Plant Uses

Question 1

What does the use of plants in a garden include?

Answer 1

height
* structure
* shade
* wildlife
* horizontal planes
* vertical lines
* screens
* boundaries
* ecosystem services
* climate mitigation.

Question 2

What is an architectural or focal plant?

Answer 2

where the foliage is very dramatic, or the flower or seed head is very dramatic, that could become a focal point or architectural point of interest. A focal point because of it’s dominant form.

EXAMPLES:
Cynara cardunculus (artichoke)

FALL/WINTER EXAMPLES:
Quercus coccinea
Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii

EVERGREEN
Juniperus scopulorum
‘Skyrocket’ (Joe style!)

Question 3

What is a structural or skeleton plant?

Answer 3

The backbone of a planting scheme that remains all year, can change colour but form remains.

Shrub or tree. Sometimes can become dominant with colour, leaf shape etc changes.

EXAMPLE:
Euonymus alatus (winged spindle)
Spring/Summer Green bush
Fall - RED leaves
WINTER: Winged looking stems

Question 4

What is a body plant?

Answer 4

plants which we use to infill amongst the structural plants.
This is where the bulk of your colour is going to come from, where your seasonal interest is going to be at its best.

Question 5

What are decorative plants?

Answer 5

We have structure, then we have the body.

The more decorative elements could be plants such as annuals, biennials, and short-lived perennials.

growing to plug a gap, or maybe it is a short-term planting scheme while your other plants are reaching maturity.

Question 6

Examples of “gap filling” plants or decorative plants

Answer 6

Dianthus barbartus (sweet william)
* Digitalis purpurea (foxglove)
* Erysimum cheiri ‘Fire King’
(wallflower )
* Myosotis sylvatica (garden
forget-me-not)
* Antirrhinum nanum ‘Black
Prince’ (snapdragon

Question 7

What else to consider plants for?

Answer 7

shade,
wildlife,
create horizontal planes within a bed or border.
Edible border
height and spread

Question 8

Trees

Answer 8

domestic garden, less than 12m or builds to much shade.

Question 9

What happens with very large trees in garden setting?

Answer 9

Wrong microclimate
too much shade
Dry soil from large leaf canopy

Question 10

What trees to use?

Answer 10

Use those with dappled shade

Acer palmatum gives dense shade but BIRCH

Question 11

Good example of tree that is 12m and dappled shade and of interest year round?

Answer 11

Betula utilis var.
jacquemotnii. There is a cultivar called ‘Moonbeam’ and it is under 12 metres tall.

It has bright white peeling bark, almost diamond shaped leaves, which turn yellow in the autumn.

Provides: autumn-winter colour, and catkins in the spring

Question 12

What to plant under trees?

Answer 12

Prefer shady conditions and moisture:

perennial Forget-Me-Not (Brunnera macrophylla). To give a little colour lift, use the cultivar ‘Jack Frost’. It has a mottled grey-green leaf, and a Forget-Me-Not type flower in spring and early summer

Helleborus niger and
Helleborus orientalis. These are evergreen perennials. It has not got bark, but it does die down. It retains its leaves, so is a perennial plant. It is prominent all year round. Both these hellebores have glossy leaves with open, whitish (sometimes pink tinged) flower.

Question 13

What plants are good for wildlife?

Answer 13

Guelder Rose,

Rosa canina Dog-rose,

Ilex aquifolium holly (which provides berries in winter for birds - if FEMALE)

Crataegus monogyna Hawthorn provides thorns for safety. And denser so more wildlife.creamy white flowers in May (so is a source of nectar for pollinators), and
clusters of fruit in the autumn, which is attractive to wildlife.

Herbaceous perennials - don’t cut back until feb/mar and seed heads will feed the birds.

hollow stems are very attractive to lacewings. Lacewings are good in the next season for pollinating, and their larvae control pests like aphids.

Question 14

HOrizontal and Vertical

Answer 14

Bring height to garden or use horizontal to edge borders.

Calamagrostis great vertical, doesn’t spread (GRASS)

Question 15

Screening plants

Answer 15

Screen plantings are often free standing, or you could construct something based on a post and wire system and train climbing plants over it.

EG lasts all year round but you could use deciduous as twigs will remain. Just doesn’t hide as well.

Clematis armandi is a lovely evergreen clematis

SCREENING PLANTS also help break up long narrow gardens. Creates the illusion of bigger garden.

Look at whether the plant is deciduous or evergreen,
whether they are quick growing, and tie it in with the style that you are trying to replicate or maintain.

Question 16

EG screening plant suggestions?

Answer 16

Prunus lusitanica (Portugese laurel)
* Cotoneaster lacteus (late
cotoneaster)
* Escallonia rubra ‘Crimson
Spire’
(escallonia ‘Crimson Spire’)
* Photinia × fraseri ‘Red Robin’
(Christmas berry ‘Red Robin’)
* Griselinia littoralis (New
Zealand broadleaf)

Question 17

What are the characteristics of plant screening plants?

Answer 17

 They need to have fairly dense foliage so that they block out the view or the noise
 Clad in foliage down to the ground
 Fine or medium texture so that they don’t draw attention to themselves and can be cut with a hedge cutter
 They should be hardy
 They should be relatively fast growing but not too fast so that they become high maintenance
 Large enough to screen out the object

Question 18

How to cope with changing water levels for a hedge?

Answer 18

Water logging, drought can affect plants. Know the soil before you choose and choose plants that suit the area.

