Seeds

Each different type of seed has a process and a time-need to germinate.

Before the seeds appeared, the plants reproduce by spores. In the plant realm, the plants evolve from the ferns and liverworts and create a new plant family; the conifers. They reproduced by pine seeds that need a long process to open and allow the seeds that are kept inside to germinate. In the life cycle of the conifers the fire is needed to open the pine nuts.

When the insects appeared in Earth, the plants evolve and allowed to create a new plant family, the flowering plants. They depend on the insects for pollination. Their seeds were much lighter that the conifers' seeds. Dependindg on each plant the period for germination will be longer or shorter.

The ash for instance would need 18 months of cold and heat to be able to germinate.

The willow seeds can stand a shallow dormancy period.

Extreme conditions

Sometimes we need to choose plant for an area where wi will have extreme weather conditions; extreme heat, really low temperatures, continuous winds...

There are plants that will survive in extreme weather conditions.

In Ireland if we have to choose plants adapted to the wind we should go for native shrubs and trees.

Plants that will bear with the high temperatures of Ireland are:

• Ferns
• Bracken
• Alpine plants
• Pine trees
• Succulents plants
• Sedum
• Ornamental grasses
• Herbs
• Furze

Plants that will handle low temperatures are:

• Holly trees
• Pine trees
• Alpine trees
• Artichokes
• Garlic
• Broadbeans
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Leeks
• Rhubarb
• Kale
• Brussel sprouts

Roots and wind shelter

To create a shelterbelt it's important to chose the right trees. Trees that will create the shelterbelt above ground, but also trees that will be hard enough to stand the hard winds.

Depending on the type of roots that the tree has, it will be more or less anchored. The deepest the root the most anchored will be. The shallowest the roots the easiest it is for the wind to pull the tree out.

The spruces are not good for shelterbelts. They will be blown by the wind if they do not have shelter from other trees, as their roots are very shallow.

Garden design

When designing a garden we should think what are our main targets. It is completely different to design a garden for a school or play ground, than to choose the plants for a shop display or the plants to create a hedge or a shelterbelt. In the first case we would like to create a beautiful and sense appealing ambience, for the shop display we will need to choose small plants that will fit into baskets and that are colorful to attract the clients. A shelterbelt is meant to protect an area, so the plants should be hard.

Lets go over the three types of design that we have talked about.

SCHOOL GARDENS

The garden in a school should be a safe place and as well it should be full of sounds, scents and colours to catch the attention of the kids and appeal their senses. It cannot have a high maintenance as there will not be a full time person  in charged of it. Some plants could be edible to teach the kids somethings about growing and cropping.

Some shrubs, flowering plants and herbs that would be suitable for a school garden are:

• Boxwood (low maintenance, evergreen and soft)
• Hydrangea (colourful, it flowers at the end of the summer when the kids are back to school)
• Fuschia (colourful, low maintenance)
• Nasturtium (colorful, low maintenance, scents, edible) 
• Berried plants (colorful and can show the kids which ones are edible and even prepare with them jams or jellies)
• Bulbs (colourful, like the tulips or the daffodils)
• Honeysuckle (scented plants that appeals the senses)
• Herbs (sensory plants with strong scences that can be used for cooking)
• Gunnera

A plant that would not be suitable is the Laburnum tree and the foxglove, as both are poisonous, in special Laburnum where all the parts of the tree are posionous.

Some trees that would be suitable for schools are:

• Conifer trees (low maintenance, evergreen, the corns can be used incrafts)
• Chestnut (the nuts can be eaten and can be used in teaching)
• Maple (beautiful colours along the year)
• Beech (beautiful colours along the year)
• Ash (its an Irish native tree)
• Oak (they came to Ireland 500 years ago, it is a symbol of Ireland although the ash it's more native)
• Hazel trees (the nuts can be eaten and can be used in teaching)
• Cherries (for their blossom)
• Fruit trees (the inconvinient is that they need a lot of maintenance)
• Willow (sense appealing)
• Buddleja (for the colours and because they attract butterflies, fast growing)
• Ornamental grasses (for their sound when there is wind)
• Lavander (for their scence)
• Bamboo (for their sound when there is wind)

SHELTERBELTS

The main objective of a shelterbelt  is to slow down the wind. It cannot be too dense as it will block the wind completely and create turbulences over the belt. That will happen for example if we create a shelterbelt only with leylandi.

• Fuchsia
• Cotoneaster
• Austrian pines
• Furze or genista

WINDOW BOXES

The main objective is to attract the attention of the pedestrians that are walking in front of the shop. The window boxes should be colorful and beautiful. Some of the plants that may suit a window box are:

• Petunias
• Geraniums
• Violas
• Nasturtium
• Begonia
• Primula
• Bussy Lizzie
• Lobelia
• Narcissus
• Hyacinth
• Trailing ivy (variegated)

Some edible plants that may also suit the window boxes are:

• Alpine strawberries (edible)
• Chives (edible)
• Mint
• Sage
• Lavander
• Trailing rosemary
• Marjoram