Step Two: Figure Out Your Why
So you’ve figured out where you want the new plants to go
(that area by the drainpipe that’s great as a chipmunk pool, but you really just want some flowers in it to remind you not to step in it three days a week in spring…or the space that faces south and looks like it belongs in Arizona by the end of the summer and you really would love a touch of Illinois in there all the way through fall). Whether it’s a 3’x3’ (or smaller) plot that we discussed in last month’s issue or a pot on the patio, now’s the time to become very clear on what you want and why.
Are you fixing a perceived problem (like an area of the garden that remains wet for most of the spring and summer)? Are you wanting to express your creativity through floral colors and grass brushes on an outdoor canvas? Are you wanting to provide a welcoming habitat for other creatures (like birds, beneficial insects and pollinators)? Or do you want to provide food for your family and are curious about those garden designs where edible and nonedible plants comingle?
The potential reasons for adding to your outdoor living space through plants are innumerable. What’s important is that you understand the why for what you’re doing. It will keep you going when obstacles arise (and they will); it will serve as a guide on the gardening journey (so that you don’t distract yourself with the allure of plants that do not have a place in your chosen space); and it will serve as your motor to energize you when you don’t feel like showing up (because some days you won’t want to).
Getting clear on your “why” guides you to your “what.” If you’re looking for enhanced color, for instance, and are open to native and/or pollinator friendly plants, your search (online or at the bookstore and library) will involve terms specific to that endeavor. If you’re wanting to find out which plants tolerate wet soil, then you’ll be looking up rain garden plants. If you’re wanting to plant edible greens alongside flowering plants, you’ll search for natural companions. If you want to make that mini-AZ become summertime IL, you’ll look up flowering plants that are drought-tolerant (there’s many!).
Until next time, get clear on your why and select 3-5 plants that would thrive in your chosen space based upon what you already know about it (number of hours of light received, drainage conditions, proximity to structures that may affect soil depth, etc.). Get excited! Spring is almost here and your garden design is about to blossom!