If you buy a house when nearly all the plants are dormant, don't be too eager to work in the flower beds. Those beds, though bare, might contain plants that have not emerged from their winter sleep. Master gardener Paul James provides tips on what to do:
Even though flower beds appear bare, working in them might damage or destroy prize-winning plants. It's best to be patient with your new landscape and give it a chance to show what it's made of: chances are, it will reward you with a few surprises. In fact, James suggests waiting a full year before making any major changes. By waiting, you'll get to see how the landscape changes with the seasons.
Try to learn as much as possible about the soil--especially its pH and the level of nutrients. You can use a store-bought soil sampling kit, but sending the soil to a reputable lab will yield a more accurate analysis. Either way, when collecting the sample, use a stainless-steel spoon or trowel to avoid contaminating the soil. To get a good cross-section of the soil, take samples from several spots: dig to a depth of about four inches, place the soil in a plastic bag and shake it well. It's best to prepare a sample for each type of garden--flower beds, the vegetable garden and the lawn. Prepare the samples and label them accordingly . The cost is around $7 per sample for a soil analysis. The tests are well worth the money to help you learn as much as possible about each garden area.
Evaluate how much light the landscape gets; that will make a big difference when it comes to selecting what you're going to grow. If you have several deciduous trees, you'll have to guess how much light filters through them. Observe various garden sites as well as your lawn several times during the day, and make note of how much sun the sites get. As you do this, keep in mind that over the course of a year, the angle of the sun changes and deciduous trees shed their leaves.
Next, search out a site for your vegetable garden. You'll need a good-sized area that gets at least six hours of sun, is close to a water faucet and tool storage and is far enough away from mature trees so roots won't be a problem. Also determine a place for the compost pile; it requires the same kind of site--sunny, close to a water source and away from trees.