Fagus sylvatica does not like to sit in wet soil.

Carpinus betulus is happy in wet soil.

Both of these plants are great for formal gardens.

Question 19

Name THREE different situations, using named plant examples, where you might use a plant as a focal point.

Answer 19

a. Front doorway to the house. Here you want to draw attention to the front door and welcome people to enter. A Matteuccia struthiopteris is a large fern that grows to about 150cm with large green fronds with a spread of approx. 100cm.. It will certainly draw attention to the area of the front door. I am, of course, assuming that the area is rather shaded with moist soil.
b. Secluded quiet and restful patio area: Including a small tree such as Acer palmatum would draw attention to the area and provide a quiet, restful feeling, especially as the colours change through the season, always bringing some beauty.
c. BBQ, entertainment area. Here I would choose something like the showy Trachelospermum jasminoides which can be grown as either a wonderful screen/hedge or a potted plant in a large urn. The sweet smell from the pinkish/white flowers along with the delicate green leaves will draw attention to the hot, dry summer area used for BBQ’s.

Question 20

Explain what a structural or skeleton plant is.

Answer 20

a. These are usually trees or shrubs that are part of the planting scheme that remains in place throughout the year. They are not herbaceous perennials or annuals that die off. They remain in place to provide some structure for the garden. They may well change colour, perhaps are deciduous or possibly flower. Perhaps part of the year they become dominant as in a focal point, such as Euonymus alatus which during the spring/summer has beautiful green leaves. During the fall the leaves turn a glorious red and the winter, once the leaves have dropped, the interesting, winged stems remain.

Question 21

Describe, with named plant examples, how you could use plants to create shade in a garden (considering the implications of climate change).

Answer 21

a. Providing shade in the garden will become more important as temperatures rise in summer due to climate change. However, it is important to plant trees that will survive the conditions for the areas. Additionally, a private garden tree should remain less than 12 m. so they do not dominate the house and turn the entire house/garden into shade.
b. To provide shade, trees that provide dappled shade, such as Betula utilis ‘Moonbeam’ would be ideal. This tree is relatively small, reaching 12 m. and provides dappled shade which can provide moisture for the soil below and the possibility of growing plants there.
c. However, if you find that your garden spot is also prone to waterlogging you might consider a tree that can withstand that condition. The Betula utilis ‘Moonbeam’ would not be a good choice for that condition. However, the Acer rubrum can withstand boggy conditions and will provide glorious colour in the fall.

Question 22

For ONE plant use, choose FOUR plants based on their flower adaptations

Answer 22

a. A plant use would be to attract pollinators. I would find plants with flowers that provide colours, shapes, sizes and scents that attract a variety of pollinators.
i. Saliva elegans is a bright red tubular flower that attracts birds, especially hummingbirds who gather nectar as a reward for pollination.
ii. Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii, attracts butterflies, native bees and honeybees. The bright yellow rays draw attention the the disc florets and provide ample pollen and nectar, especially when numerous flowers are in bloom at the same time.
iii. Lavandula angustifolia is a beautiful subshrub with tall inflorescence spikes of scented ultra-violet flowers. The inflorescence provides many flowers that attract a variety of bees and pollinators all summer long. The aroma attracts the pollinators and the violet blue attracts the bees.
iv. Cosmos bipinnatis are brightly coloured, simple, open flowers which attract and offer access to numerous pollinating insects.

Question 23

Describe how you could select plants for biodiversity, including named plant examples

Answer 23

For the sake of biodiversity, you would want to have a wide variety of plants which would provide food and habitat throughout the year. Most important would be a wide range of colours, sizes, shapes, seed heads and sticky pollen or nectar. There is not one flower that provides food for all pollinators. For biodiversity, you want to provide the largest selection of food to promote an abundance of pollinators to the yard.
I would choose some evergreen woody perennials such as Pyracantha ‘Saphyr Rouge’ or Ilex aquifolium as they provide a safe place for nesting, thorns for protection and berries for winter food. Another wintering flower bush with a strong scent, Daphne bholua flowers early in the year and provides a strong scent for pollinators to find. Furthermore, I would be sure to include some early flowering bulbs such as Crocus sativus or Hyacinthus orientalis to provide pollen/nectar in late winter, early spring.
For spring and summer I would include many varieties of herbaceous perennials such as Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii, Echinacea purpurea and Achillea millefolium as they provide a bounty of flowers for pollinators and distinctive seed heads in the winter to help the pollinators through the tough winter months. I would want to be sure to plant a variety of flower shapes, sizes and colours to attract a wide variety of pollinators.
For fall, I would be sure to include some later flowering herbaceous perennials along the lines of Fatsia japonica, Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ or Calendula officinalis. These flowers will remain until the first frost providing fresh pollen/nectar for the habitat. Once they die back and leave their seed heads over winter, there will be more food to see the animals through the winter.
The last group of plants that I would include would be a variety of grasses, including Festuca glauca ‘Blaufuchs’ just to provide some autumn beauty and feathery seedheads for food and possibly bedding for nests.
Water is also an essential part of promoting a wildlife habitat. Either providing a small water feature or building a wildlife pond is essential to help build biodiversity in the garden. Using marginal plants such as Iris pseudacorus or Caltha palustris will not only attract pollinators but it will help shore up the wildlife pond, offer a safe entryway for frogs and an area, or ramp, for drinking water. In the pond, adding some of the Nymphaea spp. can act as a landing pad for parasites and predators.