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#17
10-04-2003, 05:20 AM
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Shrub ideas - south central Wisconsin
paghat wrote: In article , Pam wrote: For year round appearance, at least a few (if not most) of your foundation shrubs should be evergreen. pam - gardengal I've not found this to be the essential approach. While it all comes down ultimately to a matter of personal taste, landscape design principles generally approach the planting of the entry to one's residence (front garden) to have a more uniformly year round appearance, thus the emphasis on evergreen plant material. I agree that, particularly in colder climates than the maritime Northwest, deciduous shrubs offer more seasonal color and interest than do the evergreen, few of which are both hardy AND flower in colder zones. However, few of us that live in very temperate climates realize how long and cold and snowy northern winters can be and how much more satisfying it is to look out on a winter garden that has some interest other than a collection of bare sticks and naked branches. pam - gardengal |
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#18
10-04-2003, 05:44 AM
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Shrub ideas - south central Wisconsin
Pam wrote:
While it all comes down ultimately to a matter of personal taste, landscape design principles generally approach the planting of the entry to one's residence (front garden) to have a more uniformly year round appearance, thus the emphasis on evergreen plant material. I agree that, particularly in colder climates than the maritime Northwest, deciduous shrubs offer more seasonal color and interest than do the evergreen, few of which are both hardy AND flower in colder zones. However, few of us that live in very temperate climates realize how long and cold and snowy northern winters can be and how much more satisfying it is to look out on a winter garden that has some interest other than a collection of bare sticks and naked branches. I'd agree. My sister moved from the Puget Sound, WA area to the Baltimore, MD area. She was disappointed when she realized that the landscaping for their new home was nearly devoid of evergreens, and all she had in the winter were sticks. We had grown-up in Wisconsin, and while our memories get more and more selective as the years go on, our memories from growing up was that everyone had some evergreens in front of their houses. Pictures we have seem to confirm this was the de facto rule in Wisconsin. I remember a story about somebody who lived on the Wisconsin-Illinois state line. For years and years, everyone thought his property was in Wisconsin. Then one year, when doing a survey, they found his property was actually in Illinois. When he was asked what he thought about suddenly becoming a resident of Illinois he said, "At least I won't have to live through another one of those damn Wisconsin winters!" (Okay, okay. I didn't say it actually happened. I just said I remember a story.) -- Warren H. ========== Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife. Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants to go outside now. |
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#19
10-04-2003, 03:08 PM
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Shrub ideas - south central Wisconsin
wrote in message ... yeah.. we had 6 inches here. it is melting fast, altho we are now in the inversion. warmer at night but cooler during the day than 15 miles west. it snowed right on all my snow drops and crocuses and the daffodils are in bud. the lilacs are swelling. I think we are in for some warmer weather this next week. about TIME. Ingrid Oh, inversion. I remember that so well from my days living in Shorewood! Enjoy your spring bulbs! I was really glad to see my daffies and crocuses were all fine this morning now that the snow has melted. Now I'm just trying not to get my hopes up that that was the last of the winter weather... |
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#20
10-04-2003, 03:20 PM
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Shrub ideas - south central Wisconsin
"Warren" wrote in message .net... We had grown-up in Wisconsin, and while our memories get more and more selective as the years go on, our memories from growing up was that everyone had some evergreens in front of their houses. Pictures we have seem to confirm this was the de facto rule in Wisconsin. I would say your memory is right on there. I would say the norm here is to use only evergreens for foundation plantings. And, I would say, a majority or significant minority of those with only evergreens have one type of evergreen sheared into a hedge along the foundation. A few people use a mix of evergreens and deciduous shrubs, and in the neighborhood I live in, there seem to be a lot of houses that have just a big patch of native prairie perennials around the foundation. I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of this last look, precisely because of the way it looks in winter. The joke about the Illinois/Wisconsin border was cute by the way! |
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#21
10-04-2003, 03:20 PM
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Shrub ideas - south central Wisconsin
"Pam" wrote in message ... However, few of us that live in very temperate climates realize how long and cold and snowy northern winters can be and how much more satisfying it is to look out on a winter garden that has some interest other than a collection of bare sticks and naked branches. pam - gardengal Boy, do you ever have that right! Lately, though, they haven't been very snowy in the Midwest...just long and cold and ugly brown.  |
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You are right, though. A lot of
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