GARDEN PLANNING
by Carole Schwalm

Look at light requirements:

• Full Sun: 6 or more hours a day.
• Partial Shade: 2-6 hours of Sun a day.
• Shade is less than 2 hours of Sun per day.

Soil Moisture:

• Dry: is as it sounds – you don’t get a lot of moisture where you live.
• Moist: The soil has a damp feel.
• Wet: Saturated (including water flowing downhill or from a downspout.

Blooms:

• What months do you want flowers to bloom
• What colors? White, red, pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, violet, brown or black?

• Leaves: spiky, ferny, etc.

• Height? 0-1,’ 1-3,’ 3-6,’ 6-12’ or taller.

As an example, you may want all white and cream blooms, with the variation of shades and styles of green leaves. Varied sizes might include: white roses, lilies, pansies and hippeastrums, varying in sizes from tall and large to smaller sizes, all growing in different sizes and styles of terracotta planters. The terracotta may pick up a color on the exterior of the house or patio, with white accenting the color of the house.

You may choose shades of pink, purple, and a little pop of white (always green when it comes to leaves) – blending just a few colors. Again, tall plants or trees, then medium growth flowers and then smaller foliage in the front.

This time of year is perfect for sitting down with a package of color pencils and a seed catalog!