Dawn's Gardening Notes!

Now is the time to Plan, Prep & Plant!

Spring gardening is finally in full gear and all the dreams we had over winter are now outlined in "to do lists" for the garden! This is one of my favorite times of year because we have such beautiful weather to work in and a whole season ahead of us. The sky is the limit!

I believe that anyone can have the garden of their winter dreams, if you take time to prepare properly. Too often we are so excited to get that perfect plant in the ground, that we forget to do our homework and make a plan. The second mistake is forgetting to work the plan we created! If you follow some simple steps, you will end up with your dream garden.

Our nursery has many beautiful gardens to enjoy First, create a real plan. Actually measure out the areas you wish to use for your garden. Even if it seems too small or silly to you, it will help you keep your wits when you are faced with all those beautiful possibilities at the garden center. On your garden plan, show the length of each side in feet and inches, as a reminder of your actual space. Lightly outline where you have shade at 9AM, 1PM and 5PM, so you can see how much light or shade your garden has throughout the day. And note how much of a slope, if any, your garden will have. Make sure you pencil in any existing trees, scrubs or fencing that will stay in the garden.

Next, and so important in this part of the world, note if you have sprinklers and or other utilities in the area. We highly recommend having your utilities (gas, electric, phone and cable) out to your yard to mark where you lines are before you finish your garden plan. If the utilities will need regular access to your garden area, that will make a difference what you plant in the garden. Some companies restrict what you can plant next to some their boxes or meters, so it is best to check things out first. You may end up moving your garden to a second choice location if the utilities are an issue.

Use your garden hose to set the boarders for your new garden Once you have done all this and all is OK, then take a garden hose and outline your new garden area . Play with it until you have the desired shape. The hose is simply an easy tool to give you a visual for the space. Then you may begin turning the soil or removing the sod. If you are removing sod, make sure to shake off excess dirt from the roots of the sod, as you don't want to compost or throw away dirt you actually need. I like the idea of composting, so that your old sod becomes helpful to your garden next year. Once you have turned the soil, take a sample of it to your local garden center. They can do a soil test for you or sell you a kit, so you can see what nutrients your garden soil needs to be healthy. This is an important step for the long term health of the garden, so don't skip it.

After your soil is amended with the proper nutrients or soils and they have been turned or tilled into the soil, I like to water and then let things sit for 5 to 7 days. This gives everything time to even out in the soil.

Now is the time to plant Yeah...now it is a week later and you are ready to buy your plants. Make sure to TAKE YOUR PLAN with you to the Garden Center. Don't worry about how it looks, you will need it to keep yourself strong. Yes, strong, otherwise you will give into temptation and over buy or worse yet, buy things that won't thrive in your garden. Remember, you have outlined the environment the plants will be living in and that is important to keep yourself on plan. Yes, you can exchange one type of plant for another , as long as the new works equally well in your garden environment. However, you can't just keep adding or you will over plant.

I would strongly recommend that you buy one day and then plant the next morning when it is still cool. Begin by setting everything out to look at it. You may need to adjust from your original plan once you see everything set in its spot. Remember to pay attention to the potting labels which show height and spread of the adult plants. Leave room for things to grow. It may look a bit sparse this now but before too long it will all fill in. Once you have things arranged as you like, you may begin planting!!! The fun part!

Plan for waterfeatures in your new garden You can then water each plant after planting to protect your new charges from heat. In general, I like to water very early in the morning so there is less moisture lost from evaporation. I may also check a new garden in the early evening, to see how its holding up, as the new roots may not draw enough water to make it through a whole day and may need another bit of water for a few days.

Have a question email me at: dawn@clicknickelcreek.com In the mean time there is lots to do to get ready! Happy Gardening,

Dawn Lorenzi



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				Now is the time to Plan, Prep & Plant! Spring gardening is finally in full gear and all the dreams we had over winter are now outlined in "to do lists" for the garden! This is one of my favorite times of year because we have such beautiful weather to work in and a whole season ahead of us. The sky is the limit! I believe that anyone can have the garden of their winter dreams, if you take time to prepare properly. Too often we are so excited to get that perfect plant in the ground, that we forget to do our homework and make a plan. The second mistake is forgetting to work the plan we created! If you follow some simple steps, you will end up with your dream garden. First, create a real plan. Actually measure out the areas you wish to use for your garden. Even if it seems too small or silly to you, it will help you keep your wits when you are faced with all those beautiful possibilities at the garden center. On your garden plan, show the length of each side in feet and inches, as a reminder of your actual space. Lightly outline where you have shade at 9AM, 1PM and 5PM, so you can see how much light or shade your garden has throughout the day. And note how much of a slope, if any, your garden will have. Make sure you pencil in any existing trees, scrubs or fencing that will stay in the garden. Next, and so important in this part of the world, note if you have sprinklers and or other utilities in the area. We highly recommend having your utilities (gas, electric, phone and cable) out to your yard to mark where you lines are before you finish your garden plan. If the utilities will need regular access to your garden area, that will make a difference what you plant in the garden. Some companies restrict what you can plant next to some their boxes or meters, so it is best to check things out first. You may end up moving your garden to a second choice location if the utilities are an issue. Once you have done all this and all is OK, then take a garden hose and outline your new garden area . Play with it until you have the desired shape. The hose is simply an easy tool to give you a visual for the space. Then you may begin turning the soil or removing the sod. If you are removing sod, make sure to shake off excess dirt from the roots of the sod, as you don't want to compost or throw away dirt you actually need. I like the idea of composting, so that your old sod becomes helpful to your garden next year. Once you have turned the soil, take a sample of it to your local garden center. They can do a soil test for you or sell you a kit, so you can see what nutrients your garden soil needs to be healthy. This is an important step for the long term health of the garden, so don't skip it. After your soil is amended with the proper nutrients or soils and they have been turned or tilled into the soil, I like to water and then let things sit for 5 to 7 days. This gives everything time to even out in the soil. Yeah...now it is a week later and you are ready to buy your plants. Make sure to TAKE YOUR PLAN with you to the Garden Center. Don't worry about how it looks, you will need it to keep yourself strong. Yes, strong, otherwise you will give into temptation and over buy or worse yet, buy things that won't thrive in your garden. Remember, you have outlined the environment the plants will be living in and that is important to keep yourself on plan. Yes, you can exchange one type of plant for another , as long as the new works equally well in your garden environment. However, you can't just keep adding or you will over plant. I would strongly recommend that you buy one day and then plant the next morning when it is still cool. Begin by setting everything out to look at it. You may need to adjust from your original plan once you see everything set in its spot. Remember to pay attention to the potting labels which show height and spread of the adult plants. Leave room for things to grow. It may look a bit sparse this now but before too long it will all fill in. Once you have things arranged as you like, you may begin planting!!! The fun part! You can then water each plant after planting to protect your new charges from heat. In general, I like to water very early in the morning so there is less moisture lost from evaporation. I may also check a new garden in the early evening, to see how its holding up, as the new roots may not draw enough water to make it through a whole day and may need another bit of water for a few days. Have a question email me at: dawn@clicknickelcreek.com In the mean time there is lots to do to get ready! Happy Gardening, Dawn Lorenzi

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