When we moved here, we knew it was going to take a lot of work to landscape around our new house. We are literally taking everything out because it's all dead. What should we plant? What kind of soil do we need? I've got such a purple thumb, but it needs to look a lot better...soon. Any hints, advice, good websites I can look into. I feel so overwhelmed.
Oh, and BTW, we need things that can tolerate the sun and the freezing cold (Maryland)...gotta love it. I'm starting this week as the weather is NICE!

By Ginny~moderator on Monday, April 11, 2005 - 07:25 pm:

First, find a good garden store - a 2nd or 3rd generaton store that has been around a long time. Find out if they do soil testing, and take samples from all over where you want to plant whatever, label each one as to where it is from, and take it in. Or, you can buy soil testing kits at Home Depot or Franks. That will tell you what you need to add to the soil. If you are planning to make several flower beds, I strongly urge you to rent a good tiller - I like the rototiller best, myself, and use that to simultaneously turn up the soil and add whatever you should add. You probably need to add a fair amount of compost, and some communities recycle garden wastes into compost and make the mulch available free. Otherwise, your garden shop will be delighted to bring over a large load. Till the compost in also. You need compost because it adds nutrients to the soil and lightens it, makes it easier for roots to sink down and water to get to the roots. If you have a lot of clay (and you'll know the first time you try to dig), use garden gypsum, according to the package directions. (Oh, and when you dig, unless you are just digging a hole for one specific plant, don't use a spade. Use a digging fork - it works much better in getting into the soil and you can use it to "stir" and break up the soil better than you can with a spade.

At the good garden shop, ask them what kinds of shrubs and flowering bushes or trees grow well in your area.

Check out the Dutch Gardens web site, as they will tell you what growing zone you are in (so you'll know what will winter over in your area), whether the plants need shade or sun or partial sun, what time of year they bloom, how to plant them, etc.

I suggest you work on one or two areas at a time, planting grass in the other areas. Most people want to do the front first, and maybe along the driveway. Drive around and see what other people have that you like, and talk to the garden shop about them. I do suggest you don't put in a lot of perennials (they come back every year) this first year, while you get a sense of what you want.

Perennials will come back every year, and range from azaleas and rhodendrons to peonies, roses, and all the wonderful spring bulbs, and a whole bunch of different kinds of daisies and lillies, as well as (now) winter pansies). The problem with perennials is that they have definite blooming seasons and the rest of the time they are just green. Annuals will bloom all summer until the first frost - the problem being you have to plant them every year as they don't winter over usually.

What works best for most people is putting out a mix of perennials, trying to get different stuff with different blooming periods in the same area, and using annuals for borders.

Stay away from roses except maybe rose hedges, and be sure to get disease, mold and insect resistant. Roses are beautiful, but they take a whole lot of work all through the gardening season.

Do talk to people with gardens/landscaping you like - gardeners love to talk about their gardens, and will often be able to recommend good garden shops. A good garden shop will be able to look at some leaves and tell you what it is and what to do about it; identify weeds and the best way to get rid of them; and tell you what plants are and ARE NOT suitable for you.

You will need to mulch after you plant (you can tell I'm big on mulching), and either a commercial mulch (but not wood bark, please) or compost makes good mulch. Mulch holds in the water and keeps the ground from drying out, and keeps the weeds down. It gradually decomposes, adding more nutrients to the soil - a good thing.

A book I found really helpful was "The Sixty Minute Garden", which is set up to help you plan flower beds that, once they are set up, take only about sixty minutes a week to keep up.

Compost - if you have a sort of out of the way spot, think about setting that up as a compost heap. If you go to NPR's "you bet your garden" show, you will be able to find ways to set up a cheap, easy to manage compost container/heap. You put all your garden wastes, grass clippings, etc., there, add water and stir occasionally, and next spring you have compost for the new gardening season. It's wonderful.

I live in SE Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia, and have there are lots of lovely flowering bushes and trees that do well here, wintering over very nicely. This year I am going to put in a forsythia, which right now are producing fountains of small bright yellow flowers. It will replace an old, dead azalea.

By Kaye on Monday, April 11, 2005 - 09:12 pm:

My suggestion, look at your neighbors yards! What do they have growing? What looks good? Take photos and go the store and ask for help! Know which direction your house faces and what trees you have nearby effecting shade/sun. I would spend my time making well defined beds, then slowly add plants. Even landscape timbers with dirt looks better than nothing!

By Pamt on Monday, April 11, 2005 - 09:46 pm:

Ironically, I just picked up landscaping plans today. A lot of the smaller mom and pop nurseries will help you plan your landscape FOR FREE if you take in pictures. This place came up with things I never would have thought of and it's going to look great. I'll post pics of the process because we are going to do it ourselves.

By Jenn34 on Tuesday, April 12, 2005 - 12:57 am:

Go to your county extension office-look in phonebook for number. That's where to take soil samples and such. They also run the 4-h programs. They can point you in the direction of native plants and others that will do well in your area. Another option is finding out if there's a local gardening club-usually headed by one or two "master" gardners.

By Conni on Tuesday, April 12, 2005 - 08:46 am:

We went to a great nursery in our area with digital camera pics of our yard/house and our house plans-- for measurements, direction our house faced, etc... The lady designed our landscaping for free as long as we bought almost all of our landscape material/shrubs/trees from them. We went to 2 places before we decided which design we liked best. The last lady knew exactly what I wanted when I started trying to explain it. lol We were also given addresses so we could go around and look at previous work they had done.

They delivered all of our plants on a Friday and dh and I spent the weekend landscaping ourselves to save even more money... We did have to rent a machine that cut out the sod one weekend around the house. We are not completely finished yet. It will take us yrs to finish our yard. lol We have almost 2 acres. We did around the front of the house 1 spring, planted trees in the yard in the Fall, added more trees the next spring, etc...... So we could pay cash for everything as we went along.

BTW- we also went to a couple of nurseries that wanted to charge hundreds of dollars just for the landscape design. We opted not to use them. However, I am sure they would have done a great job as well.

Good luck and have fun!!

By Mrsheidi on Tuesday, April 12, 2005 - 08:57 am:

Thanks, ladies! This REALLY helps! I never knew ANY of this.