How do I plant my first garden?
Start small! But not to small. Get a soil test to find out if and what type of nutrients your soil needs. Then just flip over your grass and give it a few chops with the shovel. Amend soil by adding fertilizer if needed then add a couple of bags of Humis/manure to condition the soil and maybe a couple of bags of top soil if you think the area is a little low. Make sure the grass is flipped over completly and covered with soil. Do this as soon as the ground is dry enough. The soil should not be wet but break apart in your hand when you try to crumble it. Let the garden area just sit a little bit (grass will rot) As soon as the last frost for you area is you can start planting. Sure wouldn't hurt to cover the area with plastic or even wet newspaper sprinkled with more dirt to way it down to promote the grass to rot and discourage weeds to sprout. Remove plastic before planting. Newspaper could stay making a great mulch to help stop weeds.
Cool colors pink purple or Hot colors orange red yellow. sunflowers? How about complementary? That is where you pick colors opposite of each other on the color chart. I like orange tiger lilies with purple petunias. Can't get easier then those to hard to kill plants.
Roses would be o.k. they have more disease resistant varieties then ever. American something grows well. Tulips are good but you have to wait until Fall to plant those.
Butterflies love my Zinnias. Extremly easy to grow annual that flowers quickly by just planting the seeds. You shouldn't grow them closer then a foot apart though or else you run the risk of mildew in the fall. Also try to not water the leaves especially in the late afternoon. Delphiniums ar great with their purple to blue colors. Hummingbirds really enjoy this Perennial. Needs wind protection or staking. Butterflies also like my Sedum (autumn joy)
If I were you I would grow a plant called Dahlia in the back center of garden, sold as a bulb type plant in a box at any Home Depot Lowes type store. (get the larger type 36" to 50" for height. They are gorgeous and bloom all summer. Grow some Zinnias on both sides find pastel type cool colors. and grow some petunias or white allysum (smells really nice) in the front of the dahlias and zinnias for a border plant, and put a rose bush on both ends of your garden and, wa la a gorgeous garden quick. And if Zinnias get mildew, when it gets bad rip em out and plant your tulips. When you Zinnia's sprout and you have identified them and thinned them out keep up on the weeding of your garden. Your plants will spread out quickly but you have to keep up on the weeds until they do. If you can afford perennials for the back of your garden I would mulch heavily with wood chips to keep out the weeds. Hope this isn't too much info. This Garden Plan and plant list is for a Sunny Location. A shade garden would need different type of plants. Dahlias do not survive cold winters you would have to dig up and save the (tubers) you could also save your zinnia flower heads after they dry out for seeds for next year. I have never enjoyed so many butterflies then with these two plants. Go to a garden catalog website and check out what they look like.
p.s. you'll enjoy the beauty of you garden whatever you plant!
Master Gardener MSU Extension
Reply:Tulips have to wait until fall.
Roses are a pain, and don't really look that good as a garden plant.
They sell butterfly garden kits at Walmart Home Depot etc. That would be a good start, as they contain enough different seeds to have something come up no matter what.
This is a good opportunity to get to know your neighbors. Wander around and look at their gardens, then strike up conversations with the owners.
Reply:Looks like you prefer flowers over the food stuff. For Butterflies I would go for Daisey's. There are hundreds of varieties and you can plan on continuous blooms if you do your homework. Another is Ginger. It used to be that you could pick up the root at the supermarket but most are killed by radiation before shipment. Find a good Ginger Root and you will not be disappointed. Also ginger makes a good spice. Try Herbs. The fragrance will have you in your lawn chair after a hard day at the office. Mint is one that you can look about the yard and lean over and pluck a leaf and smile.
Reply:I'm sure anything you do will turn out amazing. I'd highly suggest putting a large clomp of flowers together rather then trying to spread everything out... and height can add a nice contrast along with the obvious, different colors. But make sure you have fun with it, gardening can be very relaxing.
Reply:i suggest maybe going to a local nursery and getting them to draw up a plan. it may cost a little to get that done, but it will save a huge headache on figuring out yourself on what plants to plant andwhere to plant them. you will be alot more pleased with the results.
Reply:The best way to set up a garden is to have a plan,work out sun requirements and availabilty and also take into consideration what types of soil u intend on creating your design and the plants that will thrive in that kind of condition.
Always check for water and electrical lines under ground before u plant as quite alot of our favorites can often have roots that can seek and destroy.Any questions just give me a bell and will do my best towork out.Happy gardening Cactus Pete
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