by Kimberly Smith

Created on: March 24, 2009

We well organized garden can save lots of time, money, and give you the enjoyment you want from a garden. Whether it's a flower, vegetable or shrub garden, there is a lot of time and money that is invested into getting the desired results. There are some key factors that you should keep in mind when you decide to start a garden. What type of garden are you planning? Will it be a full sun flower garden? Do you prefer a shade garden with lots of greenery and shrubs? Maybe you would like to have a vegetable garden to enjoy the delicious fresh seasonal vegetables. Whatever you decide you need to have a general garden plan and layout.

First you must select the proper location for the type of garden you want to make. You can't expect to achieve good results from plants requiring full sun if you put them in the shade. The same goes with shade plants being placed in full sunny locations.

Don't let the size get out of hand. Never plant more than you will be able to maintain on a regular basis, because gardens do not take care of themselves. You will be required to put in a lot of hard work and hours of care to have a successful garden. If you make one that is too large you will be overwhelmed and it may not get the proper care and attention to look its best and produce the result you desire.

The next step is to select plants that you like, whether it's for their color, texture, or taste, pick plants that are pleasing to you. If I am not a big fan of squash, it only stands to reason that I should not select this plant for my vegetable garden. Do you homework and use the internet to help you find plants that you may not have heard of before. The internet care also be a great resource when it comes to maintenance and care.

In flower and shrub gardens you should keep in mind the height and width of each plant at it maturity. This makes planning easier. You don't want to have a beautiful flower hidden behind a very tall plant or shrub. Make sure you read all the tags and growing and planting suggestions on the tags. These can be very helpful in making your plant choices.

Maintaining a garden is work, there is no way around it. But it can be work that you enjoy. It is great to get out on a nice spring day and work in your garden. There are things that you will need to do, such as apply pesticides, and fertilizers from time to time to aid your garden's health. You need to get a calendar and make the dates that you should do each task. The particular product should have suggested schedules for treatment. Then there is watering, you may want to keep up with your watering on the same calendar. Weeding a garden is something you should do on a weekly basis. This keeps this weeds that spring up in the garden to a minimum and you can get them out while they are still baby weeds and they won't take over the garden.

There are several tools you should have to make these jobs easier. A hoe, garden rake, a pump sprayer for pesticides and one for herbicides, each should be marked so you don't get them confused. If you are using a liquid or water soluble fertilizer you will need another sprayer from that product as well. You should have a good pair of gardening shears and gloves. I suggest you get a cushion or mat for your knees while down on the grown working in your garden.

Good planning, the right tools and products and staying on top of work in the garden will make success much more likely and you will keep your garden from getting out of control.

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