Get To Know Your Garden

There are few things more frustrating to those who wish to garden than to plant something only to watch it die. It is heart wrenching and enough to make you want to throw in the towel altogether. To be a good gardener with the hopes of being a great gardener, there are certain things you must do. You must get to know your bit of earth -- intimately. You should know what sort of soil you have, the amount of sun you receive and where and your garden zone.

The best resources I can possibly recommend to any gardener are the How To Be a Gardener books by Alan Titchmarsh. Alan is the reason I became a serious gardener. He is incredibly motivating and assures everyone that with a little patience and knowledge, anyone can be a great gardener.

Each time I started gardening in a new area, I followed Alan's advice by devoting an entire day in the garden just to assess what areas receive light and when. It is also important to do this during every season. The reason for this is because if part of your garden is in full shade all day during the winter, it doesn't mean it will be in full shade come summer. I learned this the hard way and many of my shade loving plants suffered the consequences.

I took a clipboard out with me, made a sketch of the garden area and indicated where and when areas were in full sun and/or full shade.

I will be writing more soon.