• Small-scale mosaic with glades, open meadow or grass corridors and copses, and
clumps of trees or high shrubs in a very diverse architecture.
• Evenly or unevenly spread trees over grassland, in a half-open character.
• Shrubs spread over a grassland or a meadow area in a distinct formal or informal
pattern.
Key character species
Tree choice should be selected with a priority for light-giving, small and narrow-crowned species, which also, in many cases, are species creating an attractive flowering period. Common trees and shrubs for half-open landscapes are birches, wild cherry, bird cherry, rowans, hawthorns, hazel and roses. However, the principles should not be too simplistic. Large, open grown, and shadow-giving trees used for larger areas could create a majestic character. Trees such as oaks, beeches, hornbeams, lime trees and maples, and exotics like horse chestnut and sweet chestnut have been used a lot in old traditions for this kind of landscape.
Edges
The field layer and its species for a half-open landscape often have much in common with species for a woodland edge community. The architectural pattern of trees and shrubs should also be designed with specific notice of how they relate to the closed landscape in the surroundings.
