Home Gardening

Now that winter has almost released its snowy grip upon most of the Northeast,its time to think about what sort of garden will look best outside the host. While everybodys home is different and horticultural tastes,may differ some key points should be considered. These include the amount of sun is available, how much water is available and how much organic material/plant food is already in the soil.Some of the basic leg work can be saved by having the soil tested for its organic content and the amount of sun available be seeing how many and how tall are the existing trees,fences and walls of the house. The amount of sunlight that is available can be trickey since the angle of the sun changes over the year.While water is a factor,dryness can be resolved by using mulch and vasious sorts of irragation systems such as drip hoses and water barrels.Areas that are constantly wet/moist will limit the area to plants that will tolerate wet feet or require being wet all of the time. One of the biggest mistakes that a gardner can make is placing a plant in an area that does not meet the required amount of sunlight or water requirements.Another frequent mistake is planting a plant that rapidly becomes too big for its site.While there is nothing wrong about having a few big plants in your garden, it may make the garden less interesting and/or crowd out your other plants. I have always enjoyed planting native plants in my garden.They tend to be attractive,survive well in the yard and will help bring in various sorts of birds,small animals and butterflys into the garden.Selecting the right mix of plants and suitabilty for the amount of water and sunlight can help create a restful and pretty place for your own use and when guests vist your home. In order to help get a better idea of which plants to place at your home,your local garden club or groups such as Garden in the Woods or the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society or plant society can be useful sources of information