Gardening: Plants

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Best Plants for your Garden 

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How To Choose The Best Plants For Your Garden

It is so easy to buy plants on impulse then find that you have nowhere in your garden that really suits them.

1. Examine your garden:

To avoid buying the wrong plants, it is therefore very important that before you buy plants that you carefully examine your garden to see how much sun and shade it gets, whether the soil is well drained or waterlogged and whether it is sheltered or windswept. Only then will you be equipped to go out and buy the plants that are the best for your specific situation; shade-loving plants for the sheltered areas, sun-lovers for the warm spots, drought-resistant plants for the parched areas which may be either sunny or shaded, and swamp plants for the poorly-drained parts.

2. Another important aspect is the soil you have in your garden:

Test your soil first, to determine the pH level of your soil and to find out what kind of nutrients you need to add, if any. Is the soil acid or alkaline? Most plants prefer soil that is slightly acidic, but there are some that must have alkaline soil to grow.  You can alter the soil's pH level, but it's much easier, not to mention cheaper, to simply plant for the soil you have.

3. The outlay of your garden:

Now you are ready to plant, although there are still a few decisions you need to make before the planting can actually start. Will you plant in groups or singly? If you buy 'one of everything' your garden may seem rather spotty. Group plantings are organized, harmonious and you can vary the color for interest.

4. Get the visual effect first:

Before planting out, place your chosen plants around the garden bed in their pots to see how they will look. Re-arrange them until you are satisfied with the appearance. Grouping plants in sets of threes or fives usually looks better than planting in groups of even numbers. Be sure that you have an interesting combination of colors and textures. Tall plants should go to the back or the centre if your garden will be viewed equally from all sides. Try to keep your plants away from trees. The roots of trees are fiercely competitive and will steal all the nutrients and moisture meant for your flowers.

5. Your color scheme:

The right color scheme is one way to maintain the harmony in your garden. Imagine the color of the flowers when they are in bloom. Some colors may clash with others, but can still be planted side-by-side if they have a different blooming season. Foliage color is also important. Many flower plants have silver, grey or purplish foliage that is just as attractive as the flower. This means that they are still attractive well past the blooming season and so have added value.

6. The available time:

When choosing your plants you also have to take into account the time you have available for gardening. If you do not have a lot of time, do not buy plant that need a lot of pampering and rather stick to plant that are hardy and that can be maintained with ease in the little time you have available. If you do not choose wisely your “hobby” can actually become tedious and devoid of all pleasure.

I have only mentioned a few of the different things you need to keep in mind when buying your plants. If you are in any doubt, ask, the assistants at your nursery will be only too happy to help. Buying plants can be expensive so you have to make sure you are buying the right ones otherwise you can really waste a lot of money.

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