Tips on fertilizing plants

Fertilizing — that is, supplying your plants with supplemental minerals — is an important part of gardening. I address the specific needs of specific types of plants in their respective chapters. What follows here isn’t the last word on the subject but rather a quick introduction. A well-timed dose of fertilizer really boosts a plant. You can’t argue with success! Just as a healthy diet allows a person or animal to prosper, so does a good and appropriate supply of nutrients keep a plant healthy and happy. Plants have complex systems in need of chemicals to help them produce their own foods. The three primary plant-growth elements, or nutrients, are as follows:

• N (nitrogen): Enhances stem and leaf growth (for most plants, nitrogen ends up being the most important nutrient)
• P (phosphorus): Contributes to flower production, fruit production, seed production, and root growth
• K (potassium): Ensures general vigor; helps plants resist disease

An all-purpose, balanced formulation contributes to overall plant health. These top three nutrients are usually listed on the back labels of bags of fertilizer that you can buy in any garden supply store. They’re usually listed in order as numbers on the package (N-P-K). A balanced fertilizer (one that contains the three most important elements — nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) may show up as 5-10-5 or even 5-10-10. Nitrogen-heavy lawn fertilizer usually has a high first number. You can find are plenty of other variations, depending on the intended use of the fertilizer.
A fertilizer label often tells you which kind of fertilizer is best for your particular garden. If in doubt about your garden’s exact needs, talk to someone at your local garden nursery or supply store. Chances are that their own garden needs aren’t much different from yours!

Certain plants demand more or less of the top three nutrients (for instance, lawn grass loves nitrogen best — consult Chapter 10 if you need to know more about that). But most garden flowers are not specialists, which is why generally fertile soil is desirable and why all-purpose fertilizer is most commonly recommended.

Good soil also contains secondary nutrients, like calcium, magnesium, and sulfur, as well as some trace elements, called micronutrients, that enhance plant health and growth. You usually don’t have to add these nutrients to the soil. However, soil tests sometimes indicate that gardeners should add micronutrients or secondary nutrients, especially calcium.

Fertilizing good soil is often optional. If you have fertile, organically rich soil, many of your plants may do just fine without it — particularly if you develop the habit of amending the soil regularly (once or twice a year) with more organic matter. If your garden soil is organically rich, it’s fertile and thus should have the major elements. If not, or if you’re pushing your plants to peak performance, you can use plant food or fertilizer, natural or organic, to supply or supplement these important nutrients.

Constantly fertilizing lousy soil isn’t a good idea. Not only is it a lot of work and expense for you, but it’s also a losing battle. Salts build up, plants are never really healthy in the long term, and the soil texture remains poor. You’re far better off increasing the organic matter and just using fertilizer as a nutrient boost for your plants — if they need it. Organic matter — once-living material that releases nutrients as it decays — includes compost, dehydrated manure, chopped leaves, damp peat moss, and ground-up bark. Depending on what you use, how much, the plant in question, and so forth, the effects of adding fertilizer can be impressive. But they’re not instant. Wait two weeks to a month before assessing the results. “Feed the soil, not the plants!” is an old gardening adage, and frankly, these are words to live by, folks. You can’t go wrong taking the time and effort to build up soil fertility and structure at least once a year, more often if the opportunity presents itself. Dig in organic matter, add it to every planting hole (except when planting trees and shrubs), top-dress (sprinkle some on the soil surface at planting time), and side-dress (deliver more over the root zone midseason). Why? Because plants and soil organisms like to eat it up and ask for more.

How to give your plants enough sunlight?

Every plant needs at least some light in order to grow and prosper, but the amount really varies. Mushrooms (which are actually fungi), for instance, can grow in bins in a dim basement or shed; daisies and waterlilies, on the other hand, crave hot, full-on sunshine. Plenty of plants rest in the middle of these two extremes, of course. And some plants, like azaleas and daylilies, grow well enough in less-optimum light but don’t flower well in the shade. In terms of labeling, just remember that full sun usually means six or more hours per day; part-day, of course, refers to less.

