With over 30 years of experience in landscape design and landscape installation, Arbor Enterprises shares their specialized knowledge on what plants to choose for a yard in Pittsboro, NC. When choosing the right plant for the space, it is important to consider sun exposure, drainage, and soil type, as well as the dimensions of the plant at full size. With this short list, one should then think about personal preferences and other considerations. Sun ExposureThere are three basic categories for sun exposure: full sun, part sun, and light shade. Full sun means that the plant is exposed to at least 8 hours of sunlight per day. Part sun means there is at least 4 hours of direct sunlight per day. For morning sun, this is usually gentler and as such shaded plants can still work well in these areas. Afternoon sun tends to be hotter and harsher, and thus will mean that sun-tolerant plants need to be chosen for these areas. Light shade refers to shade that is casted by pine trees. It is different from dark shade from buildings or hardwood trees. Drainage and Soil TypeHere, is it important to consider whether the area is poorly drained, moist, well-drained or xeric. Poorly drained or wet areas are where water stagnates for a long period of time after rainfall, this is usually indicative of soil with high clay content. Moist areas are damp most of the time and water drains away within 24 hours after rainfall ends. Rainfall in well-drained areas drains away within a couple of hours of rainfall ending and is an indicator of sandy soil. Xeric soil is extremely sandy, in these areas water never stands but rather immediately drains away. It’s also important to keep in mind that in shaded areas, competition from tree roots may cause the soil to be drier. Plant Size When Full-GrownIt’s easy to underestimate the full size of a plant – they tend to grow larger and faster than anticipated. This leads to many issues such as in new landscape plants being placed too close together or too close to the house. For trees, in particular, it is important to have a good idea of how wide and tall they will grow before planting. Personal PreferencesChoosing plants for a garden is very personal; different plants appeal to different people for a wide variety of reasons. Different factors that may influence these choices include the color of the plant (looking at both the flowers and the foliage), the fragrance, the screening and shade that the plant offers, and whether the plant is high or low maintenance. Other ConsiderationsOnce the choices have been narrowed down, there are a couple of other considerations that need to be taken into account. The plants should be attractive to wildlife such as bees (for pollination) and birds; they should not have serious pest problems, be non-invasive and easily available from nurseries. The right plant for landscaping design in Pittsboro, NC is one that is adapted to the local climate as well as being adapted to the specific site conditions (this includes sun exposure, soil type, and drainage). It also needs to be the right size for the space, something that you like and is not invasive. It also needs to be easily available to purchase. For help with landscape installation and plant choices, contact Arbor Enterprises, a leading landscape company in Pittsboro, NC. From tree trimming to lawn care and more, they are able to help with any landscaping requirements. In addition to softscaping, such as plant selection, they can also help with hardscaping projects such as patio designs, pool landscaping ideas, and irrigation installation.
The following information was originally seen on Landscape Design and Landscape Installation with the Right Plants in Pittsboro, NC and is courtesy of Arbor Enterprises. Find more on:} https://arborenterprises.com/
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Fearrington Light Railway The Route of the Beltie The Fearrington Light Railway (FLR) is a freelanced subdivision of the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad (SR&RL), an actual 2-foot narrow gauge railroad that operated in northern Maine from the 1880s to 1935. The time period depicted on the FLR is circa 1931. In this schematic drawing, the floor boards have been omitted from the grilling deck (upper left), to show the tracks passing underneath. We moved into our new home in December of 2016. Work on the railroad began in June of 2017. Paige Moody of Arbor Enterprises built the patio, water feature, and major landscaping. David Mozier of Mozier Builders constructed the grilling deck and the two sets of stairs. Both did a terrific job bringing my design sketches to life. I laid the first loop of track in the fall of 2017. The structures came from my previous garden railroad in PA. All except the steel truss bridge and the wooden turntable bridge were scratch-built by me, based on New England prototypes. They are weatherproof, and remain outdoors year round. I also assembled the full-size foot bridge, from a kit.
Left: Strong, Maine on the SR&RL, circa 1930. Right: Fearrington Junction on the FLR. The track is brass, and is supported by gravel ballast, just as on the prototype. All switches are manually operated, also as on the prototype. The engines are radio controlled, and powered by battery or live steam. The steam locomotives burn camp stove fuel (butane/isobutane). Track gauge (the distance between the rails) is 45 mm, aka “Gauge 1.” The scale (ratio between the model and prototype) ranges from 1:24 (1/2” to the foot) to 1:13.7 (7/8” to the foot). For comparison, O scale trains (e.g. Lionel) are 1:48 (¼” to the foot). Plants adjacent to tracks are selected to be “in scale” with the railroad as well, with tiny leaves or needles and overall size, such as creeping juniper, dwarf cedar, and dwarf boxwood, and groundcovers such as sedum, phlox, Scotch moss, and various thymes. Projects like this are never “finished.” There are always gardening chores to attend to, and I have a list of structures and rolling stock to build, details to add, etc. That said, I have designed the railroad to be as low-maintenance as possible, so that I can enjoy it for as long as possible. I hope you enjoy it as well! The next post was first published on Fearrington Light Railway WOF Home Tour 2019 and is republished from Arbor Enterprises. See more on:} https://arborenterprises.com/ |
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August 2019
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