Right Plant, Right Place

Right Plant, Right Place 

 ​Thoughtful plant selection and proper site preparation are essential to developing a beautiful, earth-friendly landscape. By selecting the right plant for the right place, you reduce the need for water, fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides and labor. Proper plant placement creates a visually appealing landscape, prevents soil erosion, and reduces household cooling and heating needs—all of which make your landscape an asset, improving your property value, beautifying your community, and building a healthy local ecosystem.  Print this handy Grow Guide Right Plant, Right Place for a 2 page how-to and plant list. 

8 Great Landscaping Tips:

1. Remember all newly planted ornamentals from perennial flowers to trees require extra attention and care until they are established—usually a year.

2. Late fall through early winter is the best time to plant your ornamental trees and shrubs in the Southern Piedmont of NC.

3. Choose your woody ornamentals (trees and shrubs) first as they establish the borders, hedges, and specimen plantings that give structure and form to your landscape.

4. Create groups of shrubs and trees in mulched beds with curved edges rather than scattering plants throughout the lawn.

5. Resist the temptation to have an "instant landscape." Know the mature size of plants and give them room and time to grow.

6. Foundation or corner shrubs should be planted half their mature width plus one (1’) foot away from the wall. For example, a shrub that grows to be 5’ wide should be planted 3-1/2’ (2-1/2’ + 1’) away from the house.

7. Concentrate color where an accent is desired. Color accents can be achieved in every season by considering bloom color and time, foliage color, fruit color and time, and twig and bark color.

8. Before shopping, learn the botanical (Latin) name of your selected plants to make sure you are getting exactly what you want; common names can be misleading and misinterpreted.

Environmental & Design requirements:

• Hardiness zone  (7 - 8 in Mecklenburg County), Moisture needs, Light exposure, Insect & disease resistance, Heat & wind tolerance

• Growth habit - consider mature plant form, shape, and texture—how plant will occupy and accent space

• Bloom cycle - choose plants with different bloom cycles to provide year-round color

• Mature Size - space plantings to accommodate mature height and width; also consider the mature size of nearby plants 

• Seasonal interest - consider fruit, flowers, twig color, foliage

Native North Carolina Perennials

Perennials are hardy herbaceous plants that die back in winter and grow back from their roots in the spring versus annuals which live only one growing season.  Perennials return to your garden bigger and better each year for your enjoyment. 

Native NC Trees and Shrubs

Our native Piedmont tree canopy includes a wide variety of maple, ash, oak, and other deciduous trees as well as evergreens, but many smaller native trees and shrubs thrive in sunny to part-shade conditions, and add diversity and beauty to your landscape. 

Resources: Websites on Piedmont gardening, native and nonnative plants:

www.mastergardenersmecklenburg.org; www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/; http://ncbg.unc.edu/plants-and-gardening/

*For complete lists of invasive plants like English ivy, Chinese privet, Japanese or Chinese wisteria, and Japanese honeysuckle, visit:

www.ces.ncsu.edu/nreos/forest/pdf/ag/ag636_03.pdf or www.ncbg.unc.edu/pages/12/ 

Got GARDEN questions? Get Answers! 

The more you know, the more you can grow. 

growing & gardening in the Southeast 

  Mecklenburg Extension Master Gardener Volunteerssm

mastergardenersmecklenburg.org