You may assume that flowers drink up the light, but actually, the leaves do most of the work. Leaves are the main “engine room” of a plant. For a plant to operate, thrive, and increase in size, all plant parts (except flowers) need to play their roles in photosynthesis. Roots draw in water, but the real energy production takes place primarily in the foliage. Light helps produce the fuel. Long hours of plentiful sunlight, with varying angles throughout the day, are important so that every leaf — even the ones lower down on the plant — gets the chance to receive light. The good news is that no matter what light conditions your yard has to offer, at least something should be able to grow there. Sun plants and shade plants are labeled, and of course gardeners try to accommodate them. If you need plant ideas along these lines, not to worry —the plant chapters in this blog have plenty of suggestions for you. The warmth of the sun, even more than actual light, inspires flowers to unfurl.

Sunlight from the east (morning light) is considered cooler, and western sun (afternoon light) can be scorching. Many plants prefer a site with some morning sun, even until midday, and late-afternoon shade. Other plants are able to endure even the hottest conditions. A plant’s tolerance, of course, varies by region. You can place the same plant in a sunnier spot in the far North than in the South.
If you have plants growing in a spot that receives a blast of late-afternoon sun, be sure to monitor their water needs closely so they don’t dry out. If you find they’re struggling, you can help them by installing something to cast a shadow, such as an arbor, or by planting a tree or large shrub in just the right spot. Even companion perennials or annuals planted nearby can cast enough shade to bring needed relief.
Here are some signs that a plant is getting too much sun:

• Flower petals dry out.
• Leaf edges look burnt or dried.
• Flower color looks faded or washed out.
• The entire plant starts to flag.

And here are signs that a plant isn’t getting enough light:

• Growth is sparse.
• Stems are lanky and spindly.
• The distance between leaves, where they’re attached to the stems, is especially wide.
• You see fewer flower buds and, thus, fewer flowers.
• The entire plant leans toward the light sources.

Some of figuring out the proper location is trial and error — you’re aware that roses like a full day of sun, but you really want that bush to go in the nook that gets afternoon shade. Give the spot a try. If the plant’s unhappy, you can always move it to a more appropriate spot.

How to stretch your growing season?

Maybe it’s the rebel in us all. Maybe it’s natural restlessness. Maybe it’s an urge to make maximum and efficient use of available time. But gardeners do like to try to push the envelope in order to grow more or better or different plants.
You can dig up many tricks and techniques along these lines, and you certainly may come up with a few of your own as your experience grows. The following sections describe some favorite rule-benders that you can try if appropriate to your garden, your needs, and your climate.

Building protection
If frost will damage a plant, perhaps you can still have it outdoors by shielding it somehow. This idea applies both to setting plants out a bit too early in the spring and leaving them in the garden a bit too late in the fall. Use row covers, blankets, burlap, plastic sheeting, or extra mulch (compost, weed-free hay, or pine boughs). Water well; hydrated roots can withstand cold and drought better.

Bringing the plants inside
Potted plants, provided they’re not too big or heavy, may be pretty easy to move indoors for a time. Most plants tend to grow less and be less productive or unproductive during the winter months, so you also want to reduce water and plant food. You may even cut the plants back and just keep the pots moist enough to keep the roots alive until spring returns.

Prized plants or special herbs that you want to save can also come inside when you dig them up out of the garden and put them in a pot. Again, they may not grow full force, but you can try to keep them alive. They may experience cooler temperatures inside but not the hard frost that would damage or kill them outdoors. If you plan to enjoy these plants longer, give them a warm and sunny spot on a windowsill or insulated sunroom. Water and feed moderately, and keep an eye out for pests.

By the way, dried herbs, canned vegetables, carefully stored (and cured, where applicable) fruits and vegetables all keep the bounty and memory of the garden alive in the off-season. So do dried bouquets and potpourris.

How to keep frost at bay?

You may find you tried to stretch the growing season a little too far, or perhaps the weather experts missed the mark on the date of the final frost. A big chill is creeping up, and you’ve already used mulch and blankets as much as you can to keep the plants warm. What’s a gardener to do? Try a little emergency frost protection. Spray vulnerable plants with water to slow or prevent plant injury caused by chilling (as Florida orange growers know all too well when a rare frost threatens).

How does this work? Cold, dry air tends to draw the moisture out of leaves and from the ground; the spray of water raises the humidity levels, which in turn reduces moisture loss. Also, in order for water vapor to condense or for water to freeze, the water has to release heat, which in turn warms the plant. The plants need to be kept wet until the danger of freezing has passed; using a sprinkler system is the most practical way.

How to create microclimates?

