A living, growing, and breathing landscape. There is a lot going on within your turfgrass, plants, shrubs, and trees. The science of soil and plants. Understanding how everything including the hardscape comes together. In this webpage, we will distill some key actionable items for the strata member, property manager, or business person. Let’s start with a framework from the broad view to the details.
#1 Landscape Setting:
Where is your landscape situated within the larger area? Always start with matters you can’t easily change. These include:
- Elevation: is your landscape on a hill, flat terrain or rolling landscape?
- Grade and drainage ability: Is the landscape constructed to drain excess water. Does the landscape have areas where water tends to pool?
#2 Sun
How does the sun arc over your landscape during the four seasons? Do your plants receive adequate sun based on their needs? What does the sun over your landscape look like? Is there a building or other structures blocking the sun from providing photosynthesis for turf, plants, shrubs, and trees? For the most part, you can’t change much. What you can do is make sure the plants are located in the right places.
#3 Soil:
Trying to have a great-looking landscape with poor quality soil is analogous to wanting your car to win a race with two-year-old 87 octane gasoline. Will not happen. You need to start with soil that works for your plants.
The science of soil is comprehensive. The core basics would include the following:
Nutrient profile: NPK; nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium make up the big three. There are also many micronutrients that we can help manage. We have the tools to perform basic soil testing.
Soil structure profile: what is the structure of your soil? If you don’t remember, the three basic components of soil include Sand, Silt, and Clay.
The soil structure triangle
Soil is the base level within your garden and shrub beds. Don’t look to your plants to perform and look great. Give them the conditions to thrive. You want to move your soil into the loam/silt loam area.
#4 Water:
Do you have enough water for the plants, shrubs, trees, and turfgrass installed? If not, is there an irrigation system installed? Water needs have become a “hot topic” come summer. The lower mainland has become a very hot and dry microclimate and we lose many plants every year due to heat stress.
#5 The Right Plant in The Right Location:
When you see the Landscapia tag line “Optimized Landscape Management” this is not meant to be a generalized bs phrase. The living green botany components must be suited for the conditions and constraints of your landscape. If they are not, you will always be pushing a rock up the hill just trying to keep them alive. Sometimes relocating or removing can be a better decision than spending time and money on a lost cause.