{"id":11110,"date":"2018-01-11T12:00:57","date_gmt":"2018-01-11T17:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/?p=11110"},"modified":"2018-12-31T22:09:48","modified_gmt":"2019-01-01T03:09:48","slug":"key-landscaping-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/2018\/01\/11\/key-landscaping-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Key Landscaping Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hybrid rhododendron<\/p><\/div>\n

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Soil preparation<\/p><\/div>\n

To develop a successful landscape plan, first do\u00a0a walk-a-round before you start digging and planting.\u00a0 Record\u00a0your landscape\u2019s sun patterns, soil types, wind and water movement. This information will help you select the kinds of plants that will prosper under existing conditions.<\/p>\n

Sun exposure shifts daily and seasonally. Observe the garden at different times to gain a\u00a0better understanding of light exposures. Particularly note areas that receive full day sun or full shade. What percentage of existing trees and shrubs are deciduous and evergreen. Under deciduous shade, the fall and winter landscape\u00a0may bathe in sunlight. In areas with partial sun exposure, identify where sunlight strikes\u00a0an area\u00a0at what time(s) of day as well as seasonally.<\/p>\n

Soils may vary from one area of\u00a0a landscape to another.\u00a0 Dig test holes in a variety of locations to determine the texture and color of soils. Is the landscape\u00a0composed of sandy or loamy soils? Does it contain lots of clay? Soil type and drainage go hand-in-hand and impact the types of plants that\u00a0should prosper in your landscape. Sandy soils drain very quickly, while clay soils are slow to drain. Many plants are also limited by soil pH, so it is a good idea to\u00a0have the soil analyzed.<\/p>\n

Water and Soil Drainage.<\/strong> In addition to soil type, topography and physical structures influence soil moisture. Low spots and areas surrounding downspouts tend to be wet, while the area beneath an overhang is commonly dry. Walk the garden after a rain to see where water collects and make note of seasonal rainfall patterns in your area. Do\u00a0your region frequently experience seasonal drought; is your summer climate hot and humid? Are your winters generally snow covered or\u00a0will ice storms\u00a0damage tree branches?<\/p>\n

Wind.<\/strong>\u00a0Exposure to wind may vary considerably across a landscape. Some areas are likely exposed to strong winds while others may be protected by buildings, structures, or tall shrubs. For example, broadleaf evergreens such as camellias, rhododendrons, daphnes, and pieris are sensitive to drying winter winds. Understanding wind patterns will aid in positioning new plants at planting time.<\/p>\n

Wildlife.<\/strong>\u00a0What birds and animals are indigenous to your neighborhood? Do critters cause damage to plants? Consider deer, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, moles, voles (field mice) which may relish your landscape and garden plants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To develop a successful landscape plan, first do\u00a0a walk-a-round before you start digging and planting.\u00a0 Record\u00a0your landscape\u2019s sun patterns, soil types, wind and water movement. This information will help you select the kinds of plants that will prosper under existing conditions. Sun exposure shifts daily and seasonally. Observe the garden at different times to gain […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[444,398,657,1226,11,1037,1362,1498,778,1384,604,1016,649,853,597,1476,998,843,729,933,712,629,777,1210,1287,646,7,113,819,1222,455,642],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11110"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11110"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11263,"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11110\/revisions\/11263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}