IPM-Based Landscape Design

Plant Placement

It is very important that plants be placed appropriately in the landscape - not only to achieve aesthetic and functional goals, but also to ensure healthy plants by siting them in the appropriate microclimatic conditions, and to facilitate effective and efficient maintenance. Accomplishing this is often simply a matter of being aware of maintenance issues along with the types of equipment and methods used in maintaining the facility, and then considering these during the planning and design process.

This plant was intended to screen the HVAC equipment but was placed directly in the flow of hot air from the equipment. Consequently, the plant did not survive and the desired screening did not occur.

An all too common occurrence where tall growing trees have been placed underneath utility lines. Eventually the branches are likely to interfere with the lines, creating a safety issue requiring otherwise unnecessary pruning and possible damage to the lines. It has been a common practice to top trees in this situation, which leads to disfiguration, weak wood, invitation to diseases and insects, more frequent pruning, and almost certainly a shorter-lived tree.

This incense cedar tree in a city park was planted directly underneath the outer edge of the overpass. It will eventually interfere with traffic above and need to be removed or severely pruned. This conifer species is narrow and if it had only been placed a few feet away from the overpass (as with deciduous tree in foreground) it would have been a fine long-term asset to the landscape.

	The design of this area is fine from an aesthetic point of view but adds to the cost of maintaining the landscape by not somehow integrating the trees with the planting bed instead of placing them within the lawn. At a minimum, the trees should have mulch around their base (see the section on lawns and turf for further information).
	An example of trees being placed within a planting bed rather than in the lawn as with the photo above.

Proper spacing of trees permits even large mowers to operate unimpeded. When determining the locations of trees and other landscape features within mown areas, it is very important to consider the type and size of equipment used, especially in larger scale public setting.

Even the narrow mulched area around the trunks of the trees aids in the efficiency of the mowing, eliminates the need for trimming tall grass around the tree trunks, and helps prevent injury to the bark from equipment.

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Last modified: September 23, 1999

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