Home gardens and do-it-yourself landscape projects experienced a boost in popularity last year, and the trend shows no signs of stopping. More time at home has given us all the opportunity to contemplate how to use our spaces in a way that better fits our and our families’ lifestyles.
Looking to get started on your own project, but aren’t sure how (or where) to begin? Check out these five tips from the experts at The Good Earth Garden Center.
1. Take inventory of your existing landscape features. When you think about spending time in your outdoor spaces, what are you missing? Some examples might include lawn area for playing, garden space for vegetables and herbs or curb appeal as you drive up to your home.
2. Set goals for your project and write them all down. You may not be able to get to them all this year, but keeping them in mind and planning for the future cuts down on double work. If you know you’ll want a vegetable garden at some point, but you won’t have time to implement one this year, go ahead and figure out a good sunny spot for it this year and avoid filling it with landscape plants that may have to be relocated in the future.
3. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Now that you know what you are working with and have your goals in mind, it’s time to buy plants, right? Not yet! Take pictures and measure your space. Figure out how much sun it gets and at what time of day it gets it. The more you know about your space, the better (and easier) the plant selection process will be, especially if you’re trying to communicate your needs with garden center experts.
4. Head to a garden center. Once you’re there, take note of how plants are organized. At Good Earth, for example, the inventory is organized by sun needs. Plants that love full sun are grouped together and shade to part-sun plants are grouped together. Within each category, there are evergreen and deciduous plants, ones that bloom and others that don’t. If you start to feel overwhelmed, just look for an employee. You already did your homework, so they should be able to help you at each step of the way.
5. Get ready to plant. Take your haul home and place plants where you think they should go. Stand back and look at them, adjust as needed, then plant! Proper planting is key to long term plant success.
The Good Earth Garden Center began in 1974 primarily as a retail store and growing facility and has since developed into a full-service garden center. Their online learning center offers an array of gardening and landscaping tips, such as how to ensure plant recovery after a hard freeze and much more. For more information, visit The Good Earth Garden Center website.