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Re: No Experience whatsoever

>The garden centers, books all seem to have conflicting info about
>amounts of sunlight, and zone hardiness.  

The best teacher is experience. The hardiness ratings on the plants at 
the nursery aren't too different I bet- no more than 1or2 zones. Most 
gardeners push the hardiness limits for their zones, and there are many 
micro-climates in your landscape (unless it is _absolutely_ flat and the 
soil is _absolutely_ uniform in composition) that can allow nominally 
hardy plants to thrive. Besides, you can't give up on a plant until 
you've killed one three times.

I think the most important thing you need to decide is what _you_ want 
from a garden; it may be a restful, contemplative spot; it may be a blaze 
of color that saturates the eyes; it may be all herbaceous, or mixed, 
formal, informal, all natives, all herbs,  etc etc etc. You need to make 
those decisions before you buy the plants because in a way, the plants 
are secondary. You identify a design need, and then you find the plant to 
fill it. Or if you see a plant that you just can't resist, then you adapt 
your design and find the best place for it.

As for light requirements, unless the plant is in total darkness, it will 
grow- it won't thrive if its not getting enough sun but it won't die 
before you can move it to a sunnier spot; and if it is getting too much 
sun it will burn a bit , then you move it to a shadier spot. You can use 
the ratings on the tags as a rough guide but see how the plants react to 
your specific situation.

Join your local garden club, take notes of what's hardy in your area, beg 
cuttings, seeds, learn to propagate and have at!



Polly M. Law

Illustrator/Gardener/Teapot Collector

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<Insolitores Res Contiguerunt>

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