Dear Need to know,

Congratulations on your new home! Bravo for wanting to add some flowers to your landscape. There are a few easy things you can do to ensure your new garden is a success!

Step 1: Choose a Location

The first step is picking out your location. If you have a sunny spot with at least 6 hours of sun a day, that would be ideal. You will have a better selection of plants to choose from if you have a sun-loving space.

I want you to do some homework. Pick an area that you are considering for your garden. Watch it one whole day when the weather is clear. When the sun is shining on that area, make a note of the time. Keep an eye on it all day. When the sun is no longer shining on that spot, jot down the time again. Now you can easily calculate how many hours a day this garden will get sunlight.

Step 2: Lay Out Your Garden

Next you want to lay out your garden area. A great way to do this is to take a garden hose and lay it down on the ground to show the outward boundary of your garden. You can curve it or keep it straight. Try a few different shapes until you find the shape you want. If you prefer to plan on paper, and have a good math mind, get a piece of graph paper and draw a plan to scale. A word of caution however, don’t make your garden too big to start. A garden with about 25-30 square feet is plenty large enough to begin with.

It is important to have good soil for your plants. If your soil is very rocky, or full of clay, your plants will have a struggle growing. If you can, set your garden away from large trees or bushes. Your new plants don’t want to compete for the nutrients it needs. You can take a small sample of your soil to your local Koopman Lumber store. They will gladly help you adjust your garden soil so the nutrients and pH are at just the right levels.

Step3: Prepare the Soil

Now it’s time to get dirty. To start preparing the soil remove any large rocks and overgrowth (weeds, grasses and other material organic or otherwise that reside in your new garden area). Grab a shovel and begin to turn the soil down to a depth of 8″. Your plants want to extend their roots deep into the ground to find nutrients and moisture, so make sure they have the room to do so! Do not skimp on the work here!  Make a second pass if you need to.

Once the soil is turned grab a garden rake and smooth out the soil. If this is your first garden bed that you’ve prepared then just rake the whole area level. If you’ve done this before it’s okay to have uneven ground for the purpose of aesthetics or drainage, but make sure you know what you’re doing or you could create a difficult growing environment for your plants! This step sets the stage for your beautiful flower garden. Your labor will reap its reward when your garden starts to bloom.

Your next step? The flower selection! This is where the real fun begins!  (To Be Continued)

Happy Gardening,
Flora Gardner