The dos and don’ts of landscaping

When raising my children, I emphasized that you don’t take no for an answer. You overcome your obstacles, create opportunities, and persevere through situations. While respecting rules is always the way forward, you don’t necessarily need to listen to what other people tell you is or isn’t possible. I say all that in preparation for telling you what is or isn’t possible in your own yard. Although I am a bit uncomfortable in proceeding, I do think there is some benefit in summarizing correct outdoor practices in this format. This column focuses on the ‘Dos and Don’ts’ when it comes to gardening and landscaping. As always though, you know your own yard and situation better than anyone. Please filter through these options and apply those that seem most appropriate to your situation.

DOs of Gardening and Landscaping:

1. Use high quality soil amendments. Potting soil, mushroom compost, peat moss, and microryza are the very basis for successful plant growth. Consider purchasing and using the highest quality products that are available.
2. Start with a plan. Knowing what you are going to plant where is a crucial step in the landscaping process. The right plant never performs well in the wrong place.
3. Know the mature height and width of plants. Make sure that you research the mature plant sizes prior to purchase. This will help prevent a situation that involves plants blocking windows, growing over sidewalks or hitting your home.
4. Remove weeds on a regular basis. It is a necessary evil. The smaller the weeds are the easier it is to remove them.
5. Budget appropriately. Plants have a wide range of price points. Working on a limited budget is possible, with proper planning.
6. Measure the amount of water that your lawn and plants are receiving. Perennial flowers, shrubs, and trees need about 1” of week per week. Lawns typically need about 1-1 ½” per week. Without taking time to measure the amount that they are receiving you will have no way to know. Too much water can be very harmful. Measuring can be done with a traditional rain gauge, a glass pie plate or even an empty tuna fish can.
7. Divide your plants. Perennial flowers and ornamental grasses often benefit from regular thinning. If this is not done, they tend to flower less and can even die out in the middle.
8. Call JULIE before you dig in your yard. The Joint Utility Locator Service is a free service that when contacted will send representatives out to mark the underground utilities in your yard. Their phone number is 811.
9. Enjoy your time outside. Take time to appreciate the beauty that you have achieved through your planning and planting.

The Don’ts of Gardening and Landscaping:

1. Feel guilty about removing plants that you don’t like. Yes, plants are living things, but if you don’t like them, they are diseased or they require too much maintenance, don’t hesitate to remove them.
2. Neglect pruning. Proper pruning is a technique that can enhance a plant’s lifespan and health.
3. Consistently use inorganic pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. Plant care chemicals can have a negative impact on own personal health as well as the environment. When possible, consider using the more eco-friendly.
4. Work in soil that is wet. Soil that is wet is easily compactable. When that soil is compacted, the amount of oxygen is greatly reduced. Oxygen is needed for plant growth and without it the plants will suffer.
5. Overlook the maintenance required. All plants require some form of maintenance from pruning, watering, mulching to weeding. Those gardening chores can be an opportunity to soak up vitamin D and enjoy time outside.
6. Plant too much! More is not necessarily better. Too many plants in a planting bed can promote insects and diseases.
7. Forget to read the label before purchasing plants. Tremendously valuable information can be found on plant tags. Planting instructions, sunlight requirements, hardiness zones and significant features are all available if we just take the time to read them.
8. Put emphasis only on what looks good in the summer. When possible, include something that has an interesting feature or flower throughout spring, summer, fall and even into the winter.
9. Fail to notice the beauty that surrounds us. The Midwest region of the United States is home to some of the most beautiful flowers in the world and we are lucky enough to get to see them each and every day.

I wish you the very best spring and gardening season. As Audrey Hepburn said “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”

Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc.,a landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or emailing her at Kathleen@thegrowingscene.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column.

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