By Jim Sollecito

You are what you eat. You end up becoming the sum of things you’ve ingested for the past few decades — that’s how life works. You also live with what your neighbors do in their yard. Sometimes that is not pretty, and you think about calling a certified landscape contractor to come and screen out that negative view.

I know — I have been on the other end of that call. Most of the time, only a portion of the yard looks lousy and the further you get away from the piles of junk or ever-brown plants they have near the house, the more the yard improves. If you simply run a hedge down the property line, then you screen out the bad, the ugly, and also, the good.

I like to use a technique called creating a view space. That would involve planting shrubbery that would grow large enough to block the negatives, and then transitioning to lower material so the desirable view into your neighborhood might be enjoyed. The Japanese refer to this as “ Borrowed Space”.

If you look at the photo, you’ll see that this client has used the very reliable Limelight Hydrangea and Lucy Rose of Sharon to frame a view of the best part of the adjacent back yard, while screening out two neighbors and their many windows that affect the privacy of their deck space. Since most of us live in our back yards, creating an environment where you might dine without having someone next door asking you to pass the beans is probably a good thing for most of us with limited space.

Since fall is for planting — with the warm ground and ample rainfall while the shorter days mean less stress on transplants — isn’t it time for you to consider improving your own perspective outdoors?

Working with plants has always been a journey, not a destination, and this is another step in that journey.

Keep planting until you are planted!

Jim Sollecito is the first lifetime senior certified landscape professional in NYS. He operates Sollecito Landscaping Nursery in Syracuse. Contact him at 468-1142 or by e-mail at jim@sollecito.com.