<b>Trees, Ornamental & Bedding Plant:</b> The inspired public garden

A low-maintenance planting system for high-profile areas such as roadside medians and boulevards, public buildings and parks: It’s a dream come true for public green-space managers, but is it only that – a dream?

Absolutely not, says nurseryman Laurens Lageschaar. He has developed a planting concept that makes attractive perennial gardens a reality for anyone and just about any space.

Right Plant, Right Place
Drawing on his years of experience as a landscape gardener, combined with his extensive knowledge of perennials, Lageschaar developed a planting system that uses a combination of flowering bulbs, flowering perennials and groundcover perennials to create gardens that provide all-season color and interest. The first client to put this concept to the test was the town of Doetinchem in The Netherlands.

The trouble spot was a large downtown median intersected by three pedestrian crossings and a major intersection. The original landscape plan chosen by the town consisted largely of mass plantings of various grasses.

Residents soon realized the plants posed a visibility hazard, which would only get worse in the fall and winter months. With the help of Lageschaar, the town went back to the drawing board to arrive at a more suitable planting concept.

Installed under Lageschaar’s watchful eye, upright perennials and flowering bulbs were planted amongst groundcover perennials – but in a way that would allow them to develop properly.

The groundcovers had to be dense enough to suppress weed growth, but they should not form a dense mat of roots that would hinder growth of flowering bulbs.

A good fertilization program is also essential for the installation, as the heavy-feeding bulbs will otherwise deteriorate.

Universal Appeal
The original installation was done in the fall of 2007 and after two seasons, public acclaim has been high, while at the same time maintenance has been kept to a minimum.

“The workers of the town’s horticulture department regularly receive unsolicited compliments,” says Lageschaar. “They assure me that has never happened before.”

The following are some favorite combinations Laurens Lageschaar used in the planting at Doetinchem:
Symphytum grandiflorum ‘Wisley Blue’ with Allium sphaerocephalum and Molinia caerulea ‘Heidebraut’

Geranium ‘Tiny Monster’ with Narcissus ‘Thalia’

Nepeta faassenii ‘Grol’ with Echinacea purpurea

Geranium ‘Phillipe Vapelle’ with Nepeta racemosa ‘Grog’ and Camassia.

Sidebar images provided by: Plant Publicity Holland
The author is head of the North American office of Plant Publicity Holland.