Any Tips for someone new in gardening?
I have this new interest now and that is caring for the yard. I haven't tried gardening all my life except in school projects. I live in the Northwest Coast and it is spring and I want to put up a garden. I read online that there are kinds of flowers,plants, etc and they fall into categories such as annual, perrenial and others. Wow this is all new to me the language of plants and I want to get down on my knees and start a garden. What plants and flowers and herbs should be easy to grow for starters like me? And does anyone give free seedlings, seeds,plants,flowers to grow? 
just trying my luck.. Thank you and have a wonderful and lovely springtime..we get rains here though…
Do I ever have some suggestions for you. I do landscape design, amoung other things and always enjoy sharing information.
The very first thing you want to do is buy a 2 cubic foot bag of soil conditioner from Home Depot or a good nursery. It will cost you 6 - 8 dollars and condition a good size garden. Spread the soil conditioner evenly over the surface of the ground. If there is less than 2 inches of compost after spreading, You'll need a second bag.
No one can tell you what plants you can grow without knowing your sun exposure.
The main catagories of plants are
Annuals (they grow this year and don't come back next year. However, your colder climate means some plants which are annuals there, In our warmer climate, become)
Perenials (Perenials are plants that bear foilage year round, Evergreen, if you will. They may bloom at any point throughout the growing season depending on the plant. There is a second type of Perenial called)
Deciduous (Deciduous plants are those Perenials that go into a sort of hibernation for the winter and reapear when the climate warms. Many trees are deciduous. They loose their leaves in the fall and regrow them in the spring)
Conofers (Conifers are the evergreen trees and plants that have needle or needle like leaves such as pine trees)
Succulants (Cactus' are a major member of this catagory. These plants store water for use during dry times).
Bulbs and tuberous (These plants have storage underground for hard times)
So, back to the garden. A mixture of the different types of plants is usually the best solution for a garden. Lets say your garden gets some sun but it is Morning or Late Afternoon sun which lasts 4 hours or less. You should select plants that are labled Part or Partial Sun. In this type of exposure, azaleas are a good choice for the background or random spot planting. They will bloom their little hearts out for you each spring and remain green the year round. You might want to plant some Iris and or Holland bulbs (tulips etc…) for a dramatic effect in late Winter to Spring depending on your selection. These are Desiduous and will return eack year. Taller bulb plants are good planted 4 to 6 inches apart in groups of three, five or seven bulbs. The shorter bulb plants can be used as above or planted in a row as a border.
Monkey grass, Liriope, is a great border Perinial that enjoys partial shade. In fact there are a lot of grasses that work well in a Part sun garden.
I would reserve no more than 1/3 of your garden for annuals. This is the only way you can preserve a "finished" looking garden throughout the year. You would want plants that are labled, Part sun or Part shade. Just go to your garden center once a month and pick up what is blooming. Replace the plants that are spent with the new bloomers within this 1/3 alloted area.
If a plant calls for full sun, it means about 5 hours of sun per day. Due to the length of this answer, I would like to ask you to contact me through my profile and I will add full sun suggestions to this answer.
perenials are the way to go. They last several years before re-planting. Hostas provide great low cover and spread out very quickly. Very low maintenance
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A couple of things come to mind…
1. Start surfing the internet…LOTS of excellent information.
2. Know your zone…that will be extremely helpful when planning and planting.
3. Contact your local county extension office. They have scads of local information designed specifically to help YOU out.
4. You might seriously consider raised beds, so that the greater amount of rain you receive in your area doesn't drown your seeds and established plants.
5. ENJOY!
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GardenLandscape as a hobby…for 29 years.
I would go to a home depot or some other such store where they sell a lot of plants. Take note of how much sun different areas of your yard get. Each plant at the store will have a little stake in it that says what type of conditions it likes — full sun, partial sun, lots of water, etc. I tend to buy plants that say they are hardy, I have better luck with them. Good luck
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annuals are good for one season. petunias, geraniums, dragons breath, pansies are some suggestions. these are all full sun and low maintenance. (Jacobs ladder for full shade, beautiful blue flower)
perennials id suggest daylilies. there a hardy root plant that can grow in almost any condition. also azaleas are good, rhododendrons, and bleeding hearts. you could throw in some boxwoods for some green. barberries for a red color. there's so many possibilities. find ones you love.
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working at a flower shop/landscaping
always wear glove, i learned this the hard way my first time gardening last summer. i grapped a weed that had spikes and had an allergic reaction where my hand went numb, and i also found out the house i moved to last summer has fire ants, and they attacted my hand and arms. this all happened my first two weeks of gardening. so please WEAR GLOVES!
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You need to go to gardenweb.com You will find any and all answers to your gardening questions. Houseplants, outside plants, ponds, composting, anything you can imagine. Injoy!
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If you are interested in more than just a vegeteble garden, try http://www.useful-information-in-oz.com. They have great information.
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Worked for me!
Marigolds, lots of Marigolds!
References :
Do I ever have some suggestions for you. I do landscape design, amoung other things and always enjoy sharing information.
The very first thing you want to do is buy a 2 cubic foot bag of soil conditioner from Home Depot or a good nursery. It will cost you 6 - 8 dollars and condition a good size garden. Spread the soil conditioner evenly over the surface of the ground. If there is less than 2 inches of compost after spreading, You'll need a second bag.
No one can tell you what plants you can grow without knowing your sun exposure.
The main catagories of plants are
Annuals (they grow this year and don't come back next year. However, your colder climate means some plants which are annuals there, In our warmer climate, become)
Perenials (Perenials are plants that bear foilage year round, Evergreen, if you will. They may bloom at any point throughout the growing season depending on the plant. There is a second type of Perenial called)
Deciduous (Deciduous plants are those Perenials that go into a sort of hibernation for the winter and reapear when the climate warms. Many trees are deciduous. They loose their leaves in the fall and regrow them in the spring)
Conofers (Conifers are the evergreen trees and plants that have needle or needle like leaves such as pine trees)
Succulants (Cactus' are a major member of this catagory. These plants store water for use during dry times).
Bulbs and tuberous (These plants have storage underground for hard times)
So, back to the garden. A mixture of the different types of plants is usually the best solution for a garden. Lets say your garden gets some sun but it is Morning or Late Afternoon sun which lasts 4 hours or less. You should select plants that are labled Part or Partial Sun. In this type of exposure, azaleas are a good choice for the background or random spot planting. They will bloom their little hearts out for you each spring and remain green the year round. You might want to plant some Iris and or Holland bulbs (tulips etc…) for a dramatic effect in late Winter to Spring depending on your selection. These are Desiduous and will return eack year. Taller bulb plants are good planted 4 to 6 inches apart in groups of three, five or seven bulbs. The shorter bulb plants can be used as above or planted in a row as a border.
Monkey grass, Liriope, is a great border Perinial that enjoys partial shade. In fact there are a lot of grasses that work well in a Part sun garden.
I would reserve no more than 1/3 of your garden for annuals. This is the only way you can preserve a "finished" looking garden throughout the year. You would want plants that are labled, Part sun or Part shade. Just go to your garden center once a month and pick up what is blooming. Replace the plants that are spent with the new bloomers within this 1/3 alloted area.
If a plant calls for full sun, it means about 5 hours of sun per day. Due to the length of this answer, I would like to ask you to contact me through my profile and I will add full sun suggestions to this answer.
References :
holy crap that last guy already told you everything you'll ever need to know. so i'm goint to suggest jsut to keep the weeds down. pull a few everyday.
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