlets, hooks, tendrils etc.
•  Pretty ornamental climbers and creepers display their dazzling beauty while blooming
• hey may be shady or semi – shady location or for sunny location.
• A combination of climbers blooming successively or simultaneously can create a delightful effect.
• Climbers provide a beautiful backdrop for the water garden.
• Climbers are an excellent cover material and act as insulators for the green house.

The following ornamental climbers and creepers are suitable for growing in landscape garden are

v  Bignomaceae

v   Attamanda

v   Polygonaceae

v   Dutchman’s Pipe

v   Paper flower or Bougainvilla

v   Railway Creeper

v   Different Species of Jasminum

v   Passion Flower

v   Purple Wreath

v   Rangoon Creeper

v   Money Plant

v   Goose – foot plant

·         Layering, root or stem cutting are the propagation methods for cultivating climbers and creepers.

Uses of Climbers

• Morning glory and sweet pea are grow in pot culture
• Some foliage climbers suitable for indoor decoration
•  Some climbers are grown over the fences and green houses to reduce the heat & light
• Heavy climbers are spread over the arches, pergolas & trees.

4.   Trees

•  Trees are larger than shrubs and gives a mass effect and beautiful look.
•  It is the frame work of the garden.
• Trees are grown with large woody plants with central trunk.
• Trees are ideal for picnic ground in large public garden
• Trees provide adequate shade to the garden.
• Mainly trophy is formed under the trees.
• Arboriculture means cultivation of trees.
• Trees protect the garden from the outside noise and give perspective beauty.
• Trees are cultivated by seeds, cutting and layering.

Flowering Trees suitable for Landscaped Gardening

·         Silver Wattle

·         Golden Shower

·         Tiruvetti

·         Leguminosae – Queen of flowering trees.

·         Pink Shower

·         Cannon Ball tree

·         GulMohar

·         Indian Coral tree

·         Badminton Ball tree

·         Copper Shield tree

·         Indian Tulip tree

Benefits of Trees

·         It gives much beauty to the area

·         Enjoyable features to the garden

·         Maintain ecological balance

·         Reduce noise and air pollution

·         Sometimes it provides shelter

·         Gives majestic look and greening the surrounding.

5.  Flower beds and Borders

 

·         Dense growth of herbaceous annuals producing beautiful flowers in a small compartment is called flower bed.

·         It looks like flower carpet.

·         Flower beds are created along with the foundation of buildings and sides of paths leading to entrance.

·         Narrow flower beds with more length than the width are called boarders.

·         Boarders are usually created by planting heterogeneous plants.

·         Herbaceous Plants – Herbaceous boarder

·         Shrubs – Shrub Boarder

·         Two or More Species – Mixed boarder

The Important Plants suitable for flowering beds are

·         Cosmos

·         Kochia

·         Zinnia

·         Iberis

·         Viola

·         Ipomoea

·         Petunia

·         Alyssum

·         Phylox

6.    Ornamental Hedges

·         A row of shrubs planted close together to form a boundary for a field or garden is hedge.

·         It usually enclose the particular part of or whole of the garden.

·         Internal hedges are also planted inside the garden with beautiful foliage plants.

·         The Heigh of the hedge is normally 50 cm to 60 cm

·         Prunning is done periodically to maintain equal height.

·         Hedges are used in garden for dividing bed, boarders etc., from roads, walks or paths.

Plants Suitable for hedges are

·         Casuarina

·         Polyalthia

·        Lantana

·         Duranta

·         Aralia

7.   Drives, Roads, Walks and Paths

§   Drives or roads are an important part of gardens, which protect garden plants from foot steps

§    Drives should have link from one part to another part.

§   Brick, Gravel, Rock or Stone, Concrete timber, Bitumen, Glass, Metal are used for constructing drives.

§   Sometimes the inter spaces can be planted with ground spreads

    §   Paths define the passage in the landscape created

§    Paths may be paved or unpaved.

§    Paving materials are used to reduce the demerits of mud and dust

§    Paths facilitate easy circulation

§   Various design pattern of pathing materials are used to create beautiful and charming effect of the garden

§   Paving materials could be natural or man-made

§    Man –Paving materials are availlable in various colours and texture

§    Stone, brick, concrete, stacked stones, pebbles, marble are used as paving materials.

§     In formal gardens irregular shaped flat stones or tiles are used for paving. This is called as crazy path.

8.   Carpet Beds

• Dense growth of Herbaceous plants, which are trimmed frequently to have some designs or letters is called carpet bed.
• Plants with attractive foliages are more  suitable for carpet beds than flowering ones.
• Carpet beds are created mostly in large public  garden.
• Maintenance is very difficult.
• The Plants are always trimming and not allowing them to over grow.
• Verbena or Auernanthera are used to form certain designs or letters of alphabet.

9.  Rockery

§   Gardens established in areas where the soil is few millimeters in thickness and rock is exposed at many places are rock gardens.

§   Other names of rock garden is Rockery or Alpine garden

§   Rocks, stones and boulders are the main characteristic features of rock garden.

§    Large open space or under the shade of the tree is suitable for rock garden.

§    Irregular sizes for large stones are dumped with required peaks and slopes on all sides.

§    Then the gap between stocks are filled with cultivated soil.

§    Different variety of attractive plants are  grown in the soil.

