1. Planting alone
Planting a beautiful tree or shrub in an open space, such as grassland, near the water surface and away from other scenery, is called solitary planting. Specimen-plants should have a tree shape with certain posture, such as tall and straight, dignified and elegant branches and pleasant lines. Or beautiful flowers and fruits. "speci-men" index book or sample means that only individuals with outstanding image in the group, that is, superior trees, can be used for solitary planting.
Trees suitable for individual planting, such as cedar, Pinus armandii, Pinus bungeana, Pinus tabulaeformis, Picea, Aralia, Sequoia, Magnolia grandiflora, Cinnamomum camphora, Aesculus chinensis, cherry blossoms, birch, banyan, kapok, etc. Clustered flowering shrubs also have the effect of solitary planting, such as 3 ~ 5 plants together, dense branches and leaves, rich flowers, which look like a flower mountain from a distance, and can also be called solitary planting. For example, in the Beijing Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, there is a hybrid of Persian lilac, which is planted in a corner of the grass alone and is full of flowers in early May. It is an ideal solitary tree. The flowering shrubs suitable for single planting include smiley face flower, hydrangea, Hypericum, etc.
2. Cluster planting (shrub)
The planting method of combining more than three trees of the same species or several trees together is called clumping. Most of them are arranged in the roadside, lawn or a center of the building vestibule in the garden green space.
A kind of plants are clustered and need different postures to pass on to each other; There are many combinations of several plants, such as evergreen trees and deciduous trees, ornamental flowers and foliage trees, trees and shrubs, shade-loving trees and sunny trees, conifers and broad-leaved trees, etc., with a wide range of choices and flexible artistic effects. The trees used in cluster planting are not as prominent as those required by single planting, but they are more attractive when matched with each other than single planting.
3. Double cropping
Two plants of the same tree species are planted in parallel or before and after, which is suitable for lawns and roadsides.
Double-planted trees should have certain differences in posture and size, or tilt up and down, or tilt all the time, one high and one low, so as to be vivid and natural. The maximum planting distance should not exceed the sum of the crown radii of two plants in adulthood; There are not too many restrictions at the minimum.
4. Group planting (tree group)
With one or two kinds of trees as the main body and a variety of trees and shrubs, a large area of trees is formed, which is called group planting or tree group. Functionally, group planting can prevent strong winds, such as northwest wind in the north and sea breeze in the south coast; For tourists to enjoy the cool in summer; Shade the ugly part of the garden. In terms of garden art, the trees planted in groups can form a dark contrast, and at the same time enrich the vertical landscape formed by them. Compared with the horizon, the fluctuation of canopy makes the skyline change more. If shrubs are used around trees to decorate the forest edge or the gap between trees, many wild trees can be added to the garden, which are often used as the background of trees or planted on the edge of lawn and the whole green space. The choice of tree species and the spacing between trees can be arbitrary, but the elevation colors and levels are rich and colorful, and the crown lines are clear and changeable.
5. Patch planting (pure forest or mixed forest)
A single tree species or more than two species are planted in large quantities, the former is pure forest and the latter is mixed forest. Mostly used in natural scenic spots or large and medium-sized parks and green spaces.
Piece planting can be extended to hundreds of woodland, or as few as dozens, imitating forest landscape. In hot summer in the south, there are many woodlands in the park. In addition to artificial forests, many parks make use of forests in mountainous areas, such as Yuelu Mountain in Changsha, Yuexiu Mountain in Guangzhou and Zijin Mountain in Nanjing. Many public gardens and green spaces are dominated by trees. Therefore, patch planting can be carried out according to the size of the garden area and the appropriate proportion, or the original patch trees in the garden can be properly utilized and transformed into garden services.
In order to imitate nature and be more artistic than nature, we can refer to the following layout essentials: ① Trees need not be in rows and columns, but should be sparse and dense, leaving small gaps in appropriate places to increase the contrast between light and shade to attract tourists in the forest. (2) Around the small forest land, some shrubs can be planted according to different ecological conditions to ease the contrast between vertical and horizontal lines. ③ Forest paths should be rugged and natural, with shade-tolerant plants, such as Hosta, ornamental ferns, Rhododendron, Begonia, Lily of the Valley, Asarum and so on. , should be planted along the roadside to form a shade-tolerant vegetation landscape under the forest. (4) Choose a tree with flowers or fruits to enjoy and produce a small pure forest, which is more charming than a cluster. There are few artificial pure forests of magnolia, acacia, Luan and willow in domestic gardens, so we might as well try them in places where conditions permit. It is magnificent and ingenious to plant them on open land. ⑤ The forest edge is not straight, the whole forest land is not geometric, there is no one-size-fits-all edge in nature, and it is difficult to organize. ⑥ The traditional bamboo forest, merlin forest and pine forest in China are pure forests with small areas, which can create a "Lin Qiu" for trees with color-changing leaves in autumn. Pure or mixed forests of Liquidambar formosana, Sapium sebiferum, Ginkgo biloba, Pinus bungeana, Acer negundo and Cotinus coggygria can make autumn colors pleasant.
