FOLIAGE COLOR AND TEXTURE ENHANCE
LANDSCAPES
August 17, 2006
By
Edited by Charla Borchers
Landscape (lănd'skāp'). The definition of landscape includes many
meanings. As a noun, it can mean “an
expanse of scenery”; as a verb, it includes the action “to adorn or improve (a
section of ground) by contouring and by planting flowers, shrubs, or trees.” At
the web site Answers.com I found this information about the history of the word
landscape. “First recorded in 1598, it
was borrowed as a painters' term from Dutch during the 16th century, when Dutch
artists were pioneering the landscape genre. The Dutch word landschap
had earlier meant simply “region, tract of land” but had acquired the artistic
sense, which it brought over into English, of “a picture depicting scenery on
land.” Interestingly, 34 years pass after the first recorded use of landscape
in English before the word is used of a view or vista of natural scenery. This
delay suggests that people were first introduced to landscapes in paintings and
then saw landscapes in real life.”
ARRANGE ARTISTICALLY
So those of us, who wish to work on landscaping, must focus
on how to arrange the grounds artistically.
Your garden is your canvas and the plants the palette from which you
create. My daughter once made the
comment that one of my garden areas was too cluttered and not the sculpted
arrangement that she thought I, as a Master Gardener, would have in my yard. My response was that a Master Gardener’s
garden is often an ongoing experiment in design and my experiment was not yet
complete. Since then I have rearranged
or removed some plants and added new items, much to her satisfaction. However, it is still an ongoing experiment!
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“Moses-in-the-boat (in
the left foreground corner), named for its bloom in a boat-shaped appendage, is
a drought and freeze tolerant plant for this area with muted green spear
shape leaves that have a purple underside. It grows in mounds and makes a
spectacular border plant like shown in Master Gardener |
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“With a bit of
pruning and shaping, the pygmy date palm remains visible between these two esperanzas. The
plants’ different shades of green complement each other and the bright yellow
flowers add color to the foliage to enhance the landscape.” PHOTOS BY MARIA SOBCZAK, VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER
GARDENER |
USE SHAPES, TEXTURES and COLOR
I found that using a variety of shapes, textures and color
brought an interesting twist to my very evergreen front entryway. One such addition I happened to find by
chance while visiting Rockport several summers ago. The plant seemed to be heat and drought
tolerant, compared to the looks of the others around it. Its leaves are spear-shaped, with tops a
muted green and the underside a lovely shade of purple. It grows in mounds of about 12 inches in
height, spreading in clumps to make a spectacular border. I found my specimen lying along a footpath,
but I did not know the name of it. I
couldn’t just leave it there to be trampled and crushed under foot. Picking it up, I tossed it in the nearly
empty cup of water I was carrying.
Returning home late that evening, I forgot to take the plant out of the
car’s backseat cup holder. There it
stayed for several days. Lo and behold,
when I finally cleaned out the car, it was still “hanging in there.” I decided to see if it could really meet the
requirement of being a part of my landscape, the ability to survive a western
exposure and benign neglect. Evidently,
I found the right spot because it passed the test, has multiplied, filling in
the area and thus far endured freezing temperatures, even the snow of Christmas
Eve 2004. The scientific name of this
wonderful piece of vegetation is Rhoeo spathacea, commonly known as oyster plant or
“Moses-in-the-boat”. It gets its name
from the small flower it blooms in an appendage shaped like a shell or a
boat. Some of the local nurseries have
this plant in stock as I write this article.
FOR MORE INFORMATION…
After adding that bit of color, it was time to scrutinize
the remainder of my landscape. Going to the Victoria County Master Gardeners’
web site at http://community.victoria advocate.com/groups/ VictoriaCountyMasterGardenerAssociation,
I found Master Gardener Mary Logan’s article on exotic plants and found
information about some of the plants already in my garden. The pygmy date palm, with its graceful,
flowing fronds, was being blocked by the prolific blooms and branches of my
pair of esperanza. With a
bit of pruning and shaping, the space opened up and everyone now is able to
enjoy the beauty of both. The plants’
different shades of green complement each other and the bright yellow flowers
just make one feel happy. That
revelation took me to another Gardeners’ Dirt article written by Master
Gardener Donna Roberts on using the color wheel to help set balance and unity
in that space.
One of the Master Gardener training sessions provides the
opportunity to analyze a variety of landscape arrangements, to comment on what
is seen and to express how it makes you feel as you view or approach the area.
Now that may sound quite challenging to some, but it really
is a wonderful way to apply your imagination and creativity. Along the way, between learning and designing
to the completion of the actual end product, there’s a lot of trial and
error. Thank goodness for the Advocate’s
and Master Gardeners’ web sites that archive the information and make it
available 24/7. And in the event that
there is not enough to satisfy my inquiries locally, I can always turn to Texas
A & M’s horticulture web site, http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/,
for just about anything else needed to answer my questions. So what are you
waiting for? Put on your artist’s hat, your gardening gloves and your rose-colored glasses - and go
create your very own masterpiece.
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