The Basic Elements of A Successful Planting
Placing a container garden on a patio or on top of a flat-roofed house is called container planting. For the homeowner, it can be somewhat of a problem, but if you’ve done your homework, you can have a successful container planting. You have to take a few considerations into account before you do any planting. Some of them include the shape of the house, the number of plants you want to plant, what you want the plants to look like, and how much space you have to work with.
One of the biggest problems you will face as a beginner in planting is deciding whether this is really a home improvement project. Most people don’t have a garden, so they aren’t aware of the technicality that a planted garden is a natural extension of your home. The way to make this work for you is to go with plants that are native to your area. This will take care of the “doing it right” factor since plants don’t want to be moved from one place to another.
The next concern is knowing how much ground is necessary for the planting to be successful. If you’re lucky enough to have soil that’s more than one foot deep, that’s great! Otherwise, you’ll need to prepare the ground with a ground cover of topsoil. Just be sure to only plant a few inches below the ground cover.
If you’re going to place a gazebo in the ground next to your garden, make sure the gazebo is at least six feet above the ground level so that it doesn’t ruin the planting if the weather starts to turn bad.
One last thing you should consider when you’re planting is the types of plants you want to grow. While there are many varieties of plants, they all share some common characteristics. There are flowers, shrubs, and trees to plant, and a few other options, depending on the size of your house.
Before you start planting, make sure that you prepare the soil. You may be able to use sod or topsoil, but there’s nothing like the tried and true soil you get from your garden. You can mix in rock or sand for the foundation of your planting. You can also use gravel, but if you want to add some more real soil, then you can mix in crushed stone.
You’ll also need to prepare the topsoil for your planting, which is garden soil. Your local garden center has excellent garden soil to choose from. It should be loose and slightly moist to keep the roots in good condition. If you are not an expert gardener, the professional can give you advice on what to plant and how to plant.
When you’re ready to plant, first you’ll want to decide on the best time of year to plant. Most areas don’t benefit from planting in the spring. Soaking up the ground, as soon as the ground dries out enough, is a better idea. You can also place pots of plants around the base of the house and then wait until the area is at least six inches below the surface before placing the pot in the ground.
After deciding what plants you want to plant, it’s time to think about where you want to plant them. Do you want the pots to be in the front of the house? Or do you want them in a rear corner of the yard?
Once you’ve decided where you want the pots to go, you should also decide on where to put the soil. Where the ground is at its driest, can help determine how you place the containers. Put the soil in about a foot below the ground level.
You now have the basic elements of a successful planting. You’ve got the plants, the soil, and the pots. Your next step is to get started! Plan your planting, and make sure that you pay attention to the weather.
With the basic elements, the maintenance, and the simple steps involved, planting a container garden is easy and rewarding. It’s the most popular method used by homeowners today and there are many plans available to get you started off on the right foot.
