Plant selection and
care
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Luckily for gardeners, plants are incredibly
adaptable. There are species which survive in almost every hostile habitat from
Arctic to Equatorial, so however harsh your garden's climate may be, there will
be plants to thrive in it. In Britain alone, there are roughly 70,000 different
species and varieties of plants.
With such a bewildering choice,
it is important to know what special conditions prevail in your garden and then
to select plants best suited to those conditions:
Soil type: Light, sandy
soils need more fertiliser than heavy clay, but will be easier to work. Heavy
soils can be damaged by compaction and may be hard to drain, but have high
natural fertility.
Lime haters: A small
number of plants need lime-free soil, rhododendrons and camellias are
examples.
Cold or warm? If you live
near the coast, especially in western Britain, your climate will be milder and
wetter than inland, or the east coast. Inland regions receive more severe
frosts than do coastal areas, but south-eastern areas have more intense
sunlight.
Sheltered or exposed?
If your garden is well protected by trees and shrubs, or is in a sheltered
valley, wind damage is less likely and you will be able to grow delicate plants
which might be ruined in a more open garden. Sheltered gardens are often more
prone to late frosts.
A quick and easy way to assess what will thrive in your garden is
to look over the fence. Take note of what grows in other gardens in your
neighbourhood, since these are most likely to do well for you too.
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Choosing
plants
When buying herbaceous plants, including bedding, resist choosing
specimens just because they are in flower. Look, rather, at the overall health
of the plant, the number of buds to come and the condition of the root system.
Resist the temptation to buy
tender or half-hardy plants before frost risk has passed, unless you have the
means of protecting them from frost at home.
Trees and shrubs should be
even in shape with clear trunks or stems and roots which fill their container
but which are not too congested.
Latin plant names are daunting, especially to beginners. If you
learn what the words mean - a small Latin dictionary can help - the names
become much easier to memorise. But don't let the names put you off the plants!
Most are easy to establish, so even if the name is difficult to pronounce,
chances are you'll have no problems growing it.
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