Gardening 101: Planning and Choosing Plants

Gardening is one of the most fulfilling hobbies out there. It’s a powerful feeling to shape the land, tend to plants, and become the steward of your own little corner of the world… even if that corner is no bigger than a front yard or small deck. Starting a garden can be a sizeable project, but it doesn’t have to be an intimidating one. Whether you’re new to gardening entirely or just adding another flower bed, we’ll cover the most important info you’ll need in this two-part guide. First, we’ll cover planning and selecting plants for your space.

  

Know Your Area

No matter if you’re planting annuals, perennials, or trees and shrubs, you’ll want to choose locations where they can thrive. We specialize in perennials at Rare Roots (herbaceous plants that live for three years or more outdoors), so that’s what we’ll be using as an example for this guide, but the same principles apply to all outdoor plants.

 

Image: Blazing star (Liatris microcephala), summer phlox (Phlox paniculata), and sundrops (Calylophus 'Prairie Lode') work well in a bed together because they favor the same conditions.

 

Growing Zone

Before buying any plants, you should know your growing zone, or the number assigned to your region based on your average yearly temperatures. For example: If your growing zone is 7, then a perennial rated for zones 8-10 would (probably) not survive your winter temperatures. A perennial that’s rated for zones 4-9, on the other hand, would. A perennial that’s rated for zones 7-10 would survive your average winter temperatures but could die in an exceptionally cold winter.

When planting in the ground, select perennials that are at least hardy to your own zone, if not colder. If you’re planting in a container, select perennials that are hardy to at least two zones colder than your own, since containers are less insulated than the ground. To determine your growing zone, enter your zip code on the USDA’s website.

 

Light Exposure

Observe how much sunlight falls on the area at different times over the course of a few days. Does it get a full day’s sun, a partial day, or hardly any? Six hours or more is generally considered full sun, but that can change depending on which time of day, since sunlight is most intense in the afternoon. Shade-loving perennials like plantain lilies (Hosta spp.) and Lenten roses (Helleborus spp.) will happily tolerate a few hours of morning sunlight, but crisp and burn by the afternoon. Oppositely, sun-loving plants like wandflowers (Oenothera/Gaura lindheimeri) and hardy hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos) thrive in the intense afternoon sun.

 

Soil Type

When gardeners talk about soil types, they’re largely concerned with how quickly that soil drains water. Compacted soil like clay tends to hold onto water, creating a wet environment after rainfall, while sandy soil tends to drain quickly. Loose, loamy soil falls somewhere in-between, and offers favorable conditions for most plants. There are always exceptions, though: Drought-tolerant perennials like stonecrop (Sedum spp.) and ice plants (Delosperma spp.) tend to be intolerant of wet soil, and are much happier in sandy, gritty soils than clay or even loam. Very few plants can tolerate sitting in water for extended periods. If you have clay soil, you can improve the drainage by mixing compost into the hole when you plant.

High and low parts of your yard will also drain at different rates. The top of a hill is likely to stay dryer than the bottom. Areas that pool water, like ditches and dry creek beds, can pose harsh conditions for most plants, but make excellent rain gardens with a little planning.

Soil acidity and mineral content are entire topics in themselves, but for new gardeners, the best advice is this: Assume that your soil is a normal pH, and contains all necessary minerals to sustain plant life, until you have reason to believe otherwise. There’s no shortage of soil amendments in garden centers – lime, sulfur, bone meal, blood meal, potash, and gypsum, just to name a few – but in inexperienced hands, they can do more harm than good. If you suspect there’s a problem with your soil, either have a soil test done by a local university or extension office or perform your own with a reliable home testing kit.

 

Image: In addition to being a shade garden staple, plantain lilies (Hosta) are among the few plants that can grow under black walnut trees.

 

Other Conditions

Before shopping, don’t forget to factor in other obstacles that may make it difficult for plants to grow. These could be browsing deer, pets that use the bathroom in the area, or salt spray in a coastal region. Trees, too, can occasionally pose a challenge: Decomposing pine needles from pine trees tend to make soil acidic, while the juglone produced by black walnuts will outright kill many plants. Most online nurseries have collections of plants suitable for these conditions to make life easier.

 

 

Choosing the Right Plants

Forming a landscape plan early on can save you a lot of time and labor. While we’re not going to dive into all the theories behind landscape design, there are a few basic tips that can apply to most garden projects.

 

Image: Perennials with colorful foliage like coral bells (Heuchera spp.) are useful for adding interest to your flower bed even when they're not in bloom.

 

Maximizing Interest

It’s a good idea to select plants that bloom at different times of the year, as opposed to all at once. This way, there will always be color in your garden – plus, plenty of nectar for visiting pollinators. Plants with attractive foliage like coral bells (Heuchera spp.) and lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina ‘Big Ears’) are useful for providing interest even when not in bloom. Winter especially can leave your garden looking baren if you’re not careful. Most perennials go dormant (die back) in winter and reemerge in spring. To compensate for this, you can look for evergreen shrubs and smaller evergreen perennials like pinks (Dianthus spp.) and creeping raspberry (Rubus calcinyoides), which maintain some presence even in winter.

 

Spacing

Provide your plants with enough space to reach their mature size. Some tags will provide a recommended spacing, but if they don’t, it’s because there’s no one correct answer. Spacing is subjective and varies from garden to garden: formal gardens tend to be evenly and amply spaced, while cottage gardens tend to cram many different plants into one area. There are advantages to each method. Plants with ample space have better airflow at the crown, which helps prevent disease, whereas plants that are close together tend to be better at suppressing weeds.

When trying to decide how to space your plants, think about the overall look you’re trying to achieve in your garden, compare that to the plant’s mature size on the tag, and use your best judgement.

 

Groupings

Lastly, how many plants you’ll need depends on the size of your area, but it’s generally a good idea to purchase three or five of each type. Odd numbers look more natural in a landscape than even numbers. It may be tempting to buy one of everything and fill your garden with as many different plants as possible, but this often looks chaotic and disjointed in practice.

Even after you have a plan for your landscape, it can take time to find plants that meet your criteria. Online plant nurseries like Rare Roots make plant shopping easy with filters to narrow down choices based on growing zone, bloom colors, special features, and more.