Today’s Garden Ideas

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Many gardeners spend every season watering, weeding, and fertilizing their garden. However, the fact of the matter is that if you begin with weak and sick plants, your garden simply won’t do well. It may be hard to determine which plants are healthy when walking into a garden center and which are not because they will probably all look like very healthy plants. Generally, they will all be very healthy however there are a few things that you can quickly check for to make sure that you are buying strong, thriving, and healthy blooms!

The first thing to look at is the foliage or the greenery of the plant. Plants that are healthy will have foliage that is lush, shiny, and closely resembles wax in appearance. If the leaves of the plant are at all wilted or yellowing, this could be a sign that the plant is sick or stressed. Some plants manage to regain their health if it’s a matter of stress but this is not always the case so make sure that the leaves are nice.

You must also know the general shape that your plant should be in. Some plants, such as hostas are meant to be dense and low to the ground. If you find one of these plants that appear to be very thin around the sides or in the middle, you may want to find another plant. Also, if the hosta seems too high, it may also be a sign that it has not received enough sunlight in its life and has been reaching up to try and receive the sun’s nutrients.

Of course no gardener wants to bring a plant into their garden that is carrying insects or disease. Not only will the plant not do well in the garden, but the condition could also spread into the soil and to the other plants, making your entire garden a complete disaster. To check for signs of insect and disease, first check the leaves of the plant, making sure that you are looking on both sides of the leaves. Place a finger into the potting soil and also make sure that the soil feels moist and light. Other signs of insects or disease are black areas on the plant, holes, spots, areas on the plant that are very soft, distortions within the plant, and places that feel sticky to the touch.

The roots of the plant are also very important to check. Plants from the nursery will usually come in pots so it’s important to check the bottom of the pot. If the roots are coming out of the bottom, the plant has probably been in the pot too long and is most likely stressed from being in a cramped environment for an extended period of time. However on the other hand, if the plant lifts easily out of the pot, there are probably very little roots as it has most likely been repotted very recently. Plants that have recently been placed in a pot are not ready to be transplanted into a garden and will not do well.

Starting with healthy plants is extremely important. Not only will it prevent disease and insects spreading but it will also make the back-breaking chore of garden work done over the season much easier as you will not be trying to solve a problem. You will have already prevented it.