Questions to Consider
Before Buying Plants at the Nursery
Creating a garden is an investment… an economical one as well as an emotional one since we tend to care for and grow to love the spaces that we have created and the plants therein. So just like any investment, it is good to gather some information first to ensure greater success. Here are some questions we might ask you at the nursery to help you find the right plant for your space so that you can come prepared and make the most of your visit to Nicholson-Hardie.
The first list of questions refers to light quantity and quality:
- How many hours of sun do you get in your location?
- Do you get morning sun or afternoon sun?
- What direction does your house face?
- Are there any trees or structures that might block the sun?
- Is it direct sun? Dappled sun? Bright light? Or deep shade?
If you can, it is important to pay attention to the time the sun hits because sun at 11am might be fine for some plants whereas sun at noon will scorch them.
The next set of questions refers to water and soil:
- Do you have a sprinkler system?
- Does the sprinkler have good coverage?
- How often do you water?
- Are there some areas that stay wet?
- Are there some areas that stay dry?
- What is the quality of your soil? Is it hard clay? Is it sandy?
- Is it a new bed, or an existing bed?
Pay attention to different areas in your yard. Moisture can vary in different sections of your beds. You can put empty tuna cans out in various places and run the sprinkler system to test your coverage. Remember that certain areas may dry out faster than others, so keep that in mind also.
The following questions refer to the type of plant you would like?
- Do you want a plant that stays green all year (an evergreen)?
- Do you want a perennial garden that comes back every year?
- Do you want plants that bloom and bloom and bloom for a season and then replace with other plants that bloom and bloom for that season (annuals)?
Consider your space, time and energy, and the kind of garden you want:
- How big is your space in width and depth?
- How tall do you want the plant to be?
- How much maintenance do you want to put in?
- What kind of garden do you want?
- Do you want a formal look to your garden?
- Would you love a cottage English style garden?
- Are you interested in growing your own fruits, vegetables, and herbs?
- Do you want to attract butterflies or birds to your garden?
- How about a fragrant or cutting garden?
- Would you like to involve children in your garden?
- Are your plants going in a container, in the ground, or a mix of both?
This is a long list and a lot to think about, so if all else fails, just come prepared to answer questions about how much sun you get and we can go from there!
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