Struggling with plant choices? What plant should I grow where? What plant is this in my garden? What types of plants grow well in shade or in certain soils?

Plant Choices – Databases can help!

The most important consideration is ‘right plant, right place’ which is just a way of saying that your growing conditions must guide you. How much light? What type of soil? What zone? Are there overhead lines? Is it close to a house or septic bed…etc. Use the databases to find the information you need to make a good decision. With trees and shrubs, it’s especially important to consider the ultimate size to avoid constant pruning in the future.

Please consider including some native plants as they are so beneficial for our environment. Many of them are hardier than imported plants and lots are downright beautiful too!

What is a Native Plant? The definition proposed by Rick Darke and Doug Tallamy in their book, The Living Landscape provided me with this quote A plant or animal that has evolved in a given place over a period of time sufficient enough to develop complex and essential relationships with the physical environment and other organisms in a given ecological community.” More about growing native plants:

Plant Choices – great images, descriptions, and details about growing conditions

Native Plant Choices and Sources (local zone 5-6 Southwestern Ontario, Canada)

Plant Identification – Scientific Databases and Dichotomous Keys

Weed and Invasives Identification

Related Design articles:

Create a Habitat-Friendly Yard – 10+ Ways

Ten Tips for Year-round Interest in a Garden

Avoid Horror-culture mistakes that Gardeners can make