Ornamental Horticulture

Garden plans for small areas

For very small plots which cannot be divided into different segments such as public area, living area, and work area, one has to depend upon one's own imagination to do landscaping. However, care should be taken to choose suitable plants, especially for shady locations. For such plots situated under shade it is wise to put shade ¬loving foliage plants and flowering plants preferring semi-shade such as Impatiens sultanii, geranium, day lily and football lily. Otherwise, a lawn planted with a few specimen shrubs or roses or one or two small beds of flowering annuals will be more than sufficient for small compounds situated in the open. In all probability it will not be possible to have any large tree in such compounds.

Actually landscape design has a wide flexibility and the same plot can be landscaped in two or more different ways. Moreover, opinion varies between one landscape designer and another. But the basic theories must be followed and mistakes such as overcrowding, monotony and placing of plants in wrong situations (e.g., a sun-loving plant placed under the shade of a tree) should be avoided. Once the design is decided, the different features such as paths, walls, pools, lawn are constructed as per the procedures suggested in this book. The basic necessities such as irrigation and drainage should also be taken care of.