Ah, here’s where gardeners can and do cheat their zone ratings so they can successfully grow plants they shouldn’t be able to and satisfy their zone envy. You can actually create microclimates (see the preceding section for general info on microclimates). Usually, the aim is to raise the temperature.
For example, you can create a nice Zone 8-ish spot in a colder Zone 7 garden by employing a few gardening tricks:

• Safety in numbers: Planting less-hardy plants in groups helps make them more resilient and better able to withstand temperature extremes and drying winds. The local humidity is likely to be higher in a crowd, too.
• Mulch: A layer of organically rich mulch moderates soil-temperature fluctuations. It also helps hold in soil moisture so you don’t have to worry about lack of rain or having to water quite as much.
• Heat traps: These structures help retain heat. Row covers, hot caps, and cold frames are well-known ways to trap heat, thus raising the immediate temperature and/or protecting vulnerable plants from cold weather. You can purchase heat traps or build your own.
• Water: Proximity to water has a moderating effect on temperature, so you may have luck pampering a slightly tender plant by growing it next to a water feature on your property (natural or artificial).
• Wind and sun blocks: Fences, walls, buildings, and other structures offer shelter from drying winds and blasts of snow. Warmth and humidity can build up close to them, allowing you to coddle some tender plant. They often also create more shade, which can be cooling or inhibiting, depending on your plant’s needs.

How to manage microclimates?

Features in your yard, both natural and human-made, often modify the overall climate and create small areas with distinctly different environmental conditions (including hardiness zones). Here, your zone rating may go up or down by one or possibly even two levels, changing your planting options. A microclimate (a small, usually isolated area that is warmer, cooler, drier or wetter that most of its surroundings) can be anywhere from a few feet wide to a few hundred feet wide. Examples of a microclimate include a low area, a south-facing area, the north side of your house or other structure, an exposed hilltop, a slope, any enclosed and sheltered area, a spot close to the foundation of your heated basement, and so on.
Look for marked differences in these areas:

• Water: Proximity to a pond, stream, wet ditch, or the ocean can make temperature fluctuations less dramatic.
• Soil: Different types of soil can create protective or stressful growing conditions. For instance, clay soils hold moisture and heat and thus can reduce stress in dry or very cold conditions. Very sandy soils drain well and are great where excessive water is a problem, but in hot and dry conditions, they can put plants under severe water stress.
  
• Wind: See how strong the winds are and how often you get air movement in a particular area. Winds are very drying.
• Temperature: One spot may be significantly hotter or colder than its surroundings. Note that cold air often flows over a landscape like water, settling in low areas and creating cold pockets. A useful tool for determining temperature variation is the maximum-minimum thermometer (also known as a Six’s thermometer). This thermometer can measure the high and low temperature during a given time and can measure the extremes of temperature in a location.
• Light: Note dramatic differences in amount of daily sun and shade. Human-made structures (yours or a neighbor’s) as well as trees can contribute to these changing conditions.

Zoning Out: Breaking the Zone and Growing Season Rules

Despite all the zone maps and all the research, hardiness remains an inexact science. Although some plants turn out to be surprisingly tough, others succumb unexpectedly. The easiest thing you can do is to set your sights on plants said to be appropriate for your area. Here are some tips on deciding what you can grow, even if you’re not sure about the zone:

• Peek at your neighbors’ yards. Chances are that if a type of plant is succeeding right nearby, it can grow well, survive, and thrive for you, too.
• Buy local. When you get plants that were raised in your area (not in some distant place or coddled in a greenhouse), they’re much more likely to be able to handle whatever your local weather dishes out. After all, they’ve already experienced some of the harsher conditions and survived so the seller can offer them to you. Production fields out back or right nearby are your cue.
• Grow native plants. Plants that come from your area or region — ones you’ve seen growing in the wild, perhaps, or certainly in local parks or botanic gardens — are sure to be well-adapted and set not only to survive but to prosper. How do you know whether a plant is native? Ask where you buy, or look it up.

By the way, some local nurseries that promote or segregate native plants may also have nice selections or cultivars for you to choose from —improved versions of native plants (they may have smaller or morecompact size, different flower colors, bigger or longer-lasting flowers, and so forth); keep an eye out.

You can, however, force plants to grow in your hardiness or frost zone by taking advantage of microclimates (pockets of different growing conditions) or by using tools to extend your growing season. The following sections tell you how you can sometimes beat the zone system.

