ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURE (2+1)

Trees suitable for small gardens

While selecting trees for the home garden the following questions must be answered. First of all, why the tree is needed? Is it for a background or corner planting to frame the house; whether this is needed for shade for sitting or for the terrace and if so, whether grass will grow under shade? Once the questions are answered, the right type of tree has to be selected. Enough room has to be left for the tree to grow. As for example, a 25 x 50 m plot has room only for a large shade tree and two to three small flowering trees. Shallow rooted trees such as Millingtonia hortensis should not be planted as they are surface feeders and may be uprooted by storms.

Bauhinias, bottle brush, Tecoma argentea, Mimusops elengi, Gliricidia maculata, Cochlospermum gossypium, Cassia fistula, Cassia spectabilis, etc. are trees suitable for planting in home grounds.
There are some beautiful trees for the temperate regions some of which can also be tried in the plains of India. Cherries especially Prunus sargentii, is an out¬standing flowering tree. Some ornamental peaches (P. persica 'Clara Meyer') look beautiful when in flowering. Some of the plums bear beautiful flowers out of which Prunus cerasifera nigra is possibly best for a home garden. Many of the maples are very ornamental in form and deserve planting in medium compounds. The weeping willow (Salix babylonica) and S. pulrpurea var. pendula are also very ornamental.

Some shrubs may be grown as specimens in the lawn. A few suggested shrubs are Ixora singaporensis and Mussaenda philippica for plains and Azaleas, Camellias and Rhododendrons for temperate climates. For shrubbery border a list of shrubs may be made from the chapter on ornamental and flowering shrubs, depending upon situation.