Garden For Salisbury Post 
Darrell Blackwelder 
January 17, 2002 
  

 It's already the middle of January and some of us have 
either broken our New Years' Resolution or have not made that 
firm commitment.  Many have told me they want to stay closer to 
home and try to improve their lawn and landscape. January weather 
gives us a chance to take a look at our situation and plan for 
next years gardening objectives. 
 Just as we are continuously updating our indoor living 
space, we need to strongly consider our outdoor living space as 
well. Try to imagine that your landscape is an open room for all 
to see. Good landscaping is very important not only to one's own 
personal gratification or artistic needs, but it also increases 
the value of the home. 
     Landscape plant materials are as diversified as the paints, 
fabrics, wallpaper and furniture styles for homes.  These 
materials range from the formal and traditional Old English 
boxwood to informal hydrangeas. 
     Some landscapes may need a total makeover.  Homes with 
landscape materials 20 years or older are often overgrown or 
disfigured with constant pruning. Over-pruned shrubs never fully 
recover to a natural growth habit. It's often more cost effective 
to remove damaged plants along with other shrubs which may be 
disease and insect infested. Replanting with new shrubs that are 
more compact, diseases and insect resistant often makes more 
sense. 
     Planning is the key to any great landscape. Now is the time 
to develop a realistic landscape plan. Impulse plant 
selection is often manifested in boring and overgrown landscapes. 
It's easy to be lured into a purchase and not have an 
appropriate, well throughout site for the tree or shrub. 
 Take time to visit nurseries, parks and other well 
landscaped homes for ideas.  Many homes in Salisbury and Rowan 
County have excellent design features.  Hurley Park has well 
planned trails of interest through all four seasons. Its worth 
the visit to see mature plant materials which may be integrated 
into a home landscape. 
     Even though nearly a thousand different types of plant 
material are available, nurserymen traditionally carry only the 
40 most popularly sold trees and shrubs.  Garden centers cannot 
afford to stock little known or unique plants that may only 
strike the fancy of only a few patrons. However, most of the 
garden centers special order unique plants for that special place 
in the landscape. 
     Design a landscape that is unique to your personality and 
which suits the needs of the family.  Take time to visit and most 
of all learn about the shrubs before purchase.  The best time 
spent may be developing a landscape plan that may be installed 
over a realistic period of time.