Understanding Frost Zones and Growing Seasons

Whether a plant can survive the winter isn’t your only concern. You know annuals are going to live for only one season, but you also want to know how long that season will be. After all, you may not be pleased if your dahlias die before flowering or your tomato plants freeze before producing much fruit. Unfortunately, hardiness zones don’t tell you much about the length of the growing season. Enter the frost zone map.

Zones are determined not only by temperatures but also by the climate, which combines temperature readings, rainfall, humidity, wind, air pressure, and other factors. Climates in frost zone maps are generally determined by growing season, the time during which — hold onto your hats — plants add new growth. The last spring frost and the first fall frost bookend the growing season, marking a nice period of frost-free days. Basically, this time period is your window of opportunity to plant and nurture and enjoy your home landscape, whether you’re growing flowers or edibles. Make the most of it! In really mild areas, such as parts of Southern California, Florida, and the Gulf Coast, the entire year is likely to be frost-free and wide open. The rest of us may feel we’re not as lucky (but just remember that those folks, and their plants, have to contend with intense summer heat and humidity, not to mention bugs that are never killed by frost).

Look at it this way: If you have a colder winter, you get a break, a chance to stop and relax — and a chance regroup and plan for an even better garden next year, after the last frost is past. The length of a growing season varies somewhat from year to year but is generally about the same. You probably already have a sense of your growing season, but if you really need to know, finding out is fairly easy. Call your nearest Cooperative Extension Service office, ask a knowledgeable gardener or garden-center staffer, or watch your local newspaper for the frost dates (which can vary from one year to the next). Many gardeners also use frost zone maps, like the one here: www.avant-gardening.com/zone. Here’s how to calculate your growing season: Suppose you live in Denver, Colorado; your last frost is May 3, and your first fall freeze is October 8. That gives you 157 days in which to garden. Or suppose you live in Las Vegas, Nevada; your last frost is March 7, and your first fall one is November 21. You get 259 days of growing.

Winter doesn’t mean a gardener can or should be idle in the downtime. You can find plenty to do if you’re so inclined to capitalize on the “shoulder seasons.” You can be plotting for the future, starting seeds indoors with the plan to put them out in the ground the minute the last spring frost passes; you can be reading and discovering more about plants; you can be fussing with cleaning and sharpening your tools; you can enjoy yourself as you care for indoor plants; and you can be placing orders with mail-order suppliers —all activities that feed into the process and joy of having a wonderful garden.

A hot issue: Global warming and zone changes

In 2004, the National Arbor Day Foundation released a revision of the USDA’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map. This map, which you can find at www.arborday.org/media/zones.cfm, shows that the zones have shifted northward since 1990. Some people see this change as a clear sign of global warming; others claim that the Arbor Day Foundation’s 15 years of data collection is statistically inconclusive. Most gardening sources still use the USDA’s map.

The USDA is reportedly revising its map, though it hasn’t released a timetable for when the map’s due out. If global warming continues to accelerate, as many people fear and as more and more scientists believe, the averages will rise. But for now, expect the numbers of the zones to remain the same, even if the details of each zone changes.

The most important revisions made to the existing zone maps so far have been to list finer details. For example, in the USDA map, the more central zones have been split into halves, so you can also see Zone 5a and Zone 5b and so on, with the a being somewhat colder and the b being somewhat warmer. Canada’s map includes even more split zones.

How to read plant hardiness zone maps?

Take a look at the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, either in the color section of this book or online at www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap. Notice that Zone 1, located at the top or northernmost part of the map, is coldest;

Zone 11 is at the bottom, or southernmost part, and is warmest. In terms of hardiness zones established in the USA, Zones 1 and 11 represent the extremes. The bulk of the United States, though, fits into Zones 5, 6, 7, and 8. Originally, the zones were conceived to be 10° F apart. As you study the map or chart, say you find that you live in USDA Zone 7. So you determine that this means _ You should be able to grow any tree, shrub, or perennial labeled “hardy to USDA Zone 7.”
_ You probably can’t grow plants that are less cold-hardy, such as Zone 8 or 9 ones — your colder winters may harm or kill them. _ You can grow plants labeled for farther north, even more cold-tolerant ones said to be “hardy to Zone 6 or 5.”
However, every rule has an exception. Most gardeners can stray one, maybe two USDA zones from their own when making plant choices and the gamble will pay off. See “Zoning Out: Breaking the Zone and Growing Season Rules,” later in the section.

