DEVELOPING YOUR GARDEN

Look forward to our new series, beginning January 12th, 2014 - and be a Master Gardner by planting season! Excited? So are we! Don't miss a single entry. From Leaves and Petals to you!

The Genesis of your Garden - Planning and Assessing your Garden

Before you begin doing any work in a new garden, it makes sense to make a thorough assessment of the proposed site. This involves gauging which parts are warmer and cooler (microclimates), and which are sheltered or exposed. Are there any unattractive features the need concealing? You also need to examine the soil. Is it light or heavy? What grows in it now? Does it need improving (amending)? Asking yourself all these questions will help determine whether any preliminary work needs to be done before you start making the garden, and which will be the most suitable plants to grow once you have set it out. It will indicate where to site a patio or deck, a vegetable or flower garden, for example. It will also help you rule out plants that will not thrive, saving you from making possibly expensive mistakes.

The planning and assessing will be broken down into these 8 major sections:

1.SITE

2.TOPOGRAPHY

3.CLIMATE

4.ASPECT

5.CONCEALING UNATTRACTIVE SPOTS

6.SOIL

7.AMENDING SOIL

8.GARDENING STYLES

 

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