OT: Arranging Hemlocks In My Garden

Carl_Bergstrom

Gary,

I didn't know that you were a landscape designer! Very cool. And thank you for steering me to this book. I have to confess that I had previously overlooked it because of the rather hokey title. I figured it must be some pandering-to-Western-misperceptions-about-Eastern-culture bit of nonsense. But I guess as they always say, you can't judge a book...

Anyway, it looks fantastic. I orderd a copy from Amazon tonight and I can't wait to receive it!

All the best,
Carl

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In love with trees

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GaryS

I thought the same thing when I saw it. My wife likes to take her time shopping......and I had the time to sit in the book store and read a little of it. He actually did an apprenticeship in landscape design in Kyoto.
The book is esoteric but it's a fun book. You can learn alot of stuff that is very basic to Asian culture and philsophy along with the underlying principles of Japanese landscape design.
One book that I find indespensable as far as the nuts and bolts of designing is a lightweight book by Time Life simply called "Japanese Gardens". It's simple and straight forward with a lot of pictures and practical stuff.
Once you learn there are rules but there are no rules........it's a great companion.

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GaryS

salix

OMC,

I think one difference between your planting and the display you saw is the corner. It creates a triangular backdrop for your trees that I feel will create a problem no matter how you position the trees. No matter what else you do, you'll always be tucking one of the trees back in the corner, creating repetition of the fence line. Have you considered adding one or two more trees?

freakwent

OMC,
As long as you don’t do a symmetrical triangular planting, then you will be OK. You can also create an unbalanced corner by ground cover and slight difference in elevation ( I am picturing a couple of small, flat stratified slabs.) Don't forget… while your viewing angle may be from the front porch (the most important), you still need a somewhat interesting viewing from the street. One more point is to plant them so that the largest tree doesn't rob the others from a full days sun.