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Natural landscape for a new house.
Most new houses in the country are built on a 5 acre parcel on former agricultural land without a single tree or shrub. Natural landscape plantings help to restore a little bit of nature where only a farm field once existed. This type of planting has many practical benefits for you as well as providing you with an attractive looking landscape.
The development of the landscape over three years.
This landscape will provide bird habit, resting cover and winter food for a variety of native bird species. A conventional landscape of non-native trees and shrubs cannot claim to do this. The key to this landscape is the density of planting and the variety of native trees and shrubs that provides the needs of native bird.
This landscape provides the homeowner with year round ornamental interest. It provides three-dimensional structure to the property, so the property feels more spacious. There is a sense of solitude and privacy because the surrounding open space is screened from view.
The diversity of plants creates a changing display of flowers, texture, colors and form throughout the seasons. The plants in this landscape work together as a functioning plant community rather than as individual specimen plants.
The planting consists of three large shade trees anchoring the planting. Three White pines provide year round evergreen foliage and provides a backdrop for the other plantings when in bloom or fall color. Several species of flowering trees provide floral interest and create vertical structure to connect the large shade trees with the ground layer. An assortment of native shrubs serves to fill in the ground level with flowers, color and texture. Shrubs species include Serviceberry, Chokecherry, Ninebark, Spicebush, Fragrant sumac, Chokeberry. The planting is finished off with a number of native perennial flowers to provide color throughout the summer and fall.
All the plants in this landscape are native species that tolerate the dry clay soils on this site. This ensures that these plants will thrive on this site and will not require special care or attention.
This 40 by 30 ft planting bed is large enough to provide habitat for native bird species as well as providing a windbreak, privacy screening and shade from hot summer temperatures. The affordability of a planting of this size is achieved by installing smaller plants. Using smaller plants also helps the plants to establish quicker and increase survival.
A companion bed to the previous natural landscape. This planting helps to screen the house and provide an inviting entrance to the front of the house. The planting consists of a number of flowering trees, shrubs and native perennial flowers.
this page updated February 23, 2013