Planting is the key element to any landscaping project. It can make or break the finished design. Selecting what plant and where it goes can be very tricky as there is many factors we have to consider when creating planting plans. At Arcadian Landscapes we are heavily focused on our plant selection as one of Chris’s main passions has been plants and one of our values is to create harmony between the hard and soft landscaping elements and creating a garden that is empathetic to its surrounding environment.
Our plant selection is normally driven by the style of the design and the clients needs. We have to focus on how much time our clients want to spend in the garden or if they engage a skilled gardener to manage the garden. Once this is clarified we are then able to use the information we would of previously gathered on our site survey and analysis, soil type and structure i.e Clay, sand or loam plus the aspect of the planting if it faces North south east or west. We also have to take into consideration of climate as where we are based in Surrey we have a more temperate climate in comparison to someone in Scotland etc.
Once these perimeters are a set the fun part of plant selection can start. We will put together a mood board of potential plants (normally up to 20 plants) but this number can increase with the size of the project. The purpose of the mood board is to get our creative juices flowing and see what plants will work together, as we have to consider plants in 3D as they can appeal to all the senses. Colour can be the pivotal element when selecting the right plant for the right place but sometimes scent can be a determining factor.
Here is a sample of a planting palate we created for a green planting plan that was set against a contemporary design. The emphasis was on the variety of green with accents of colour.
Once we have a palate of plants to work with, we start to map out our planting plan. We still do the early stages by hand as this can be a very rough and indecisive process. The image demonstrates how we start planting plans on the drawing board. This is a very quick way to work. Sometimes we will even create collages with images to see how the combinations will work.
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