So you want to be a gardener? Great! The following information on gear, buying plants, and learning about annuals, perennials and vegetables should be useful.
Buying plants
When you grow a garden, you need to decide if you will plant seeds or plants. For first time gardeners, buying young plants may seem less daunting. And if you've decided to plant later in the season, once you've seen flowers blooming in your neighbor's garden, buying plants it's a good idea. Before buying, though, spend some time in your garden. Think about what you want out of your garden and how much you can reasonably put in the space you have. With a book of flowering plants, you can even plot out a more detailed plan for your garden. With plan in hand, for new gardeners, a reputable nursery is the best place to start. Any good nursery will have some top gardeners on hand who can help answer questions on various matters such as soil types, sun issues, and when to plant what. If you are tempted to throw an azalea in your basket along with Saturday's dinner, there are a few things to keep in mind. Make sure you avoid plants with yellowed or wilted leaves. Avoid plants already in bloom—let them bloom in your own garden. In addition, look for signs of disease and bugs. Eaten or spotted leaves are dead giveaways.
Gear
An old adage states, "You get what you pay for." This wisdom often rings true when it comes to buying gardening tools. Better tools are generally heavier than cheap ones. The best, and most expensive, are made of stainless steel or forged steel. Tools are often given wooden handles because wood is light, durable, and comfortable to use. For small vegetable or flower gardens, theirs is no need to feel that you can't afford to garden. The essential tools for any small garden include: a digging fork, a trowel, a round-point shovel, a six-inch garden hoe and a wheelbarrow.
Annuals
These plants are good at immediate gratification. Those in search of floral beauty, look no further. Annuals are a good choice for new gardeners, since they are relatively easy to grow. An annual is a plant that lives its entire lifecycle in one season. It grows quickly and often produces lots of flowers. At the end of the season, seeds which have fallen on the ground may sprout in the spring. Some plants, like pansies, can be easily transplanted to live happily indoors all winter. Before buying, find out a few important facts. Know what kind of light your plants will receive in your garden, and ask about when the latest likely frost for spring occurs, and when the earliest fall frost occurs in your region. A few popular annuals include: geraniums, impatiens, nasturtiums, pansies, petunias and verbenas.
Now that you have your gear and your plants, let's talk plants.
Perennials
A perennial is a plant that does not die after a season's growth but renews itself each year. This category includes trees, shrubs, hardy bulbs, lawns, some vegetables and houseplants. They are often used as herbaceous borders. Even if top growth dies in the fall, the roots survive underneath the soil. Along with perennials come biennials, plants that take two seasons to complete their growth cycle. Perennials need more care than most annuals, often requiring pruning, feeding, and, if growth becomes too thick, you'll need to break up and relocate parts of the plant. A few of the most popular flowering perennials include: asters, violets, columbine, chrysanthemums, foxglove, irises and poppies.
Vegetables
Under the large title of "vegetables" we find leafy greens, root vegetables, and even 'fruit' vegetables, like tomatoes and eggplant. For a successful vegetable garden, learn what vegetables grow well in your climate. In northern climes, these include broccoli, peas, lettuce and cabbage. In the south, okra, sweet potatoes and eggplant do well. Most of all choose some vegetable crops that are easy to grow, such as lettuce, tomatoes, squash and cucumbers.
Keep your garden well-weeded and well-watered and enjoy the time you spend there.
