Hi everyone!
I am a new gardener with some questions. I bought a house and i have gotten the gardening bug! Being cheap,lol....i'd like to know what is the best way to start. Should i come up with a plan or just start? I have a neighbor who is willing to give me some daylillies in exhange for my help with her yard. I think it is a fantastic trade off....How did you start your garden?
Thanks in advance...isabela
You should have some idea what you want, a trip to a few local garden centers should help. See what they have and what YOU like and form a plan. You have 2 basic types of plants as far as sunlight go, plants that like shade and plants that like Sunshine. This is important. Putting a shade loving plant in full sun is not good and visa-versa. Astilbe likes shade, Black eyed Susans like Sun for instance. There are plants that come back year after year (perenials) and plants that die at the end of the growing season (annuals).
I've always loved gardening so for me it was easy, I see something I like and I buy it and plant it. It's THAT simple.
The above has the good basics. I'll add that you would do well to know what garden zone you are in. Also look around the homes in the area and see what is growing there at different times of the year. Just because wal-mart sells it, doesn't mean it will grow in your zone. E-bay has some great plant buys, and I've not been ripped off by a plant person yet! Start as you can. Most things can be moved later, if a 'plan' comes to mind. Don't hesitate to try your hand at cuttings. It's a great way to get plants that are hard to find. Get involved in plant trades, and if you admire a plant you see in a yard, ask the owner for a root or cutting. Most will feel flattered and happy to share. I doubt that any would yell at you for asking. There are some great garden forums on the web, (like this one :) where people will gladly help with problems. Above all, Enjoy!!
First thing to do -- find out what USDA Plant Hardiness zone you live in (I'm assuming you're in the US). This will tell you what types of plants you can grow. For example, a plant that is rated to zone 8 will not survive in zone 5. The USDA zone is based on winter conditions. About.Com has a nice little set up for this, including some brief descriptions of gardening in each zone, at:
Second thing to do -- look at your neighbors' landscapes. What kinds of plants do they have growing? Which ones appeal to your interests? Bear in mind, we're in the dog days of summer so you're not likely going to see much in the way of blooming -- spring is best for that of course -- but there will be many that are blooming or have excellent foliage.
Third thing to do -- map out your property and get an idea of how much sun each area gets during the day. Note how the rainfall distributes as well. This will help you as you actually figure out what to put where throughout your landscape.
Lastly, get on a few catalog mailing lists and check your local nurseries. These will be good sources of plant ideas.
If I were you, I'd wait until next spring to REALLY dig in. Put a couple of trees or shrubs in for now, but wait until the spring so you can see what is blooming.
Well, that's a loaded question. Initially, I started looking at nurseries and home improvement stores at the trees they had and just picked a few I liked, then stuck 'em in the ground. This was after I also went through and ripped out every aspect of the landscape that I didn't like growing up (I bought my folks home when they moved -- good west side boy).
After all that, THEN I started actually planning things out. :) Over the last few years we've tried a variety of shrubs, roses, and perennials in various parts of the yard. Some have fared well, some not so well, some were destroyed by neighborhood strays. A couple of years ago I took a little extra time out and plotted out what was going to be the changes in the front yard landscape in the following couple of years. I've just recently started implementing the formal design (health problems) but I have an actual sketching to go by. It will be modified a bit here and there, but the gist of it will remain the same.
I'm also focusing on gardening and conservation. We have two foci here -- first and foremost is for the wildlife. We have been sizing up a variety of plants that produce fruits and berries that will feed local bird, squirrel, and other wildlife populations throughout the winter. Secondly, we are looking at shrubs and trees for their windbreaking and soil erosion fixing uses. We want privacy of course, but that's really not as important as getting trees on our northern side of the home to keep it cool in the summer, or trees and shrubs to grab the cold winter winds and deflect them away from the house.
Remember too that plants are just one part of a landscape -- there's a whole bunch of things you can do to be creative and really put your personal touch on the garden. Globes, statuettes, or other art type objects go great in the garden. You'll want to start thinking about adding one or more water features like a pond or at least a bird bath or two as well. You might want to create an outdoor room -- an area with a bench and a particular viewpoint you enjoy. Stone or lumber can be used to build raised beds or outline walkways, mulch can become the pathways you use.
There are LOTS of neat things for you as a gardener -- you're going to have a blast. :)
James
Trial and error always worked for me. thank goodness I have a natural green thumb....... Pick up a good book or two from your local library, and find out what suits your climate/zone best. Love caryn "Come into my garden, my flowers want to meet you!"
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