Plant Installation

Planting perennials

Considerations when planting perennials

1) light requirements and growth expectations: every perennial requires certain lighting conditions in order to grow successfully. Typically this is divided into full, partial, and shade-type plants. Installing a plant in conditions that don’t suit its growth will lead to a plant whose health fails fairly rapidly. Some plants tolerate a lack of sunlight or excessive sunlight, others just fail and even die.
2) soil requirements and growth expectations: every perennial has preferences as to the type of soils that they grow in. The pH level, nutrient level, proportions of organic matter in the soil, and its texture all play a role in the success of your plant. The important thing when it comes to choosing plants for a garden bed is to consider the existing soil conditions and choose plants that would tolerate them. Alternatively, if you want specific plants, the more challenging, and sometimes impossible task is to amend the soil’s nutrient (through inorganic and organic fertilisers), pH (through lime), organic matter (through composts) and texture (also composts) to accommodate the desired plants.

Grass overseeding

Grass overseeding considerations

1) lighting: fescues, Kentucky Bluegrass, and ryegrasses all require at least 4 hours of sunlight to survive (KB requires 6 hr per day). Failing to provide this amount of sunlight guarantees that the grass will germinate, grow, and likely die the following year.
2) water: grasses are very annoying to grow. Unlike perennial installations, which require a few deep waterings, and then once a week waterings, grass seed requires water 3 times a day, gradually tapering off to once every few days within the period of a month. Any dry spell during this period will result in grass seed failing to germinate.
3) seed type: Kentucky Bluegrass will germinate after 30 days, whereas ryegrasses can sometimes do it within 2 weeks. It can be very frustrating to water a new lawn daily and see no results. Some people give up when it's time to keep going. This intense watering schedule makes overseeding and grass growth a non-ideal solution for some people for landscaping.

Sod installation

One issue with sod installations is a lack of light. Sod is composed primarily (80%+) of Kentucky Bluegrass, which requires 6 hours of sunlight to grow. Planting it in a low-lighting area guarantees that most of the sod will die over time.

Boxwood Patterns

Planting boxwoods - pros and cons

The main “pro” when it comes to planting boxwoods is its appearance. Small, compact, and easily shaped into a hedge, these plants are a great border-creation plant. The main “con” when it comes to planting them is the issue of growing them successfully. This is not a plant that grows without effort anywhere. In the pictures on the right, one of these installations has been very neutral year over year, meaning the plants have not grown much and haven’t become a successful bushy hedge either. Sunlight and water conditions are acceptable, but the soil evidently is not.