§   Shrubs, Herbaceous plants, Creepers, Ferns, Cacti and Succulents are some of the plants suitable for rockery garden.

§   Construction of fountain at one peak and a shallow pool with beautiful water loving plants may include additional beauty to the rock garden.

Care and Maintenance

§   Thinning shout be done periodically

§    Weeding shout be done by manually

§    Manuring and fertilizing added regularly.

§    Proper watering system should be followed.

§    Diseased leaves are removed immediately

§    Frequently removed dead leaves and shoots.

§   Japanese’s rock garden also known as a zen garden have the special features like moss, pruned trees, bushes, water pool and very few plants

10. Topiary

§   Topiary is a plant which is trimmed and clipped into ornamental shapes such as cone or bird or animal.

§   Shrubs with busy habits are suitable for topiary works

§    Casuarina, cupressus and bougainvillaea etc., are suitable for topiary work.

§    These Shrubs withstand frequent trimming    and bending to form definite shapes

11. Trophy

§ Arrangement of potted plants in the garden is known as trophy

§   Usually attractive foliage and flowers are placed around the trees or a large object or statue.

§    Trophy emphasis the particular object or statue in beautiful way

§    Potted plants are arranged in different tier around rae statue.

§    Flowering animals and herbaceous perennials are suitable for trophy arrangements.

12. Fern and Fernery

• Ferns are non –flowering vascular plants growing in moist shady terrestrial habitats.
• Ferns comprise a very large family of may species.
• Ferns have beautiful foliage and flowers and not exposed to direct sun.
• They are excellent house plant.
•  Mostly ferns are grown in green house or fernery.
•  A place, where ferns are placed and maintained is called as fernery.
• A fernery have adequate shade, humidity and temperature.
• Sometimes to maintain temperature creepers are grown over the roof of the fernery.
• Ferns are propagated by means of division of rhizome or spores.
• Most common Indian ferns are
• Maiden hair fern
• Tree fern
• Bird’s nest fern
• Mother fern
• Rabbits fern
• Climbing fern
• Table fern

13.  Palms

• Palms are mostly tropical plants and thrive well in light sandy soil and warm humid places.
• Palms are suitable for verandahs, stair case or shaded portion of the garden.
• They make excellent pot plants.
•  Plants can be propagated from seed, root division or suckers.
•  Palms are of great ornamental value as foliage plants. Generally the flowers are not showy.
• Fan-leaved or feather- leaved palms are generally two group planted in the landscape garden.
• Travellers palm is very famous palm now- a- days occupies most of the garden.

14.  Cacti and succulents

• Cacti and Succulents are breath – taking beauty which adds aesthetic value to the soundings.
• Plants with fleshy stem and leaves are called succulents. These are xerophytic plants that can withstand drought conditions.
• Flowers of succulents are very attractive and appear is a wide range of colours.
• Cacti are characterized by swollen stems, thick waxy coat, various shapes and spines. A cacti is a succulent with thorns or areoles.
• Cacti succulents are mainly cultivated in pots.
• Pots made of wood, mud or galvanized metal are used for pot culture. These are filled with sand and vermiculite. Then succulents are planted in the pot. After establishment the pots are kept under the shaded places. Various cacti succulents used in gardening are
• Star ofpBethlehem
•  Zygocactus
• Thanks giving cactus
• Orchid cactus

15.  Sunken Garden

•  Easter cactus
• Gardens created by use of natural depression within the garden is known as sunken garden
• Around the sunken garden series of terraces are construted.
• Over the terrace the potted plants are kept to enhance the beauty
• There is a small pool or fountain at the bottom.

16.  Garden adornments

• Garden  adornments are accessories used to create the additional beauty of the existing one
• Garden adornments are non- living one.
•   Garden adornments are listed below.
•   Fountain
•    Statues
•    Garden seats
•    Ornamental pots and pillars
•    Arches and pergolas
•   Trellises
•    Hanging basket
•   Tubs
• Vases and urns

1. Usually garden  adornments are used as basic support of plants to spread.
2. Some adornment are useful for people to fit, relax and sleep (eg) seats and benches.
3. Attractive statue are used to create trophy of the garden.
4. Fountain brings natural look to the Garden.

Conclusion

Gardens add to the quality of life and gardening is an absorbing pursuit Authour Lloyd says “Gardening is one of those creative activities that produces an enjoyable sensation of enjoyment”. Gardening is an humanizing occupation. In India, we are fortunate to possess one of the richest floras on this earth. So different Plants are grown in the garden with support of some non- living elements. The outdoor and indoor gardens are used the above garden features to enhance the beauty of the surroundings. The living and non-living elements can fulfill the whole beauty of the landscape garden.

References

• Ross, R.1999, Colourful Gardening, Pyland Peters and Small, London.
• Too good, A. 1995, Designing With House Plants, Grange Books Publication, London.
• Kumaresan .V, 2016, Horticulture, Saras Publications, Nagarcoil
• Prathibha.P.Trivedi, 2014, Home Gardening, ICAR Publications, New Delhi.

Web links

• https://www.indiaagronet.com/horticulture/CONTENTS/LANDSCAPE.htm
• https://www.gardendesign.com/landscape-design/
• www.bhg.com/gardening/landscaping…/landscape
• gardeningjones.com/blog/2011/02/27/5-basic-components-of-landscape-design
• https://prasathgarden.blogspot.com/2012/02/components-of-garden.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landscape_design