I have five tips for the best garden ever to share with you today.

Sure winter is coming, but the time is now  for planning for the best garden ever. 

These are simple, foundational tips that if you implement I can guarantee you will have your best garden ever.  

The basics are sometimes overlooked when planning a garden as we are swayed by pretty petals at the nursery, in a hurry to have the garden look a certain way and just a lack of understanding of the fundamentals.

Let's dig in and learn...

Five Tips for the Best Garden Ever

Know your Environment:  Take the time to really watch & study your space, whether it be acreage, a yard, a patio or even a window sill.  Know when the sun hits where and for how long.  Where is the shade and is it deep and moist there.  If you have an automated watering system don't just set it and forget it. Observe whether it is doing the right job.  You can even get your soil tested to learn specifically what amendments it needs. 

This leads me to my second crucial tip...

Amend your Soil:  Every soil can use amending.  Most soils need a lot of amending to support a beautiful garden.  So I say, skip the soil test and just keep on amending with organic compost.  You can read HERE for detailed information on amending your soil.  Feed the soil and let the soil feed your plants.

Put the Right Plant in the Right Place:  To follow this tip, you need to follow tip #1 and read the plant tags.  Don't put a shade lover in the blazing sun.  Seems obvious, but without understanding your environment & taking time to learn about the plants you are choosing you are just guessing.

Hand in hand with choosing the right plant is buying quality plants.  My choice for my garden is Monrovia plants. 

Hands down the best plants commercially grown.  Buying Monrovia takes a lot of the risk out of gardening.

Plant Native Plants:  Native plants are plants that would grow naturally in your area.  They are designed to thrive where you live and attract pollinators. 

Native plants are as a sure a bet as you can get in the garden and by attracting pollinators they help keep your garden growing & beautiful.  There is an organization where you can get a list of native plants for your state/region.  It is the Xerces Society.  Click thru for a list of native plants in your area.  Get your free native plant list HERE.

Mulch:  You can really do no finer thing for your plants than mulching them. 

Mulch helps retain moisture, shields tender roots, breaks down into excellent compost and looks great dressing your garden.  And don't be stingy with the amount.  About two inches of mulch in all your garden beds is best practice.

I just love gardening and all the pleasures it brings, even the pleasure of hard work.  To read many of the reasons why I garden pop over to this post.  

Here's to creating your best garden ever!  I know today's tips will help. 

If you have a gardening tip you'd like to share please do!!

** Kelly **