11. The Art of Transplanting
Installing a tree or shrub in your new planting bed? Protect your investment! Learn how to transplant your tree or shrub properly. Many of the same principles apply to installing other types of plants in the ground (annuals, perennials, etc.).
12. Start a Garden That Will Be Pest-Free?
Yeah, right! Unless you start a garden in a bubble, there will always be pest challenges to respond to.
On some fronts, you can be proactive. For example, if you know that your region is plagued by deer pests, select deer-resistant plants. If you've seen bunnies hopping around in your yard, surround your new planting beds with rabbit-proof fences. You can also work out a companion-planting plan.
But in many cases, you'll have to make adjustments as the need arises. Prepare yourself with knowledge, so you won't be caught off-guard. To that end, use the link below to browse my resources on pest control options.
13. Mark Your Plants With Homemade Labels
When you buy a plant and install it in your planting bed for the first time, you may be so excited about it as to think that you couldn't possibly ever forget its name. But if you're anything like me, ten years down the line you may not be able to recall the specific cultivar from memory. So do yourself a favor and create a label for the plant when you install it.
I say "create" because I don't find the labels that accompany plants home from the nursery to be adequate (they break and/or blow away too easily): I suggest you make your own plant labels. It's easy enough to do, with just a few supplies. And the beauty of this project is that you get to recycle those old plastic pots that have accumulated in your outdoor storage shed.
