Kenya: Plants perform a variety of functions in your backyard. They constitute the garden’s floors, walls, and ceilings. Besides being beautiful, plants also provide privacy and shade.
They mask and absorb noise and dust, slow down winds crossing the site and control soil erosion. Moreover, others supply food for your family as well as for the birds, butterflies, and other life in your garden.
Trees make up the tallest and most prominent plants in most landscapes. They provide a framework for your garden and give the landscape design visual strength.
They are also the most permanent plants in any landscape design. While you can easily move or replace other plants, mature trees take quite a bit of effort to relocate. Hence selecting the right tree for the right place is critical.
Deciduous trees
Deciduous shade trees, such as the Meru oak, the Australian flame tree and the frangipani are planted not just for their aesthetic value but also for their seasonal variance.
They cast cooling shade in the hot season when they are in full leaf, and they allow warming sun to filter through during the colder months when they have shed off their leaves.
But trees also have interesting design qualities. Tree trunks provide strong vertical lines in the garden, while their branches create an overhead canopy of horizontal or curving lines. Their forms could be rounded, pyramidal or weeping. When selecting trees, look out for these qualities and see how they sit with your vision.
Shade trees are usually planted singly as specimens for a formal look, or in groups for a woody or informal appearance.
Ornamentals
Additionally, shadows cast by tree leaves and branches of certain deciduous species can create interesting patterns and textures on the surfaces underneath. Ornamental flowering trees, such as the flamboyant and red euphorbia are smaller than most shade trees, which usually don’t have much of a floral show.
Although flowering trees can cast a bit of shade on a patio, they’re grown primarily for their bloom. These trees contribute colour, line, pattern, and form to a design from their flowers, foliage, and fruit.
When used singly, they draw the eye, creating a colourful focal point; when repeated, they contribute to the pattern and rhythm of the design.
Planting plan
A well-thought-out planting plan locates every tree in its most ideal position within the landscape. Large shade trees should be located far enough from the house so their limbs will not eventually grow onto the roof or cause damage if they break off in a storm
A good rule of thumb is to locate the trunk at least six meters from the house, but of course that depends on the ultimate height and width of the particular tree.
Flowering or ornamental trees are usually somewhat smaller than shade trees and should therefore be placed where they are most visible and readily enjoyed.
They show themselves off very well in almost any area of the garden, but ultimately look best with a contrasting background that plays up the flowers and silhouettes the branches.
They can also be placed as specimens in a lawn area or in a mixed border along a fence or property line where they will help provide privacy.
— The writer is a landscape architect
