When you’ve got an empty garden to fill, choosing the best plants can be overwhelming. Garden centers like the online nursery in Australia have beautiful choices and inspirational ideas. Before you choose the right plants to fill your blank canvas, follow these five helpful steps.
Measure Your Garden and Outdoor Planting Space
Before selecting your new plants, measure your garden space. All you need is a tape measure, paper, and a ruler. Roughly sketch your garden and add the measurements. Once you have a realistic idea of how much space you have, you can begin choosing plants that fit. You can do the same thing with the space you’re reserving for containers and planters.
As you choose your plants, pay attention to the space they need to grow. Most need 45 to 91 centimeters of separation to reach their fullest potential.
Evaluate Your Soil
You can quickly remove specific plants from your potential garden by evaluating your soil. Plants thrive in various types of soil that range from acidic to alkaline, with neutral in the middle. The easiest way to evaluate your soil is to bring a sample to a local garden center. You can also look at neighborhood gardens and see what’s growing. Look up each plant’s soil preference, and you’ll start to see a pattern.
If you want different types of plants to thrive, you’ll have to change your soil. Garden centers sell soil and additives that change the pH levels.
Pay Attention to Your Area’s Climate
Before you add plants to your garden, research your garden’s climate and choose the plants that thrive in that environment. Some plants are sensitive, so they won’t thrive in areas with extreme conditions.
Know Where the Sunny and Shady Spots Are
Plants have sun and shady preferences. For example, hostas thrive in the shade, but a few do well with a limited amount of sunlight. You’ll want to choose the best plants for light conditions in your garden, otherwise, they won’t thrive, and you’ll have wasted money on a bunch of dead plants.
When shopping for plants, read the details about their shade, sun, and watering needs. Plants in full sun often need more water than those in full or partial shade. Shady plants also need watering, because they draw more nutrients from the soil than from direct sunlight.
Create Maximum Impact with Thoughtful Placement
As you build your garden, organize it with similar plants in groups. You can achieve an attractive look when you plant them together in odd numbers. Consider the height, width, and colour palette when you choose each plant’s location. For example, you won’t want to put tall daylilies in front of impatiens.
As you decide where to put each plant, consider when they bloom so you can enjoy a colourful garden all season. Look at images of gardens to get inspiration for thoughtful placement. Pay attention to how greenery interacts with colour and how perennials mix with annuals and shrubs.