You often see a plant’s projected USDA Hardiness Zones expressed as a range. For instance, most clematis hybrids are said to be “hardy in Zones 3 to 8.” This statement means anyone gardening in Zones 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 ought to be able to grow one; the plant should survive your winters. Basic zones are based on the average annual minimum temperature — in other words, as cold as winter gets. Thus, in the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, Zone 6’s lowest winter temperature (on average) is –10°F. Why base zone maps on cold temperatures? After all, other things doom plants, such as high heat, lack of water, too much water, too much or too little sun, and the wrong soil. But over the centuries of gardening, people found that cold is a better predictor of what will survive than any of those other (admittedly important) factors.

Climatological data comes from the horticulture industry, university researchers, botanic gardens, and so forth. Sometimes when a new plant enters commerce, the zone rating is conservative and after a while — with more people growing the plant in different areas and with more research —they find the plant to be more or less cold-tolerant than they originally thought.

Savoring the Sunset zones

In the Western USA — a region loosely defined as the states of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington — neither the USDA Zone Map nor the AHS Zone Map gives complete enough information. Complex and varied terrain and dramatic weather variations conspire to make this particular region unique. So the Sunset Publishing Company, based in the San Francisco area, devised its own Garden Climate Zone Map, which you can find online at
www. sunset.com/sunset/garden/article/1,20633,845218,00.html.

You may also see it in many publications, from books to subscriber-driven magazines to newsstand issues. Gardeners, landscapers, and nurseries in the West often refer to these Sunset zones.
Sunset’s zone map contains 45 zones. Yep, 45. These zones actually cover the entire U.S., Southern Canada, and Northern Mexico, and they’re all very individualized and specific. For example, Sunset Zone 3 is defined as West’s Mildest High-elevation and Interior Regions and covers much of the area east of the Cascades in the Northwest, where residents see snow cover in winters but also blazing summers. Zone 16 is Northern and Central California Coast Range Thermal Belts, from Santa Barbara County to Marin County; this area gets drying summer winds, fog, and a climate made mild by proximity to the ocean.

These Sunset zones can particularly empower a new or frustrated Western USA gardener, especially if the source of plants also uses the same zones. So ask at the local nursery or garden center — realizing, of course, that nobody stays in business for long by selling plants that don’t thrive. Or go out and buy Sunset publications tailored to your particular zone and do some reading and research; then go shopping near or far when you know just what you

Warming up to the heat-zone map

The USDA map, although enormously popular and widely used, has its limitations. For example, Zone 7 in Maryland is a world away from Zone 7 in Oregon, or north Texas, or the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. In many parts of the country, heat rather than cold dictates which plants are able to survive from one year to the next.

Thus, in 1997 (after years of study and research), the American Horticultural Society released its own map, the AHS Heat-Zone Map. Though still relatively new and still being tweaked, this map has proven quite useful to gardeners in the South and West. You can download the Heat-Zone Map at www.ahs.org/ publications/heat_zone_map.htm.

The AHS map has 12 zones. Relatively cooler Zone 1 is defined as having only one day of 86°F weather per year; sweltering Zone 12 has 210 days of such heat or more.
Research has shown that 86°F is the temperature at which many plants —that is, their cells, or plant tissue — start to experience damage from heat. That’s why that point became the baseline for laying out the heat zones. U.S. gardeners in areas where the main source of plant stress is not winter cold but summer heat prefer this system. Nurseries in hot areas are starting to refer to these zones more and more. If the heat-zone information isn’t supplied for a plant you’re interested in, look in newer regional reference books and plant catalogs and Web sites.

Taking a look at the world’s plant hardiness zone maps

Every part of the world has its own hardiness zones, and most maps are set up the same way. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, for example, is a color-coded or shaded map, sometimes accompanied by a chart that expresses the same information. This book displays the map in the color section, and you can also see the map (and others) in many places after you become tuned in to it — a poster tacked up on the wall at your local garden center, the back flyleaf of gardening books, in the back pages of most garden magazines, or tucked into the interior of your favorite gardening catalog.

