Trees are a long-term investment that starts paying dividends early. Plan your garden around the right trees, and watch the growth go your way.
Trees, it is often said, make a home. They signify permanence and stability, are low-maintenance and you can design your garden around them. Trees are a major investment in your garden, and often the most permanent feature of a home. So plant trees early, when you buy the land for your home. They can be added later, but if planted at random may pose future problems. Overlooking a pool, for example, a tree will shed leaves into it; and large roots can break up a garden path or wall.
Tree-planting requires planning and some basic knowledge. First visit local nurseries and parks and list your choice of trees. The trees you choose will be the backbone of your garden. Avoid placing large trees close to the home, compound wall or walkways. Large trees can also cast deep shadows on flowerbeds and lawn or the house itself.
THE TREES FOR YOU
Small trees like hibiscus, frangipani and pomegranate can be grown in balconies and terrace gardens. Bonsai ficus, pine and even banyans will suit very tiny areas.
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Small gardens (around 4,000 sq ft) can accommodate one or two large trees, accompanied by smaller flowering and leafy trees: cassias with yellow and red blooms, pink and yellow trumpet flower trees, hibiscus, frangipani, bottle brush, jarul and the crepe myrtle. Smaller trees look best in groups or clusters. Tuck in small fruit trees like pomegranate, chikoo, custard apple, or larger ones like mango and jamun, if there is space, away from the boundary wall.
A medium-size garden (above 8,000 sq ft) can accommodate larger trees like gulmohur, amaltas, neem, kachnar, karanj, jacaranda, sheesham, babool, a conifer, alstonia and tamarisk. A second layer of smaller trees — flowering or fruit-bearing — can be planted in groups. A focal area can be planted with a moulmein rosewood, which has beautiful foliage, or a cluster of frangipanis or amaltas. Conifers can be trimmed into hedges or topiary designs.
In large gardens (two acres), there is space for a variety of trees in specifically designed areas. Set aside areas for boundary trees, clusters, and focus trees like the magnificent royal palm. An avenue of gulmohurs or foliage trees like the ashok can be planted along a driveway. Large trees like maharukh, champak and pilkhan can be planted to create shaded areas. A separate orchard could feature mangos, tamarind, jamun and badam. The banyan, which can spread for over an acre, is ideal for large farmhouses, with seating planned under the canopy. When planning trees around a water feature, choose trees suited to the design: bamboo and mangrove trees by a natural stream and clusters of frangipani near a formal lotus pond or swimming pool.
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PLANTING SCHEMES
Make a rough plan of the house and garden area, and try different arrangements on paper. Some options:
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- Trees in same-species groups: Ornamental bamboos or palms.
- Colour-coordinated: White shows up at night; combine harshingar with white frangipani and variegated foliage plants.
- Single trees as a special feature: A gulmohur or ornamental palm.
- For the entrance: An avenue of trees like amaltas or royal palms, or a clutch of bougainvillea in a smaller space.
- Same species with multi-coloured blooms: A cluster of pink and white oleander, or red, orange and yellow hibiscus.
SHOPPING
Choose trees with a view to their growth 10 years down the line. Plan in a ratio of 1:4:8 — for every large tree, plan four medium-size and eight small trees. Mix flowering, fruit and foliage trees. Trees need space, sunlight and good depth of soil. When buying from a nursery, buy healthy trees that are about two years old, as they will adapt better than saplings. Invest in a fine specimen tree or palm for that special spot, even if it is more expensive.
BEFORE YOU PLANT>
Tree-planting should be carried out in cool weather, preferably late in the monsoon or before summer. Intense heat or moisture may damage new roots. Prepare the ground by loosening the soil around the planting area before digging the pit. The pit should be large enough to accommodate each root-ball and have enough space to allow the roots to spread. A mix of manure, neem, forest soil and crushed dried leaves should be left in each pit for a few days before planting.
IMPORTS AND EXPORTS
It is advisable to stick to trees that thrive in your area, but new and exotic trees are always exciting. My gardener friends often bring seeds and cuttings from their travels, braving customs and quarantines for the thrill of transporting a bit of exotic greenery into their gardens. There is nothing more thrilling than these living souvenirs: olive saplings from Jordan, raspberry canes from England or birch trees from Australia.
Indeed, if travellers and gardeners had been less adventurous in the past, would we have had coffee today? This delicious brew was reportedly introduced by a 17th-century Sufi mystic who brought a few beans with him from Ethiopia. The Mughals transported plants and trees, like the chinars of Kashmir, all the way from Persia. The British brought trees to India from distant places, including rubber from Brazil, and took home Himalayan plants like the rhododendron.
There are some restrictions on the import of trees and plants, but most species can be safely brought in legally.
TREES FOR LIFE I recently planted a walnut tree, which can take 20 years and more to mature and bear fruit, in a client’s garden. For a client in a hurry — he had wanted an instant garden — he stayed calm when I reminded him that his grandchildren might picnic in its shade or climb it to pick green walnuts. As a Chinese proverb says, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, and the next best time is now.”
Lathika George is a writer and landscape designer based in Kodaikanal