Choosing Plants

This section should help you to read and create planting plans

Overview

Choosing plants is a very personal task. There are memories embedded into the smells, colours, forms and textures that plants represent.

So, how do you choose plants that will represent your client?

Session Outline

  • General principles

  • Creating a rubric

  • Flowering calendar

  • Activity

Resources

General Principles

There are many things that we can take into consideration when

Aesthetic:

  • Form

  • Texture

  • Shade of green

  • Size

  • Flowering time

  • Flowering colour

  • Canopy

Function

  • Uses

  • Maintenance

  • Low allergenic

  • Scent

  • Sounds in the wind

  • Deciduous

  • Attracting wildlife

  • Suitable indoors

  • Longevity

Biological

  • Frost tolerance

  • Drought tolerance

  • Light tolerance

  • Soil characteristics

  • pH range

  • Speed of growth

  • Disease resistance

  • Vigorous root systems

  • Hardiness

  • Sun tolerance

Creating a Planting Rubric

A planting rubric is a great option for designers who do not yet have a large palette of plants that they are comfortable with or designers who are stuck in a rut and want to try something new.

It works by designing first without a particular plant in mind but the characteristics you would like your plant to have. This way you don’t just fill your design with the plants that you love or know, you set up a framework that you can then research and find plants that will fulfil your objectives

The number of columns and what they contain is up to you and should suit your workflow and hierarchy of importance.


Example of a planting rubric

Plant Calendar.JPG
 

A plant calendar is a great tool to help you think through the changes in flowering over the season.

You could use to:

  • Ensure there is year-round interest

  • Look for colour clashes

  • Create harmony, complimentary etc. colour schemes

Presentations

Activity

Create a planting rubric for a site