You can also access it online at www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap. The United States Department of Agriculture published, and has occasionally modified and updated, this hardiness zone map of North America. The most recent map, based on climate data gathered at National Weather Service stations throughout the U.S. and by weather stations throughout Canada and Mexico, came out in 1990. You can find 11 zones marking the average lowest winter temperatures, with Zones 2–10 divided into subzones. Canada’s plant hardiness zone map, suited for Canada’s colder climate, shows nine zones, based on average climatic conditions and altitude of each area. The harshest zone is 0, and the mildest is 8. In addition, the major zones are further divided into subzones. For example, Zone 4 splits into 4a and 4b, where zone a is slightly colder than zone b. You can see Canada’s map at atlas.nrcan. gc.ca/site/english/maps/environment/land/planthardi.

The Hardiness Zone Map of Europe presents a general overview of the European continent and can be broken down further into each European nation and the zones within it. You can see this map online at www.uk. gardenweb.com/forums/zones/hze.

China’s plant hardiness zone map covers arguably largest and most varied gardening spots in the world. You can view it at www.backyardgardener. com/zone/china.

Plant hardiness zone maps aren’t limited to just the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth! You can find online maps for South America and Africa as well. And the Australian government has established a series of maps that many Australian gardeners use to gauge not only planting zones and climates but also rainfall. To view the plant hardiness zone map of Australia, go to www. anbg.gov.au/hort.research/zones. To see Australia’s climate zone maps, visit www.bom.gov.au/climate/austmaps. Traveler beware: If you buy a plant marked as perennial or hardy in the deep Southern USA or California and you live in a chilly northern region, the plant may be labeled such only for the area where it’s sold.

Different Hardiness Zone Maps for Different Folks

If all that gardeners ever grew were locally adapted plants, you’d have no reason to find out or concern yourself with hardiness zones. But of course, you want it all, right? You want to grow exotic goodies from distant lands or plants from allegedly similar but far-off places.
Indeed, you already do have it all: Peonies come from Asia, tulips hail from Turkey, and strawflowers are from Australia. So after your initial infatuation with a plant that’s new to you, you can ask yourself, “Is growing this in my garden possible?” Finding out the plant’s appropriate zone gives you an answer.

People commonly use hardiness-zone information for trees, shrubs, and perennial plants. Annuals don’t get rated, or just don’t count, because they live for only one growing season, anyway. Hardiness zones are all about survival from one year to the next. (And anything tender grown in a pot can always be moved inside out of the weather, thus avoiding the issue.) Just to complicate matters, different zone maps are out there, and some are better depending on where you live.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the most prevalent one that gardeners in North America use, but others exist. The American Horticultural Society’s Heat-Zone Map is more useful and popular for people in the Southern and Western USA, while Sunset’s Garden Climate Zones Map, though complex, serves the Western states well.

Who is Master Gardeners?

A master gardener isn’t someone you hire but rather someone you can consult and consider a resource. Master gardeners have to follow a certification process. Throughout the country at Cooperative Extension Service offices (staffing and budgeting permitting, I should add), classes train avid home gardeners or anyone else who’s interested in horticulture.

Candidates take a core course, often in the fall or winter when life outdoors is less busy. Certification follows only after the student has completed additional classes and a certain number of hours volunteering in the community. The volunteering can involve anything from manning the phone help line to assisting with community plantings (including school gardens), working with 4-H, holding plant clinics at garden centers, staffing county and state fair booths, assisting with horticulture therapy projects, or helping with workshops that educate the public about gardening.
The hours and courses required for certification varies from office to office, state to state. Getting certified doesn’t make a person an expert; it just shows that he or she has made a commitment to learning more about and serving in the local horticultural scene.

Master gardeners aren’t paid, so you can’t really haul them over to your yard and get them to do your work for you. However, they can help you with questions and point you toward helpful resources. And who knows? In time, you may decide to become one yourself.
To find a master gardener, call the nearest office of the Cooperative Extension Service. You can also run an Internet search or go to www.ahs.org/master_gardeners/index.htm.

Who are landscape or general contractors?

Landscape or general contractors are the folks who are usually called in to actually install the job. They do the heavy lifting.

If you’re daring (or foolish), maybe you’ll try to take down a massive shade tree or regrade a slope or install an in-ground irrigation system or lay out and install a flagstone terrace. Before taking this step, think whether the money you’re saving will be enough to pay for the chiropractor you may need afterwards! But seriously, if you’re not used to this work, you can do a lot of damage to you and your landscape. Don’t be afraid to ask someone for help to create your vision: somebody strong enough, experienced, and knowledgeable; somebody certified, bonded, and insured as well. A reputable contractor has no problem demonstrating his or her qualifications. Getting help isn’t wimpy; it’s only good sense.

