Introduction to Evergreen Trees and Shrubs
The moment you say the words “shrub” to a gardener his immediate reaction is going to be a visualization of Evergreen plants, which you do not shed their leaves in the autumn and in the winter.
For all those people who intend to retire to the country, and are dreaming of their quiet little place with a white picket fence, the dream is definitely going to consist of a little garden in the backyard. It is going to have plenty of privacy, with a lavish use of Evergreen plants.
Most of us associate the word “Evergreen” with conifers. However, there are still a number of trees and shrubs which, though not conifers can add style and distinction to your garden.
Conifers are not the only Evergreens which you can plant in your garden. There are a number of other varieties out there too.
There is one basic mistake which a number of us do, especially when we want to plant the greenery. We pick up a large assortment of trees and shrubs, from the nursery, small and large sized and plant them in our gardens. We do not bother much about the slowness of their growing cycle, their natural requirements, their strength, and the ultimate effect that they are going to have in the Ultimate Look of the garden.
That is why you can consider the final result to be literally a “shrubbery.” It is going to be a jumbled mishmash of ugliness and dreariness, with absolutely no rhyme or reason for their hideous existence in your gardening design.
Evergreens are not very well adapted to be mixed up together. That is why they should always be planted in groups of the same varieties. Now take, for example, deciduous plants, which you are growing in your garden. You may have mixed up some different varieties. Their form and shape may interlope among their neighboring plants in order to show a pleasing display.
That is not always the case for evergreens. You are going to have solid trees, thanks to their own particular familial characteristics. That is why a group of Evergreens should be planted together, or they should be planted as individuals, far away from their neighbors.
Planning Your Garden – Evergreens for Screens
Apart from adding distinction to your garden, why would you want to plant evergreens? Well, they are going to grow up into a nice screen, solid and permanent. That is because you are going to have tall good-looking trees at maturity. People in more leisurely times did not care much about that at all, taking anywhere between 20 to 30 years for the plants to achieve their full growths.
But nowadays, we want plants which grow rapidly. We can achieve the desired result by planting a single row of really fast and vigorous growers at the back.
You can treat this as a hedge. In the front of this hedge, you are going to plant slower growing and choicer Evergreen plants in groups.
There should be sufficient room and space for you to go over to the hedge and attend to it, especially when you need to trim them. Also, there should be plenty of space for the roots to grow, and they should not interfere with your other plants growing just ahead of the hedge.
As soon as the plants in front have attained the necessary and requisite height, you can get rid of the hedge, if you want. Also, you can plant deciduous plants in the front and leave the hedge of evergreens intact at the back. They are going to now be permanent guards, both for your privacy, and to protect the good-looking deciduous plants in front of them.
In such a case, they should be, a distance of about 8 feet between your hedgerow and the nearest ornamental plants, which may be evergreens or deciduous plants, depending on your garden plan or choice.
Evergreen plants normally come into their own during winter, but it is quite wrong to think of them from just this particular viewpoint. They are going to remain just as charming in the summer or in the spring. So do not think that all of them are going to be dull in appearance during these seasons.
So only these evergreens have just a foliage to offer your garden, at least the foliage is beautiful, and so are the flowers!
Evergreens – Planting Tips
I once overheard an avid gardener friend say, “evergreens are so boring. Once you plant them, they are not going to go away ever.” Other people think Evergreens to be dull and melancholy.But that is only when they have not been planted in a proper manner which brings out all their beauty and distinction. Instead of being used sparingly, they may have been clumped together without any bothering about placement in your garden. A Yew tree on its own is going to grow in grace and style as time goes by.
On the other hand, think of 20 Yew trees growing in a limited space, without space to expand or show their beauty. In about 50 years, that particular spot is going to be literally a shrubbery of stunted and distorted yew trees which were planted by our grandfathers and disliked heartily by us.
This mistake in gardening all those ages ago was done because the gardener did not place single and fine specimens of evergreens, where they could flourish and show off their remarkable beauty. You need plenty of room for the full development of the plant and there should be sufficient space around it so that you can walk around it in comfort, when it has reached its state of maturity.
Tips for Planting Evergreens
Evergreens are going to flourish in a place where there is plenty of good and rich soil. Also, the site is going to be chosen for its suitability. After all, you are going to have that Evergreen going there for the next half a century or so, depending on the variety.
Special care has to be taken to see that they do not become dry because evergreens are mostly planted with a ball of roots and soil. If this happens to become dry, the life of your plant or your shrub is going to be jeopardized.
Be careful about the watering of those plants, which are planted in late spring, especially if it is followed by a hot summer. The plant should be given plenty of water in the spring, even if the plant has been planted in the autumn.
And in the summer, make sure that the plant has just enough of water in order to have its bio- physiological systems working properly. This watering should be done in the summer, in the morning and never in the afternoon.
This sapling is going to grow into an Evergreen
For those who are confused about deciduous plants and Evergreens, deciduous plants are those plants which are going to shed all their leaves in the autumn and the evergreens still keep their green foliage, come winter, summer, spring or autumn.
This book has introduced you to evergreen trees and shrubs, of which a few varieties are described here. You have also learned some gardening tips and techniques to help these evergreens grow happily in your garden.
So add to the attractiveness of your garden by planting these trees and shrubs, and enjoy their beauty for a long time.
Live Long and Prosper!
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