Landscape design
Above: Homeowner Julie Wheeler, at right, explains how native wildflowers are carefully mixed with Muhlygrass in a linear bed bordered on both sides by mulch pathways.
At left, closer to the screen enclosure, a shrub bed of Scorpiontail, Heliotropium angiospermum, is trimmed to stay compact and shapely. Pathways are clear.
Below right: There are several different species in the Quillin-Ramsey side yard, but plants are both grouped and separated to preserve an overall orderliness.
Some plants are shaped with trimming. The clear pathway, visually distinguished from the mulched beds, tells the “landscape reader” that humans are in control.
ature and privacy lovers tend to
enjoy dense vegetation and lots of
plants. Other people, perhaps
N
most, feel uneasy when they can’t see
around, over or through a landscape. Perhaps
they’re subconsciously channeling ancient
predators in the woods. Here we see
carefully planned landscapes in The Villages,
where homeowners are finding ways
to reintroduce quite a few native plants without
scaring their (very) nearby neighbors.
Photos were taken in late November, after
fall flowering is finished and some perennials
begin to go dormant for the winter.
DISTINCT SHAPES: Arrange
plants and groups of plants
so they are visually distinct.
Trim plants as needed to
keep them visually distinct.
EDGES: Keep clear, sharp
edges along paths, driveway,
sidewalk and the street.
VIEWS: Layer plant heights
so that viewers can see near
and look far.
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