What Plantings Will Improve Your Summer View in the Westchester County, NY Area?
One of the best things about a landscape is the variety of ground covers, flowering and leafy plants, ferns, shrubs, trees that add beauty and interest. A carefully curated planting design will create layers that help maintain constant interest, since plants bloom during different parts of the growing season. You may be asking: What plantings will improve your summer view in the Westchester County, NY area? Read on to find out.
Related: 8 Ideas for Plantings That Will Spruce Up a Pleasant Valley, NY, Patio
Prioritize Native Plants
Before you begin adding plants to your landscape, consider prioritizing a plant that is ideally suited to the climate and location. Natives are perfectly adapted to your region and as such, they require very little maintenance or watering. Exotics, although potentially beautiful, will have a much harder time staying happy and healthy in your landscape. Explore the variety of native plants available at your local garden nursery that can provide great color and beauty to your landscape - and enjoy a low-maintenance landscape.
Start With Trees
The longest-lasting life in your landscape will always be trees, which provide grandeur and are beautiful from every angle. If you already have mature trees in your landscape, you can enhance the area underneath them (where grass has a hard time growing) with shade-loving perennials, annuals, and ground covers. If you want to add more trees to your landscape, make sure they’re placed in areas that will give you the best views in the long term. Position trees to frame a view, block an unwanted view, and provide shade for outdoor living spaces. As you look up at a canopy of trees, think about it as a “ceiling”; and as you look out into your landscape, think of the spaces between trees as “windows.”
Anchor With Shrubs
Shrubs add texture and color to the middle view of your landscape: the “walls.” You can place shrubs within your landscape as an anchor for other plants. In plant beds, they could be located in either the middle or at the back to create a layered effect. Choose shrubs for their flowers, foliage, and bark - a combination that will give you beauty throughout the year. As a bonus, some shrubs yield berries which provide needed nourishment for local birds and wildlife.
Secure With Ground Cover
Ground covers spread horizontally across the ground, adding a lovely softness and texture. Ground covers help maintain soil moisture and prevent erosion. They soften the lines of manmade elements such as walkways (although, you do have to keep trimming some ground covers as they may be vigorous spreaders). One of the most delightful aspects of ground covers is the variety of flowers and colors that you would not normally see at the ground level. Consider replacing part of your thirsty lawn with a xeriscaped garden based on ground covers and hardy native perennials.
Dazzle With Ferns
Ferns are often underappreciated plants that rarely get their chance to shine. These ancient plants are happiest in shady and moist areas (perfect for otherwise underutilized property corners), though some species like consistent sunlight. They grow to medium heights similar to shrubs, providing excellent shade for plants below their fronds. They also provide a wonderful visual texture that gives your landscape an unexpected lushness.
Make Colors Pop With Flowers
Use flowers as the accents that delight the eye with dazzling shows of color and beauty. Go for a mix of annuals and perennials, and talk to your local plant nursery experts about plants that bloom at various times throughout the growing season, so that some part of your landscape is always colorful.