Traditional gardens in China tend to be natural and have two common characteristics: first, there are not many kinds of plants, all of which are traditional favorites; The second is simple and elegant, pursuing painting and focusing on tranquility. Such plant landscapes are common in ancient poems, paintings and gardens. For example:
Living in bamboo: Wang Huizhi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty loved bamboo, lived in someone else's empty house, planted a lot of bamboo, and said, "You will be indispensable in a day!" " Su Shi of the Northern Song Dynasty wrote such a poem that he loved bamboo: "It is better to live without bamboo than to eat without meat. No meat makes people thin, and no bamboo makes people vulgar. " The history of bamboo painting can be traced back at least to the Tang Dynasty. For more than 1000 years, planting, painting and reciting bamboo have become a major feature of traditional art in China. People compare bamboo joints to the "integrity" of human beings, the hollowness of bamboo stems to "modesty" and the evergreen of bamboo to "though it is cold, it will not wither". These lofty metaphors are important reasons for loving bamboo. Therefore, Garden Metallurgy has repeatedly mentioned some gardening techniques with bamboo as the material, such as "seclusion in bamboo dock", "bamboo in bamboo", "moving bamboo as a window", "plum blossoms outside the house, planting more bamboo" and "seclusion in bamboo".
Picturesque pine trees: pine trees have a long life and are more vigorous and quaint in old age. Its roots are like dragons, branches are like cockroaches, graceful and picturesque. Pinus tabulaeformis in the north and Pinus taiwanensis in the south all give people a picturesque impression. Pine trees, especially those growing on steep cliffs, are proud and fearless and have always been loved by people.
Night rain banana: it is a traditional way to reflect the beauty of garden hearing. The huge green leaves of banana are used to being planted in the corner or in front of the eaves to receive the dripping of rain, and playing plucked music in and out, giving people a quiet and tranquil taste, which is praised in many ancient poems. Bananas are good shade materials in summer. A poem in Wang Shouren in the Ming Dynasty praised: "The banana leaves in front of the eaves are green, there is no heat in the long summer, and the rainy night is quiet. Why not make the moonlight half cloudy?" (See Poems of the Ming Dynasty, Zhonghua Book Company).
Green Pavilion and Liuan: "Yang Liuan, the breeze is fading". China traditionally likes to plant moisture-resistant willows at the water's edge, such as "inserting willows along the embankment", "adapting willows in the embankment" and "deep willows and spreading reeds" mentioned in Yuanye. Reed likes to live in shallow marshes, grows intensively in summer, matures in autumn, and spits out white filamentous hairs on the glume, commonly known as reed flowers. Willow and reed have similar ecological requirements and are poetic combinations. Willow branches sway in the wind, and catkins come out in spring; A large number of waterfowl are often hidden among reeds, and reed flowers are scattered in autumn. Every spring and autumn, the water is as white as smoke. One is "inextricably stirring the spring breeze", and the other is "dancing with the red leaves in autumn", which has always been a picturesque and beautiful scenery.
Weave hedges and plant chrysanthemums: Tao Yuanming's famous sentence "Gather chrysanthemums under the hedge, and see Nanshan leisurely" makes chrysanthemums and hedges often combined, and even chrysanthemums and Tao Qian are often associated and praised. If there is a poem, "pottery is a hedge chrysanthemum, and the color is better." People like chrysanthemums for many reasons. For example, "Ao Shuang" with a late flowering period is very moving, and it has a long flowering period and is easy to cultivate, so it is widely cultivated and loved by people. Tao Yuanming, in particular, abandoned his official position and picked chrysanthemums at home, leading an idyllic life. The quiet and comfortable feeling of "staying in the cage for a long time and returning to the original" caused many ripples in the hearts of literati in the feudal period of more than 1000 years.
Several traditional plant hobbies are briefly mentioned above, and there are many others, such as orchids, which are often compared to the fragrance of a gentleman; Indus often indicates the arrival of autumn, and wood can be used to make harps; The beauty of the lotus is "out of the mud but not stained, clear and not demon", and the peony is more beautiful than the country. Many plants are praised by ancient poems and depicted by ancient paintings, and their traditions and popularity have inadvertently deeply influenced the configuration of garden plants.
