Plant Associations

Question 1

Effective and beautiful planting design should include:

Answer 1

selection of plants based on foliage,
shape or form
texture,
habit
Colour
flower
Fragrance

Question 2

Any issues with fragrance?

Answer 2

MIght be fleeting. EX Lavender, only when you brush up against it and only certain times of year.

So, rely on plant for form, color and texture, not fragrance.

Question 3

What are forms of plants

Answer 3

overall shape of a plant.

rounded:
Choisya ternata or Lavandula angustifolia

Fastigiata:
Quercus robur f. fastigiata; GRASS: Calamagrostis × acutiflora

Weeping: (leaves hanging down)
Betula pendula or Pyrus salicifolia pendula,

Conical:
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana broad at the base, and it
angles up towards a tip and then it rounds on that tip.

SPIKY: (good focal point)
Yucca gloriosa, or
Phormium tenax, or Trachycarpus fortunei

Question 4

What is the texture of a plant

Answer 4

looking at the visual weightiness of the plants, based on its foliage. It’s all
dependent on whether the plant has small, medium or coarse shaped leaves

we’re looking at the visual roughness and smoothness of a plant.

Size of leaf = large is coarse

Question 5

Example of coarse textured leaf plant

Answer 5

Fatsia japonica
Gunnera manicata
Bergenia cordifolia

Question 6

Medium textured leaf

Answer 6

Prunus lusitanica
Skimmia japonica
Viburnum davidii

Question 7

Fine textured leaf

Answer 7

Taxus baccata
Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Silver Queen’
Berberis thunbergii var. atropurpurea

Question 8

Evergreen vs. deciduous

Answer 8

Be sure to have both to off set each other.

Deciduous can be fleeting, so EG fills in.

Question 9

How to use colour

Answer 9

all parts of the plant can contribute

Stems
Seed pods
Leaves
Flowers
Seasons

Question 10

Good plant for stems

Answer 10

Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’

Red stems Nov-Mar
DECIDUOUS

Question 11

Colourful plants

Answer 11

Cercis canadensis
‘Forest Pansy’ (pink flowers/purple leaves)

Choisya ternata
SUNDANCE (‘Lich’) - Mock orange (yellow/green leaves all year)

Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’
golden to lime green, and there’ll be colour that also comes through in form of the flowers which are clustered tightly. You could also be lucky with some metallic or iridescent type fruits in the
autumn. We’ve got colour in all different sort of stages and forms just from that one plant.

Question 12

Flowers

Answer 12

think also of seed heads, the foliage, and the stems.
You may get a plant that gives all of those.

Or, as in the case traditional herbaceous, such as Echinacea, it may just be limited to a couple of points, but two very strong points - that wonderful open cone shaped flower with those lovely ray florets of dark and purple, followed by a jet black seed head to take you through the winter months.

Question 13

Questions to ask when choosing plants

Answer 13

Will they actually work within the space that you have?

Will they work within the particular design style that you’ve created? Or you’re trying to retain?

Does it fit within the historical context of that particular bed
border?

Consider why you’re using it. Could it be that you’re using it for medicinal reasons?

For creating a cut flower border? Providing a naturalistic habitat for a whole range of beneficial
organisms? Linking one habitat to another?

By getting those plant attributes identified, the skill is about how you combine one plant with another or a group of plants to create a plant association that works.

Question 13

Season

Answer 13

Plants change through the seasons be aware of what they do all year.

Question 14

Personal/Client considerations

Answer 14

How much have you got to spend? You can spend lots
of money if you wanted that instant display and is that actually something you want? Or
are you quite happy to allow something to evolve and develop over many years. Some
plants enable you to do that. Some are very quick growing.
Do look at heights and spreads very carefully when you’re doing your research.
I’d also be very conscious about what I’m trying to create or what I’m trying to maintain
and have I got the time to do so.

got particular needs in terms of the plants they like to
see, and when they want to see them?. And which are those plants they’d rather you took
out of the equation?

Question 15

What is a static space and what does that do?

Answer 15

Squares, circles and hexagons are static shapes:
they have equal proportions and so there is no
inclination to go anywhere.

Question 16

Positives of static spaces

Answer 16

make good sitting areas or
places to pause and relax.

Enclosed by planting, they become intimate sitting or
resting areas.

Question 17

What is a motive shape?

Answer 17

Longer rectangles and long ovals are shapes which encourage us to move

Motivate us to move…

Question 18

How do you encourage people to move through the garden?

Answer 18

• Use of focal points to encourage people to walk
  towards it
• Straight paths for direct access (seating/toilets)
• Winding paths to take people to see concealed
  areas

Question 19

Depth of planting

Answer 19

as long as it can accommodate at least 3 tiers of plants, that works quite well.
Within a bed or border to have some plants at least 1.5x the depth of the border. That
seems to work quite well as well

Question 20

How do you plan scale of the garden

Answer 20

Looking at garden features with reference to an
outside element or the human factor.
* Relative size of surrounding buildings
* Relative to wide open landscape
* Relative to known human objects/references

Question 21

What is the proportion

Answer 21

• The size of elements related to each other within the
  garden,
• Forest tree in urban garden
• Tiny pebble fountain as focal point in front of a Skyscraper

Question 22

What colours create a sense of calmness

Answer 22

Cooler colours - blues really can create a sense of calmness. Lavender, for example, is very
soothing. They tend to recede more into the borders and give a little bit more depth.

Question 23

What colours bring exciterment to the garden

Answer 23

Hotter colours such as oranges and reds are quite punchy, they stand out within the border, they can become accents in their own right, they jump out at you .

