Whatever your garden dreams, help them come true by first getting a plan. After that, it’s quite easy to create a beautiful refuge, filled with the plants and flowers that you love and that will grow well in your climate conditions.
Want to plant all perennials? Want to attract butterflies and birds? Need to consider hot and dry conditions? Or perhaps you have more shade than the sun, or vice-versa.
This section is the place to get started, with even more information on all the pages you’ll find throughout this site. There’s plenty of advice to get you going.
Planning the Garden of Your Dreams |
First, find out your growing zone conditions at Growing Zones, a free informational Web site provided by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Links from that site even suggest plants that would grow well in your region.
Also, consider the numerous pre-planned groupings available. These contain plant combinations that do well in shade, in full sun, in dry soil, next to foundations, etc. For example, see the pre-planned solutions sold by Springhill Nursery. And your local nursery may sell such groupings.
There’s also landscaping software if you’ve got a large area to work on. But a pencil and sheet of paper work just as well, especially for smaller areas.
Get out a sketchpad or graph paper and make as simple or as elaborate a picture as you like of your ideal. This allows you to experiment with colors and sizes without doing the work.
Would you like your front door framed by red blooms in the summer? If so, what kind of red flowers would work there? Check your books. Perhaps there’s an area you don’t want to replant each season. What perennials or shrubs would provide cover or color in that spot? Again, check your books.
Do you like that elm tree in that spot? Would you like a flaming red maple there, instead? How about a covered deck? A water garden with exotic Koi? An arched trellis covered with climbing roses or clematis?
Do you want to create a new flowerbed? Install a fountain or create a footpath? How about foundation lighting? Use this exercise to let your imagination go.
Just like any other household concern, you should make a budget for your garden. Decide how much each month you are able to spend; then determine what you need, what you want, and what is purely a luxury.
For example, you need to apply weeds and feed to the lawn; otherwise, the dandelions and crabgrass will take over everything. You need some bedding plants (if you’re not using an indoor greenhouse) and some mulch. The old oak tree has dead limbs that need removing.
A good, general fertilizer will be needed all spring and summer, along with basic pest controls. If you intend to seed, you need flower seeds. A leak-free hose and a watering can are required. A properly running lawn mower is a necessity.
Items such as these are basics and should top your budget list. But, how do you decide what you want, and what you need? Few of us can spend all that we’d like, so choices must be made, beginning with necessities.
You may want to invest in some perennials, such as hostas, bleeding hearts, lily-of-the-valley, hardy ferns, peonies, and roses. These are good investments, but they’re not necessities. If they don’t fit the budget, they can wait until next year; or pick a couple for this year, and leave the rest for next year.
You would like to have new patio furniture, a birdbath, a statue, a fountain, a trellis, a stone path, a water garden, walkway lights, a new grill, and some whirly gigs. These, obviously, would be wonderful to have, but they are not necessities. Put them in that category of the budget.
The budget works hand-in-hand with the 12-month outline and with the overall garden scheme. When you look ahead to the year, you know what you will need for any particular project, and you can determine what you will have to spend. Adding to that general plan, you’ll be able to see what long-range projects require investments now.
Voila! Your budget almost creates itself.
There are certain months April, May, and June in the spring, and September and October in the fall that will usually be more costly.
However, by following your budget, your monthly, and overall plans, you’ll be ready to handle unexpected costs, such as replacing the lawn mower, and know what you have remaining for plants, statuary, seeds, fertilizer, hoses, sprayers, etc. Here are some ideas for categories you could include in your budget:
Get a current-year calendar. A calendar, loose-leaf binder … anything will do, as long as you have plenty of space to write. Use the calendar to create a month-by-month gardening schedule.
Decide how long each activity will take (an hour, a day, a weekend, two weekends), estimate the costs (materials, tools, labor), and decide when the time, money, and energy are likely to come together (single day off, after work hours, one weekend, vacation days).
These and many more things can be done each month. It can seem daunting, but if organized and spread out over 12 months and 52 weeks, these gardening chores and activities become both manageable and enjoyable.
Along with a 12-month calendar, a journal is a great tool for the home gardener. A journal will help you remember from year to year the things you tried, what worked, what didn’t, and what you want to try at a later date.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel each season and rack your brain trying to remember what you did the year before. A journal also helps you recall where you planted spring bulbs last fall and where your perennials are so that you don’t over-plant them later or accidentally dig them up
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