In short, let someone else do the hard jobs and do them safely and correctly the first time. These folks can install all your residential hardscape needs like walks and walls. Save the fun and creative parts for yourself. To find a landscape or general contractor, check the yellow pages; ask neighbors; ask at a garden center; check ads in the local newspaper; or copy the number or Web site off a truck parked at another home.

Understanding Landscape architects, landscape designers, and garden designers

Landscapes versus gardens, architects versus designers — confusing isn’t it? Various names apply to this group of professionals. Although they each perform a service, you may find quite bit of overlap.

Landscape architects, landscape designers, and garden designers are all professionals, trained in every facet of planning and realizing an outdoor plan. Their scope goes beyond regular backyard gardens or even the landscaping of an estate; many of these folks are capable of laying out a resort, college campus, public park, and so on. They can cope with topography and know how to analyze a site completely, down to its soil and light and existing vegetation. They can design walkways and decks and such in savvy and attractive ways. They can then draw up a design or several alternatives. In general, landscape architects are space planners who may or may not be very knowledgeable about plants. They’re mostly called in for very large commercial or institutional projects and where hardscapes (any masonry or woodwork like walks, patios, gazebos) are a substantial part of the job. You may find that landscape designers and garden designers are more familiar with plants suited to your area and may be more attuned to residential scale projects.

All concerns about cost aside, hiring someone like this to do your yard is a marvelous investment. These professionals tend to notice and address elements and problems you may not have thought of; they propose appropriate and attractive solutions; and they have wide knowledge of both plant material and hardscape components. They’re the full planning package. To find one of these experts, you can consult ads, the Internet, or the yellow pages. Word of mouth may work. If you know of someone who’s used one in your neighborhood or town, try to visit and ask the owners how the process went, whether they’re happy, and perhaps — if asking doesn’t seem too tacky — what it all cost. Garden tours in your area may feature professionally done properties, too, which can also lead you to the person who designed a beautiful garden.

How to Get Professional Help for Your Garden Plans?

Getting a garden plot ready, especially a large one, isn’t easy, and I don’t pretend that it is (I have better uses for my creative energy, such as pretending I’m in Hawaii). If starting the process makes your head reel, or if you don’t have confidence in your design sense, don’t worry. Others can do it for you. They can do everything, in fact, from planning on paper to purchasing to digging the holes and planting the plants. You can confer with or hover over them, or wind them up and let them go. You can even stop them at the point where you want to take over.

Also, be honest with yourself when a project is beyond your ability, unsafe for you, or too time-consuming to undertake on your own. Under such circumstances, go ahead and hire a contractor.
If you decided to get professional landscaping help, be savvy so you get good work and you get what you pay for. Here are some guidelines:

• Before you check the yellow pages, ask around. Word-of-mouth is an ideal way to get started.
• Find a minimum of three possible contractors. They should be willing to make an initial appointment that involves assessing and estimating only; be sure to ask whether they charge for this step (and whether, if you go with them, the fee can be credited to the job).
• When the professionals arrive, have some copies of your plans to show and, if need be, hand them over.
• Ask for a bid in writing. Materials and labor estimates. With a clause for addressing unexpected expenses and overruns. To figure out what a reasonable cost would be, ask friends and neighbors what they paid, and get estimates from multiple sources.
• Check references. Also confirm that the contractor is both licensed and insured.
• Pick someone you like and, more importantly, can communicate with. _ Discuss concerns every step of the way — the more communication, the better. If changes come up, be smart and get the revised plans and charges in writing.
• Pay in installments — give a deposit, then perhaps pay a second installment or more, and finally pay the last one when all parties agree the work is complete and satisfactory. Such an arrangement gives the contractor security and a commitment from you but also prevents you from being taken for a large fee if something goes awry.

Overall, just be clear with one another. Have a budget. Get written estimates. Get your agreement (plan, expectations, and timetable) in writing. Call or visit references. Check and/or supervise the work.

Start the process of hiring a contractor early if you can. Winter is an ideal time. Good people have full calendars, and spring commitments are booked very early. Finding the right professional, somebody you can afford, or someone nearby may take some time; you may interview several before settling on one.