Secrets of a Certified Master Gardener

Having a beautiful garden, takes understanding of the various components that go into having happy,  and healthy plants.
Understanding the landscape and choosing native plants that support local flora and fauna is essential for creating a yard that is in harmony with nature and ultimately sustainable.

Here are 10 steps you can take to help your garden flourish:

1. Get a soil test. (PDF 138kb)

2. Know how much light each part of your yard gets throughout the day and variations throughout the year.

3. Pay attention to areas that get direct, afternoon sun to avoid planting plants that cannot tolerate such conditions.

4. Read care instructions before planting to ensure that you have chosen the right site for the plant, and choose native species.

5. Consider reducing the amount of lawn and use native grasses and plantings that require no water or fertilization.

6. Create garden settings that support native habitats.

7. If you must transplant during summer, do so on an overcast day to help avoid transplant shock.

8. When moving indoor plants outside for summer, be sure to keep them out of direct sunlight for a week to let them acclimate to their new surroundings.

9. After summer solstice, trees start preparing for winter; fertilizing after June 21 is not in their best interest.

10.  Familiarize yourself with invasive plants and rid them from your yard.

Questions about your yard?
Ask our resident Certified Master Gardner.

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