Sun, soil & Watering Well
We would like to help you choose the best plants for your landscape and situation. The right plant in the right place will save you a lot of time (that you won’t spend analyzing and treating disease and pest problems) and money (that you won’t spend on pesticides, fungicides, and possibly replacing plants). A plant getting too much or too little sun or shade, or growing in soil that does not meet its needs, will become stressed and susceptible to pests and disease. The more you know about the sun exposure and soil conditions in your yard, the better we’ll be able to help you choose the best plants for it.
Sun
But doesn’t the sun exposure change with the seasons? Yes, it does, and you have to take that into consideration. It’s important to know where you get full sun in the winter if you’re planning a winter vegetable garden or choosing a spot for some winter annuals. Otherwise, for most plants, it will be more important for you to know where the sun is in the spring, summer, and fall. There’s more to consider, also. As your landscape matures and trees grow, you may have less and less sun as the years go by. On the other hand, if you lop off some trees or remove any, you’ll suddenly have more.
By now, you can see this is not something you consider just once. As you spend time gardening and maintaining your landscape over the years, you’ll learn to make adjustments as the seasons change and years roll on.
Soil
Some plants grow best in sandy soil, others in loam, and some are tolerant of a wide range of soils. The best way to know what kind of soil you’ve got is to take a shovel and actually dig up and study the soil in different locations of your yard. Be aware that your soil can change drastically from one spot to another, only a few feet away. Mary reports that she has some pretty decent clay-loam that required only a little mushroom compost to improve it, just five feet from a large patch of pipe clay, which had to be dug out and replaced. Use your eyes, hands, and nose to study your soil. What color is it? Does it sift through your fingers like sand, crumble nicely, or could you almost make pottery with it (pipe clay)? Is it rich and dark, and does it smell like there’s a lot of organic material present? Clay loam will support many plants, or only require the application of some organic matter for others; however, only a limited number of plants will survive in hard-packed clay. In the Tallahassee area, either may appear red. You’ll know which you’ve got by the amount of effort it takes to get a shovel in the ground.
You may need to amend your soil with compost, worm castings, greensand and/or other amendments. In some situations, you’d be better served to choose a plant that will tolerate the soil you’ve got, and sometimes a raised bed will be your best solution. Native Nurseries can help you make the best choice. You can help us to do so by studying your soil before you come in to choose a new plant.
Evergreen vs. Deciduous
An evergreen plant has leaves year-round. A deciduous plant loses all its leaves in the winter (or dry season in some climates). Some customers tell us they only want evergreen plants. Although we can help you to create a landscape that is entirely evergreen, you should be aware that this will severely limit your choices and rule out most of the best butterfly and hummingbird attractors.
How much time do you want to spend on your landscape? Do you like to putter around in the garden for hours most weekends? Or would you rather plant it and forget about it? Be aware that there is no such thing as a no-maintenance landscape (unless you consider cementing over your yard), but we can help you choose plants that will be low-maintenance. As in choosing only evergreen (or any other parameter), this will limit your choices. But unless you can afford to hire someone else to maintain your yard, you’ll do yourself a favor by answering these two questions for yourself before you choose plants for your landscape. It is so easy to get carried away with enthusiasm for all the beautiful choices you have while at the nursery and later regret the time it takes to keep some of them at their peak. We’re going to ask you if low maintenance is important to you. Think about your answer carefully. It will help us to help you make the right choices for yourself and your landscape.
Watering New Additions To Your Garden Or Landscape
It is very important that you adequately water new plantings. Once your plants are well established, they are more likely to survive dry periods. We would like to be more specific and tell you to water for 2 hours, 2 times per week. Unfortunately, it is not that simple because there are too many variables involved: soil types (sandy, clay, sandy loam, etc.), weather, sprinkler types. Please read the guidelines that follow. Your plants will thrive if you follow these instructions.
A consistent water supply will be critical for your new plantings for a full year or more. A plant may be fatally injured by merely a few hours of insufficient water, though damage may not be evident for some time.
Check plants for wilt and soil moisture levels daily. Water deeply to encourage deep roots, applying at least 1.5 inches per watering, or to a depth of 6 inches into the soil. If using sprinklers, four hours or more may be required to apply adequate water. Only by using rain gauges or checking moisture levels with your finger can you be sure of adequate watering.
Rain showers may not provide enough water on any given day. A shower may only produce a quarter inch, or if three inches fall quickly, much of it may be lost as surface runoff.
Newly planted small or tender plants (annuals, perennials, herbs, wildflowers) are especially sensitive. Immediate and daily attention may be needed to ensure sufficient water intake.
Continue watering through the fall and winter. Though temperatures may be moderate, autumn can be our driest time of the year.
DO NOT OVERWATER. Wilt can be a sign of root rot, which can occur under constantly saturated conditions. A plant can also die from a lack of oxygen in the soil due to constant soil saturation. Remember: check the soil to determine if water is needed before you water.