A combination of the best plants
SAKESIT NONTAJIT
A mixed garden is created by the thoughtful allotment and arrangement of spaces to the combination of trees, shrubs and ground cover plants.
The trees are used in mixed gardens to provide shade, sections, contrasts to the horizontal ground and lines to lead the eyes to the focus of the gardens. The shrubs are the second in importance to the trees, as their grouping and continuity could provide another component to the garden. Last but not least are the ground covers, which connect the garden to the ground itself. These three types of plants make up the fundamental elements of a mixed garden design.
Although you might already have your preference, it is still a good idea to consider a variety of plants that can be used in the garden. You should be able to use your imagination in selecting the plants and the garden furniture. At the end, it will be a fun and challenging experience to manage the space as well as the budget.
You should try to come up with your own design that can answer your need. It is natural to face some obstacles, but you can always look for garden ideas from publications and the Internet. The exposure to different forms of gardening will eventually result in some innovative ideas of your own. For the garden material, the tree market at Chatuchak on Wednesdays and Thursdays can usually provide just about anything.
Gardening is an art and a personal taste. Your favourite plants may not be the same as the others. There should not be limitation to your preference of plants, but you should consider the satisfaction and comfort of the resulted garden as the main criteria. The designs, too, are numerous and any can be used as a model for your garden.
Gardening is beyond the use of plants. You may want to add a water section or perhaps rocks and pebbles to imitate a natural setting. Sculpture and art can be used to liven up the atmosphere, while feeding and bath bowls can attract those colourful birds to your garden.
The water section, especially a cascade, can provide movements as well as soothing sounds to the environment. The rock section, however, should give a different atmosphere such as calmness and peace that assist in meditation. Forms of the garden should differ in according to the individual preferences. However, you should also consider the requirements of your landlord and the spaces allotted for the garden. If you want to add edible plants and fruit trees, then the space management will be a priority.
There is some particular technical knowledge you will need to learn in gardening. For example, to encourage growth of a new tree, you should prepare a sizable hole appropriate for the tree and provide some supporting structure.
The shrubs, on the other hand, need continuous trenches for the lining and grouping of the plants, which can make the garden seem larger. They can also be placed on the corners of the house to create more dimensions and smoothen the sharp shapes of the corners.
The ground cover plants must be higher than the grass and should used as edges of the garden. As the step, you should cover the rest of the garden with grass with some preparation of the soil, as the good quality soil can produce hardy and long-lived grass.
I hope my suggestion will give you some ideas for gardening and a way to release yourself from the stresses. Gardening is also way to create more green space for the Earth and reduce global warming. Have fun with gardening.
Gardening questions should be emailed to mylife@bangkokpost.co.th.
Prev
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Next