As for the traditional planting methods, there are only two, one is neat and symmetrical. The traditional beauty of the word "Li" in China is the juxtaposition of two fawns, which proves that China's ancient aesthetic concept attaches great importance to the form of neat arrangement. There are many examples in ancient gardens, such as temples, halls, tombs, gates of official houses, etc., which are planted in pairs with juniper, ginkgo, locust tree and beech tree to show solemnity. Another way of planting is nature, which is also the most common and popular way in classical gardens. The poetry mentioned above is this natural effect. To sum up, the arrangement of plants in classical gardens embodies the beauty of plants in this way: ① Preserve the wild plants that grow naturally, and form a kind of wild and quaint "towering old trees" and "hidden by vegetation". (2) patches of forest, with gloomy forest. Bamboo, pine or other tall trees are often used to choose hillsides and valleys, forming a secluded place of "Chongshan Maolin". (3) Fruit trees that can enjoy flowers, such as peaches, plums, plums, apricots, pears, etc., are most interesting to plant in pieces in front of the hall or in front of the house. The so-called "peach and plum into a diameter" look. (4) Planting lianas around the garden boundary, such as wisteria, radix aucklandiae, Ficus pumila, etc. , forming the effect of "fence looming between roses". ⑤ Plant willow by the pool, reed, cattail, iris in shallow water, hibiscus in wetland, etc. , more interesting. ⑥ The courtyard needs shade, and deciduous trees are often dotted, and the number does not need to be large, forming "Huaiyin Courtyard" and "ubiquitous five shades". You can also plant some plantains or short bamboos in front of the porch and window, which will make the room feel full of green and elegant. ⑦ The flower platform is higher than the ground, located under the shadow wall opposite to the front of the hall, or some perennial herbs such as peony, Hosta, orchid, embroidered grass, lily, daylily, tuberose, Nandina domestica, peony, rose and so on. They are all planted along the foot of the mountain, close to the life of the garden owner, and produce the pleasure of "enjoying flowers in the scenery".
The above conventional configuration methods can be seen everywhere in Jiangnan classical gardens. The combination of traditional favorite plants and traditional collocation techniques has formed the far-reaching beauty of China classical gardens. With the infiltration of western gardening style and the introduction and cultivation of foreign ornamental plants, the configuration of garden plants should also adapt to different needs, so as to make foreign things serve China, bring forth new ideas and give full play to the beauty of plants. However, we must pay attention to: ① Give plants enough space to fully grow and try to show the possible beauty of body color. Rushing for success, adopting close planting or replacing buildings are all against the principles of garden art. Only by providing sufficient conditions to meet the growth of plants, such as soil, fertilizer and water, can plants show their vibrant health and beauty. Planting trees on construction waste and ruins is doomed to failure. (3) Understand the introduction and origin, ecological characteristics and associated plants of plants. Landscape designers can't plant inappropriate species or inappropriate combinations simply for the pursuit of artistry. Native tree species or successfully introduced tree species are the materials that most easily reflect the designer's ingenuity. ④ Do not use knives, scissors, axes, saws, etc. Whatever. Let the plants grow naturally. Artificial pruning plants are regarded by aestheticians as "living building materials", which, like bricks and tiles, completely lose their natural interest. ⑤ The choice of shade trees is determined according to the local climate and people's outdoor life needs. The basic requirement is that people lose their leaves when they need sunshine and when they need shade. Evergreen trees are planted in large quantities all year round in hot cities. ⑥ In addition to trees, ground cover plants and open grasslands are needed. The closer the scenery is to nature, the more pleasant it is. The plant landscape in nature is simple, so there is a principle that simplicity is also beautiful. ⑦ It is both meaningful and practical to give full play to the beauty of gardens with trees and shrubs as the main body. Use less biennial flowers, because they have a short life span and are laborious. In order to add color beauty, perennial herbs and bulbous plants can be selected. Plants should always be kept clean, tidy and free from pests and diseases. Only the spotless landscape of every grass and tree can make people relaxed and happy. Therefore, there is also a principle that "cleanliness is also beautiful". Compared with the collective beauty of plants, the individual beauty of plants can give full play to the collective beauty of plants, especially in large-scale gardens, which has remarkable functional effects and forms a magnificent spirit in art. The natural beauty of plants wins the attendance of gardens of all sizes, and architectural beauty should not prevail here, especially a large number of service buildings, leisure buildings or amusement facilities cannot occupy the configuration of plants.
In short, it is a worldwide trend to give full play to the beauty of plants. The East is the birthplace of advocating natural beauty. China classical gardens are natural landscape gardens. While preserving the beauty of human living environment and natural scenery in the vast territory, we should simulate and reproduce the natural landscape under the guidance of ecological theory, and provide urban residents with scenery close to nature, which is a landscape that garden plants should deliberately create.
Fig. 7 Landscape of Hangzhou Botanical Garden.