“I’ve wanted to write this book for years,” says Wingate, who gardens in Seattle. “It’s an accumulation of questions I get, when I give talks, when I’m on the radio.”
We threw a few of those privacy-challenged situations at Wingate and got her thoughts.
Trees: Trees can do wonders, but you have to make the right choice.
“I always suggest that people look to their local (Cooperative) Extension Service,” she says. (Go to nifa.usda.gov/extension to find an Extension Service near you.) “I have a very small garden. We’re in the city, on a small lot. I can’t have a pin oak.
“In addition to focusing on small trees, I also recommend that people look at their city’s street trees list. They list them not only for climate, but usually list them by characteristic. Tall trees, narrow trees, what to get if you want a tree for color.”
The hedgerow: People are getting more adventurous and don’t believe they have to look like the house next door, Wingate says. That extends to hedges. She recommends a mixed hedgerow as opposed to a more formal hedge defined by a tidy row of boxwoods.
A mixed hedge, she explains, might include “two or three evergreens, deciduous bushes. It also provides wildlife habitat. They have a place to hide, they have food, they have cover. Birds that come into our garden use our hedgerow as a secondary landing place as they go to and from the feeder.”
Some plant ideas: The book offers several pages of plant lists, broken down into categories (evergreen shrubs, plants for hedgerows, plants for seaside gardens, vines for trellises, etc.). With such an expansive playbook, there’s no reason for dull uniformity. Just do your homework.
“We have a tendency to plant junipers out here,” Wingate explains. “People plant them on an incline. Sadly, they’ll put them someplace and not consider drainage. Junipers need good drainage. If they don’t, they get root rot. I have a lot of junipers listed — they’re useful — but we need to remember what they need before we plant them.”
She’s big on small conifers and yews and choosing plants that are hardy for an area but underused. Ask your Extension Service, botanic garden or local garden club for ideas.
Cutting corners: When you live on a corner, people cut across the corner of your lot. Fence or plants? Wingate says a solution depends on your neighborhood and neighbors, and how hard you need to hammer home the point.
“Sometimes you just imply there’s a barrier,” she says. “Sometimes just a few plants, sometimes you have to put something up to keep them from walking.”
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