Question 24

Colour combinations

Answer 24

Blues and yellows, very striking.

Question 25

HOw to affect movement of people thru the garden with colour

Answer 25

Excite and enliven a visitor’s mood through the use of hot colours
* Calm and relax a visitor’s mood through the use of cool colours
* Making them believe that a space is larger by using cool colours that recede in
the field of vision or smaller by using hot colours that advance towards you.
* Evoke feelings of another place linked to a theme such as a Mediterranean
garden by using warm terracotta colours for hard landscaping and bright
colours for planting
* Encourage visual or physical exploration of the space by the use of colourful
focal points such as a red bridge or a deep blue seat

Question 26

What is a harmonizing colour

Answer 26

when colours that are adjacent or near each other on the colour wheel are used for example blue, violet and blue-green

When using in drifts, not one plant here and there.

Question 27

Sustainability

Answer 27

When you’re looking at key plant attributes, do consider the broader picture in terms of how the plant might be adapted to suit certain growing conditions.

Remember, it’s about trying to work with nature - trying to be a little bit more sustainable,
bringing in more biodiversity. Having a careful consideration all those attributes will lend
itself to give you a really good design that works and a plant association that works.

Question 28

What is the difference between a fastigiate or columnar plant?

Answer 28

a. Although the two words are often used interchangeably, a fastigiate tree is often taller and thinner than a columnar tree. Examples include: Populus nigra ‘Italica’ or Prunus ‘Amanagowa’
b. Fastigiate trees are tall and narrow trees, usually with a ratio of 10:1. They are good in limited space
c. Columnar plants are also tall and narrow, but with a ratio of 5:1. This makes them a bit smaller overall. Examples include: Malus ‘Red Obelisk’ or Salix caprea ‘Kilmarnock’

Question 29

What are FIVE considerations when choosing plants?

Answer 29

a. Structure/Form✔
b. Foliage✔
c. Flowers/Scent✔
d. Texture✔
e. Colour✔these are all good points to raise, however, don’t forget to start with aspect, soil type, pH etc first

Question 30

For TWO named plants, describe their plant texture.

Answer 30

a. Fatsia japonica: Evergreen shrub with glossy dark green large palmate leaves. The leaves help determine the texture of a plant and those that have very large, showy, irregularly shaped leaves (which palmate includes) would be considered a coarse texture.
b. Taxus baccata: Visually, these leaves are small, compact and placed in a parallel row. As this plant leaf is not large and showy it would be considered a fine textured leaf.
c. Skimmia japonica: The leaves on this plant are medium sized, dark ovate green leaves. The leaves are alternate and simple. This is not a plant that has large showy leaves, nor one that is considered as small leaves. It is, therefore, a medium textured leaf.

Question 31

Describe how you might use ONE named plant for colour throughout the growing season.

Answer 31

a. As I would like to build a calm, restful space, I would choose plants with hues of blue, from light blue through to purple as they are harmonious on the colour wheel. Centaurea cyanus has a beautiful purple/blue button flower that stands approximately 30cm high and softly blows in the wind. Planting Centaurea cyanus amongst herbaceous perennials such as Salvia azurea will provide different textures and flower shapes. As this is an informal garden I would choose to plant it in multiples of 3 scattered all the way down the border to lead the eye down the pathway and into the next space. The different flower shapes will draw my attention and as the season progresses the seed heads will continue to draw my attention. It would be visually stimulating to follow the colour and flower shape down the path.

Question 32

Using named plants how could you balance height in a narrow mixed border?

Answer 32

a. To balance height in a narrow border it’s important to pay attention to form and structure of the plants to be used. Always plan the bedding based on the mature size of the plant and provide adequate space to grow. In this instance, it’s important to choose plants that are compact in size, yet showy. I would add fastigiate grasses such as Calamagrostis × acutiflora for height, which doesn’t take up too much width. I would include medium sized rounded plants such as Lavandula angustifolia, with it’s spikey flowers and lovely fragrance in the summer. If the back of the border was a fence or trellis I might well consider including a climber, such as Ficus pumila as a backdrop, providing depth to the area, without taking up space. Finally, I would add some lower growing Salvia ‘Elk Blue Note’ as a third level. It’s important to give depth to the space and provide different shapes and sizes to draw attention. What is important is to balance the plants against each other so the very small is not next to the very tall. A layered look is important but the plants need to be compact in size.

Question 33

How might you use plant stem adaptations for year-round garden interest?

Answer 33

a. Stem adaptations can be used to add drama and beauty to the garden throughout the year. The very large spikes of Agave americana provide a strong centerpiece in the garden throughout the year, while the soft tendrils of the Lathyrus odoratus help to wind the plant up for better photosynthesis and beautiful scented flowers for pollinators in spring/summer. The tendrils, here, help to provide the height to the garden. The layer of stems on Allium will provide monocot, parallel leaves and beautiful globe flowers and the winter corms of Crocus sativa add winter colour. These stem adaptations provide a wide variety of texture, form, and beauty to the garden during every season.

Question 34

Why are mixed borders better for biodiversity?

Answer 34

a. Mixed borders provide a variety of plants, colours, textures, and flowers throughout the year. This offers a wide range of nectar and pollen for pollinators and habitats for wildlife, especially during the winter period when they are most at danger of starvation and lack of protection.
b. Additionally, planting a wide variety of plants helps reduce pest problems as there is a more balanced ecosystem that control infestations and reduces the need for pesticides, which will destroy the soil and other insects.