The minimum temperature it needs to overwinter successfully indicates plant hardiness. Many plants growing from bulbs need to have a set length of cold weather before they will bloom successfully. Contact your local weather station for the minimum and maximum average temperatures.

Check your annual temperatures. Record them somewhere for reference. Low: __________________ High: ___________________

The United States Department of Agriculture prepares hardiness or zone maps. Use this website to determine your growing zone. It also provides an explanation of how to use these maps.

Determine How Much Space You Have to Plant

Calculate: length x width = square feet. Assumption: This should include only the area to be planted, not the area taken up by paths or other permanent features in the garden.

Draw the outline of your garden on a piece of graph papert. You will use this garden plan to indicate where each plant will be planted. If you decide the space needs 3 plants, indicate 3 plants on the plan.

As you select plants, determine how much space you want to provide (using square foot estimates) for each plant species. This will help you determine how many plants of each species you need to purchase.

Create Your Garden Plan.

Use the garden site you outlined on your graph paper.

Step 1: Show any hardscaping. Use symbols to show where these items are located.

Hardscaping refers to permanent portions of the landscape. This can be paths, borders, benches, gazebos, sculptures, large boulders, signs, or light fixtures.

Step 2: Indicate any woody plants that cannot be removed from the garden space. Use a simple tree symbol to show where they will be planted.

Woody plants are trees and shrubs that do not die back entirely in the winter. You can see their trunks and stems even when the leaves are gone. You may need to allow for additional growing room if the woody plants are not fully mature.

Step 3: Show areas to be planted with herbaceous plants. If the bed is viewed from all sides, put taller plants near the center. If the bed is against a building foundation, put taller plants at the back of the border.

Step 4: Select plants that are hardy in your area. Determine the hardiness of a plant, shrub, or tree by the minimum required temperature on a year-round basis. If a plant is only hardy to 50 Fahrenheit, and your region has 0 F winter temperatures, then plan to treat that plant as an annual or do not select it for your garden.

Some Definitions

Annuals are those plants that grow from seed, bloom, and reproduce in one growing season.

Biennials are plants that develop foliage the first year, bloom the second year, and then die.

Perennials live for many years. They typically die back to the ground each winter and re-sprout in the spring.

Bulbous plants grow from bulbs, tubers, or rhizomes. They generally are planted in the spring or fall. They may bloom anytime from early spring to fall. After blooming, their foliage slowly turns brown and dies. Foliage should not be removed until it has totally died since it is storing nutrition for the next season's growth.

The next article will introduce scientific plant names and information on calculating the number of plants you need.