4 Questions to ask yourself when planting near Driveways, Patios and Walks
When it comes landscaping, most will agree that the functionality of a given outdoor space is just as important as its appearance. For this reason, it’s important to include specific areas like driveways, patios and walks that will be effective in providing space for a wide range of different requirements such as outside dining or getting from one end of the garden to the other.
Planting around such structures can be pretty challenging, even for the more experienced gardeners. Let’s take a look at 4 questions that you need to ask yourself when planting near walks, patios and driveways.
- How wide will your plants grow?
Although a path will look rather picturesque when lined with lovely shrubs and bushes, it takes some planning to choose plants that will not overgrow the path and make it difficult to walk on. Before purchasing shrubbery for your landscaping design project, ensure that your variations will not grow outrageously wide and need constant clipping.
- How high will your plants grow?
If plants grow higher than anticipated they may overgrow architectural features or end up obstructing the view. Before you plant trees anywhere near a path or a driveway, bear in mind that branches can hang low and get in the way.
- Will hanging branches cause issues?
Keep plants that have rigid branches or thorns away from areas where people or vehicles could get scratched. In this instance, beauty matters less than a practical approach.
- What if it snows?
If you live in an area that experiences heavy snowfall you’ll have to take this into consideration. Plant trees with big hanging branches away from driveways, patios and walkways as, should the braches snap due to the heavy weight of falling snow, it may just cause injury to someone or damage to vehicles etc.
Before taking your garden tools from the shed and lining your driveway with big shrubs and trees, you need to ask yourself each of the four questions that have been outlined above.
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