Home Landscape Design II
By: S.V. Scott, Master Gardener

During these early days of spring, we're all eager to get out into the garden, but cold rain and wind holds us back. Put this time to good use by taking stock of your landscape from the inside out.

Study your garden from each window. Does it frame a pretty view, just like a picture? If not, why not? Is there some permanently ugly thing in the way, like a high-tension wire? Can it be masked by evergreens, or a trellis perhaps, between you and the offending object?

If you think so, but you're not sure, remember that the closer the screening material is to you, (or your window) the more effective it will be. A generous cluster of tall ornamental grasses blocks a lot of the view when it's just a few feet away. A helper outside with an eight or ten foot pole can help you decide how tall your screen needs to be, and how far away.

Leave plenty of room. Vegetation too close to the house can damage siding and encourage rot, not to mention that a sun-starved tree or shrub will likely die on the side next to the window, leaving you to view the bony skeleton of the interior branches.

Is there any benefit to planting thorny bushes under windows for safety? Perhaps, but they should be kept very low so as not to discourage you from necessary maintenance. No one wants to wash windows in the stinging embrace of a holly tree!

It's better, I think, to keep landscaping well clear of the house in order not to give possible intruders an easy place to hide. An additional bonus is that pulling the landscaping away from the house gives it added depth from inside and out, and added depth is always welcome.

Outside, is there a porch or deck you seldom use because it's too exposed? Plant a tall hedge or border right next to this area to give it an inviting sense of enclosure.

Are there windows in your home where the curtains are always drawn? Include them in your survey. Would you open them up more often if there was a pretty view? What will it take to improve things? If you have an attractive planting that somehow fails to stand out, study landscapes to see how artists and photographers frame their subjects. Can you borrow their techniques?

Perhaps the background is simply too busy. The finest specimen can get lost if it is just one of many disparate objects. Board fences blend nicely into the background and are especially useful if one is pressed for space. Hedges, if all planted of the same material, will focus attention on the foreground and still provide needed structure throughout the year. A sheared hedge can be a lot of work, of course, but it can be a powerful ally, too. Or, if given enough room, a flowering hedge can be left to cascade gracefully on its own, while starring in the show for a fleeting period each year.

To get the most out of our gardens, sometimes we just need to look at them with new eyes.