Wolcott Garden Treasures
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Proper Planning
Proper planning is always the first step in creating a beautiful, successful garden. Here are some tips to help you get started:
Know Your Soil
You may not think of it, but most plants are rather picky about their soil! Take the time to dig up a bit of soil in the areas you want to cultivate and take note of the consistency and drainage. Do you have rich soil that tends to waterlog or do you have sandy or rocky soil that drains easily? Is it somewhere in the middle? These distinctions will help you choose the right plant for your garden.
You can usually find the soil preference on a plant's care tag when you purchase it, but if you have your heart set on something that doesn't typically do well in your soil conditions, you can always use additives to help prepare the soil. If your soil is too rocky or drains too much, you can dig down and replace most of the planting area with topsoil. On the other hand, if the soil has too little drainage, try digging several inches lower than you plan to plant and add a layer of small stone to help pull the standing water away from the plants' roots.
For particular challenging conditions such as dry, wet or salty soil, check out our section on Specialty Gardening to help choose plants that can thrive despite the soil conditions. And if you wish to have your soil tested for fertility, check out UConn's Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory.
Finally, pH is a concern for some plants. Hydrangeas and most evergreens, in particular, need acidic soil to thrive. You can add a product such as Holly Tone or Miracid to your soil to help support acid-loving plants. On the other hand, if your soil is too acidic, adding lime will help balance it out. The UConn soil analysis mentioned above will test for pH as well, and make some recommendations regarding lime and fertilizer.
Know Your Sun & Shade
Most plants have very specific sun and shade requirements. Full sun is considered at least six hours of unfiltered sun each day and part sun is considered around four hours per day. Make sure you don't try to plant a full-sun shrub in a shady corner of your yard, or vice versa. If you have a particular plant in mind that you'd like to read a little about, check out our Products page for a complete list of our plants. Most plants you will find native to our area are either full or part sun, but there are some that are very shade tolerant. If you have an area that receives less than four hours of sun a day, check out our article on shade gardening for a list of plants that will work well for you.
Map Out Your Space
Think it over twice and prepare the area once! Really take a look at the space you have available and how you want to use it. If the area you want to cultivate is grassy, rocky or full of weeds, you'll want to till or rake the ground and remove any plant material and large rocks. Raking will also aerate the ground and break up dense soil that could impede rooting. To create a rounded or seemingly random garden shape, consider outlining the space with a bit of chalk or spray paint before you rake (try a spray can specially designed to be applied upside down - available at any hardware or superstore). Another good way to outline a creative shape is to use a garden hose as a guideline.
Ready to plant now? Get some tips on Proper Planting.
Know Your Soil
You may not think of it, but most plants are rather picky about their soil! Take the time to dig up a bit of soil in the areas you want to cultivate and take note of the consistency and drainage. Do you have rich soil that tends to waterlog or do you have sandy or rocky soil that drains easily? Is it somewhere in the middle? These distinctions will help you choose the right plant for your garden.
You can usually find the soil preference on a plant's care tag when you purchase it, but if you have your heart set on something that doesn't typically do well in your soil conditions, you can always use additives to help prepare the soil. If your soil is too rocky or drains too much, you can dig down and replace most of the planting area with topsoil. On the other hand, if the soil has too little drainage, try digging several inches lower than you plan to plant and add a layer of small stone to help pull the standing water away from the plants' roots.
For particular challenging conditions such as dry, wet or salty soil, check out our section on Specialty Gardening to help choose plants that can thrive despite the soil conditions. And if you wish to have your soil tested for fertility, check out UConn's Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory.
Finally, pH is a concern for some plants. Hydrangeas and most evergreens, in particular, need acidic soil to thrive. You can add a product such as Holly Tone or Miracid to your soil to help support acid-loving plants. On the other hand, if your soil is too acidic, adding lime will help balance it out. The UConn soil analysis mentioned above will test for pH as well, and make some recommendations regarding lime and fertilizer.
Know Your Sun & Shade
Most plants have very specific sun and shade requirements. Full sun is considered at least six hours of unfiltered sun each day and part sun is considered around four hours per day. Make sure you don't try to plant a full-sun shrub in a shady corner of your yard, or vice versa. If you have a particular plant in mind that you'd like to read a little about, check out our Products page for a complete list of our plants. Most plants you will find native to our area are either full or part sun, but there are some that are very shade tolerant. If you have an area that receives less than four hours of sun a day, check out our article on shade gardening for a list of plants that will work well for you.
Map Out Your Space
Think it over twice and prepare the area once! Really take a look at the space you have available and how you want to use it. If the area you want to cultivate is grassy, rocky or full of weeds, you'll want to till or rake the ground and remove any plant material and large rocks. Raking will also aerate the ground and break up dense soil that could impede rooting. To create a rounded or seemingly random garden shape, consider outlining the space with a bit of chalk or spray paint before you rake (try a spray can specially designed to be applied upside down - available at any hardware or superstore). Another good way to outline a creative shape is to use a garden hose as a guideline.
Ready to plant now? Get some tips on Proper Planting.
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