Many times we buy plants on impulse then find there is nowhere in the garden that really suits them. Before buying plants carefully examine your garden to see how much sun and shade it gets, whether the soil is well drained or waterlogged and whether your aspect is sheltered or windswept.

You’ll then be equipped to go and buy the best plants for your situation; shade-loving plants for the sheltered areas, sun-lovers for the warm spots, drought-resistant plants for the parched areas which may be either sunny or shaded, and swamp plants for the poorly-drained parts.

But wait! Test your soil first, to determine the pH level of your soil and what kind of nutrients you need to add, if any. Is the soil acid or alkaline? Most plants prefer soil that is slightly acidic, but there are some that must have alkaline soil to grow. You can alter the soil’s pH level, but it’s much easier to simply plant for the soil you have.

Now you are ready to plant. Well – almost. Will you plant in groups or singly? If you buy ‘one of everything’ your garden may seem rather spotty. Group plantings are organised, harmonious and you can vary the color for interest.

Now that spring is just a few weeks away, many of you are thinking about landscape projects that might involve adding new bushes and shrubs. If you are in that boat, keep in mind that you should always use evergreens as the foundation of the landscape design.

So as you make your plan, think about these evergreen plants in your design.

Evergreen Yews

Yews can be found in over 80% of the landscapes in the Midwest and easy. They are also grown as far south as Georgia with good success. Taxus yews have a darker green foliage and stand up well to extreme weather conditions. Their new growth each year has a bright green appearance, giving them some nice variation. They can be trimmed tightly each year and really dont have any problems with insects or fungus. The only thing I dont like about yews is that they are very common and boring.

Arbovitae

We are so used to seeing some bonsai labeled as “for the indoors” that some people think there really is such a thing as a true indoor tree. There isn’t. If you ‘d like to keep more of your trees alive and maybe even thriving, never forget that a tree belongs outside – every chance it gets.

It probably seems like a foolish point to make, but if there is any hope that you’ll ever understand more about the care and nurturing of your bonsai, it’s important to make a clear distinction between an indoor tree and one that just can’t handle the cold. Sometimes the heat can actually be the problem, but take it from me, a resident of Toronto, Ontario. The real defining factor is the cold. But the question is “How cold?”

When you’re looking at “indoor” bonsai trees you need to try and learn a little more about them than that. Tropical trees don’t have warm and cold seasons, but they do have wet and dry seasons. They have times of active growth, flowering, fruiting and they have a time that they rest. Many warm weather trees are not leafed out year round. The Barbados Cherry (Malpighia pendiculata) for example, will drop its leaves in the winter. What no tree has is a natural environment that mirrors a coffee table in a dimly lit room.

Backyard landscaping is all about making your surroundings look better. When you do it right, it can almost become a science of planting, growing, constructing, and sculpting the area to look its best. All the elements need to be taken into consideration such as climate, presence or lack of wind, lighting, and overall weather conditions to beautify the areas around your house.

Any landscaper should know a thing or two about the flora and fauna of the area and what type of soil is in the ground. Plants perform differently in different types of soil and some research should be done to find out what might work best. You have to take into consideration the pest that might be a problem as well as the weather conditions. After you think about all those things, then it is time to plan how everything will be put together.

A landscapers palette is replete with the colors of nature. Flowering plants come in red, blue, pink, yellow, violet, and all the colors you can think of. Leaves come in different shapes and sizes, as well as colors. There are trees, vines, and shrubs to fill up a yard and garden. Then there are the evergreen and the deciduous plants. Evergreen being those plants with year round leaves, and deciduous being those that lose their leaves part of the year.

Any corrective pruning should be finished in February. Remember to paint all wounds over one inch in diameter with a pliable water-proof paint. This prevents drying out and checking of the wood and resultant decay and also prevents the entrance of disease or insects.

Do not prune the early flowering shrubs such as forsythia, lilac, spirea, quince, currant, red bud, peach, etc., until after flowering as any material removed now will reduce the number of flowers. Prune these after flowering to encourage new growth for blooms next year.

This is the month to do shearing or pruning of evergreens as they are usually unsightly after this operation, but with the beginning of new growth, they are unsightly for a shorter period of time. Prune the flowering shrubs that bear their blooms on new wood like althea, vitex, crape myrtle, and buddleia – this will stimulate flower production.

Whatever pruning you do, especially on your shade grapes trees, be sure you know what you are doing or call a recognized tree surgeon. Do not butcher your trees or allow inexperienced “tree surgeons” to do so. Irreparable damage can be done and often results in the death of the tree.

The blanket of snow that we are used to in winter is being quickly pulled back by the springtime sun. Now that warmer weather is starting to set in across the country it is time to think about planting trees in your yard and landscape.

Planting trees at your house helps the environment, of course, but it also enhances the beauty of your home investment.

Following are 3 of my favorite trees for planting in the home landscape.

The Paper Bark River Birch

With its peeling, papery gold bark, multiple stems and ability to suck up tons of water, the river birch has become one of the most popular trees for landscapes. You can place them on the corner of you house for a shady but not too large anchor tree, or plant them in the side yard for a classy look. In addition, birch trees make great plantings for areas of your landscape that don’t drain well. They drink up a lot of water!

You may have noticed (or not, since the newer models are so realistic) an increasing number of artificial trees out there these days. They are common in offices and even homes. Artificial trees have made incredible advances in recent years and they are incredibly realistic ” they are often made with real tree bark and other natural elements and added onto with imitation of the highest quality and craftsmanship.

While they are not exactly the same a s areal tree, they have been known to fool even some of the worlds foremost experts on trees ” birds and butterflies, who will even nest in these trees. A large factor in the popularity of these trees is how easy they are to care for compared to a real tree ” there is very little maintenance needed. However, they bring the look of nature to any indoor or outdoor space of your choosing, needing only a dusting from time to time.

They do not cause allergic reactions, as an artificial tree has no pollen and never drops leaves. The beauty of these trees can be enjoyed any time of year, inside or out.