Know Your Tree's Soil
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One of the mistakes that small-garden owners often make when planting trees, is that they choose trees which are not suitable for their block. Either the tree grows too high, too wide, or that it is an evergreen and blocks out valuable winter sun or it is a tree which has roots that invade drains and garden beds. It is essential to be careful in the selection of trees for small suburban gardens, but that's not a hard task. There are hundreds of beautiful small trees that are suitable for every need and every position. Trees that reach 9 metres or 10 metres are probably the best choice for small blocks. When reading catalogues or lists of species, make sure you choose trees that fit the need and the position you intend them for. A tree planted near your boundary fence may spread too far over the fence and intrude on a neighbour's garden, or you may inadvertently choose a tree with a vigorous and invasion root system, resulting in blocked drains, lifted pathways and the neighbours complaining about the roots robbing nourishment from their garden beds. Study your garden area, taking note of where the sun is at various times of the day. A patio for instance, could be shaded by a well positioned tree in the heat of the day, but in the winter time you will want to have the sun on the patio, so for these situations, you should choose a deciduous tree ťone that will lose its leaves in the winter and allow the sunlight through. The same applies to trees that may be planted near the house to shade windows of various rooms. On the southern side of the house, where there isn't any sun anyway, it would not matter whether you planted evergreen or deciduous trees, but on the eastern and northern sides, deciduous trees would be a better choice so that in the winter, sunlight and warmth can be gained. At the rear of the garden, evergreen trees could be planted to provide perspective, and a view as well as giving your garden a frame and a 'ceiling'. Specimen trees, such as the flowering cherries, magnolias, prunus and other flowering trees can be given feature positions where a dash of colour could provide a spectacular focus. It is the aim of every gardener to create a garden that is just as pleasant and attractive to look at in the winter months as it is in the spring and summer. To achieve this, it is important to choose shrubs and trees that have foliage interest and good shape as well as those that have spectacular flowers. This principle extends not only to the height and width of the tree but also to the growing habit. Some trees have clean trunk with a crown of foliage at the top, others have a lower branching habit and grow branches lower to the ground. The trunks of trees can also be taken into consideration when making a list for selection. Some of the natives have beautiful colours and textures in their trunks. The tall, clean trunk of Eucalyptus citriodora, for example, is a beautiful white-grey colour and very smooth and even stands out at night. The reddish-brown textured bark of Eucalyptus nicholii provides a different kind of colour note against the grey-green of its narrow leaves. The texture and colour of trunks can provide accents amongst lower shrubs and should be considered. |
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