Planting a tree or shrub during Arbor Week is exciting. Each can help repair damage done to our natural environment in the past. They can add beauty to an otherwise barren landscape and they can provide shelter and food for other creatures. If you plant a tree or a shrub only once, great, but if you plan to plant many trees or shrubs many years, you may want to plan your planting more carefully.

Planning Your Planting

What kind of landscape do you dream of when you have finished all your planting?

• Do you want a forest containing native trees, of one make exclusively of imported species, or a combination of both?
• Do you want a meadow with wildflowers, or a wetland with bullrushes?
• Do you want a landscape where the plantings dominate you or where you dominate them?
• Do you want plant species with a specific colour, fragrance or texture?
• Do you want to replace species of plants that no longer exist in your community?
• Do you want to provide plants that provide food and shelter for specific birds or animals?
• Do you want your planting to be diverse or all the same? How far apart should your selected plants be planted?

These are but a few of the questions that must be asked when planning your planting for future generations to enjoy.

Preparing a Plan for Planting

Determine what kind of landscape you want. Determine which plants will grow in your area and which species will best create the landscape you want. Find a piece of land that can accommodate your desired landscape. If you want to create a wetland, a hill is not the best place to try. On a piece of paper, plot to scale your proposed planting, being careful to draw your planting at a spacing that will allow for plant growth. Determine the variety, size, numbers of plants you will need. Plant the number of plants you want in the first year, save your drawing and continue planting, according to your plan, each year until you have "constructed" the landscape of your dreams.
Planning your planting to create your desired landscape is not easy. It requires a goal, research, and much thought, but the results are worth it. Happy planning and fruitful planting.

Information provided courtesy of the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects