Your well-manicured garden is, as most people would say, your “neighbor’s envy and owner’s pride”. Having said that we must also remember that Rome was not built in a day and your stunning garden nursery sure will not abound in a day. As a new gardener, you probably will be confused as to what kind of plants you should plant to make your green stretch an inviting one. However, if you are blessed with green fingers, you will soon be able to dapple in perennials, annuals and even edibles and vegetables for your garden nursery.
We have a list of essentials that you might want to know before you begin planning, designing and eventually go ahead with your idea of a garden:
- The Location
Where are you planning to set up your garden nursery? Is it going to be the front yard, the backyard, the rooftop or the balcony? These different locations come with different limitations as well as advantages. Whether you have a small piece of land outside your home or a small space in the kitchen, you can modify your ideas regarding setting up of a garden nursery with small kitchen herbs and plants for everyday use.
- The Amount of Sunlight
This is a no-brainer, if you ask us, right? A garden nursery simply cannot survive without the right amount of sunlight and that is a given. For an edible or vegetable garden, your plants will require at least eight hours of sunlight and other kinds of plants will need a least of six hours.
- Soil Type
The soil is the most important raw material that you would need for your garden to grow glorious. A simple soil test will put your mind at ease as to what kind of plants will grow and can be nurtured. For starters, it is important to note that if you are planning to start an edible garden, the rich, sandy loam kind of soil works best.
- Be Ready for the Real Work
Most gardens require a tremendous amount of upkeep and that is what the real work is and as a gardener, whether new or seasoned, you have to be ready to embrace it. Watering, weeding, fertilizing, harvesting and pruning are some of the daily chores that are associated with your dream garden nursery.
- Plants the Right Ones
What kind of plants you would plant in your garden should depend on factors like the climate, in which they would grow, the soil type, and the amount of sunlight they would receive. Our suggestion is that you don’t go with that catches your fancy in a catalog and take a call based on the aforementioned factors. You need to choose some simple tools like gardening gloves, shovel, a Japanese gardener’s knife, a spray nozzle or a garden hose, a rake, a hand pruner should suffice for a new gardener.
- When to Plant Them
There are some plants (like Kale and Pansies) that are resilient to the cold weather and hence they can be planted in autumn or in late winter. However, the same cannot be said about most of the annuals and they are susceptible to frost. For perennials, mid-spring and mid-autumn are the best times to plant your perennials.
- Plan it Before Planting It
A plan for your garden has to be in place for your garden. While a four-by-four-foot plot is a good place to start with your idea of an edible garden, for your flowers, you might have to consider where and how much to dig. Also, where are you planning to put them is something that should be part of your consideration.
Remember that a well-maintained garden speaks volumes and reflects richly on your aesthetics and it is always a good conversation starter. Your pristine garden will indeed be your pride and your neighbor’s envy.
Author: Amelia Varley
