Are you building a new home or renovating? Looking to improve the outside of your home as well as the inside? If you want your garden or landscape to last the test of time, take the time initially to plan and prepare your landscaping project.
While it is easy to get carried away at your local plant or hardware store with all kinds of plants, don;t forget that where you live is going to have a massive impact on what plants you will be able to establish in your landscaping project.
SO - make sure you don't just run in and spend all your hard earned cash on plants that won't last! For instance, on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland in Australia where I operate my landscaping business, we have very varied environments within only 20 minutes of each other.
We have coastal areas with strong south easterly winds in Summer, and areas in the Hinterland which are more like England or New Zealand in their outlook and landscape.
The coastal areas are merely sand dunes with foliage, and can be hit by almost cyclonic winds during some summers.
So here you need plants that are capable of withstanding heavy punishment including heat and wind, and can take root in very poor soil quality.
On the other hand, the Hinterland areas, the soil is very good, and it can get quite cool during the winter months.
Here, you can grow plants that are from a colder climate such as many fruit trees etc and they will grow very well.
Beautiful gardens are common in these areas as the plant species that can survive there are many and varied.
So how do you tell which plants can be grown where? The basic answer is to do your research.
If you are new to an area, you can simply ask the neighbours what they have found grows well.
Local landscape architects, local nursery's and garden centre's also should prove a wealth of information on what grows well.
If all else fails there is always Google! But don't be afraid just to ask as most people who love plants and gardens are only too happy to pass on information to other avid gardeners.
Most of all as we spelled out in the beginning of this article - check before you buy, to ensure that the plants you love are going to thrive in the environment you live in.
While it is easy to get carried away at your local plant or hardware store with all kinds of plants, don;t forget that where you live is going to have a massive impact on what plants you will be able to establish in your landscaping project.
SO - make sure you don't just run in and spend all your hard earned cash on plants that won't last! For instance, on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland in Australia where I operate my landscaping business, we have very varied environments within only 20 minutes of each other.
We have coastal areas with strong south easterly winds in Summer, and areas in the Hinterland which are more like England or New Zealand in their outlook and landscape.
The coastal areas are merely sand dunes with foliage, and can be hit by almost cyclonic winds during some summers.
So here you need plants that are capable of withstanding heavy punishment including heat and wind, and can take root in very poor soil quality.
On the other hand, the Hinterland areas, the soil is very good, and it can get quite cool during the winter months.
Here, you can grow plants that are from a colder climate such as many fruit trees etc and they will grow very well.
Beautiful gardens are common in these areas as the plant species that can survive there are many and varied.
So how do you tell which plants can be grown where? The basic answer is to do your research.
If you are new to an area, you can simply ask the neighbours what they have found grows well.
Local landscape architects, local nursery's and garden centre's also should prove a wealth of information on what grows well.
If all else fails there is always Google! But don't be afraid just to ask as most people who love plants and gardens are only too happy to pass on information to other avid gardeners.
Most of all as we spelled out in the beginning of this article - check before you buy, to ensure that the plants you love are going to thrive in the environment you live in.
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