Your Questions About Gardening

GardenersCardiff answers:

If you’re the wife, and will be stuck doing the weed-eatting (Like Me:) My best advice is to go to the store and find one that feels comfortable to you. Don’t get one that is too heavy or awkward feeling for you. I have a Homelite, and it’s really light weight, but does a great job…and was inexpensive. I like to mow before I do the trimming, that way you don’t miss anything and have to go back over it. Whatever model you get, read the manual, and get familiar with re-stringing the line on the cutting head~I think they are all a pain in the butt when it comes to that…I never have used one that you can just “tap” and the line comes out smoothly, like it’s suppose to~lol
It’s not hard to “spruce-up” your yard and make it look nice. Just keeping it mowed and trimmed is a major improvement~but you can also plant some nice annuals in pots, if there aren’t any flower beds available, and that will make it look even better! Just grab you a few pots, potting soil, and head to a garden center~then all that’s left is the watering;)
Good Luck!!

GardenersCardiff answers:

Zinnias and marigolds are very easy to grow. They are almost easy enough to plant, water and forget. (But keep them watered.)

GardenersCardiff answers:

Peonies have to grow in colder climates. They have to go through a frost dormancy period. They are perennials, which means they come up each year as new growth. Zinnias are annuals, meaning you plant them each spring.

The fool proof method of getting plants for your garden is taking a trip to a local nursery. They will only carry plants etc that will grow successfully in your climate.

It’s really not that hard at all. Soil is most important. I’ve found that you don’t have to get all fancy having your soil tested for pH. I’d only do that if I had a plant that was extremely picky or if the soil was somehow contaminated. Just make sure your soil is not hardpan or only sand. You want soil that is a nice mix of sand and organic matter and some clay.

Just read the tags that are in the pot at the nursery. They will tell you how much sun and watering it will need etc.

Don’t let everybody make it all complicated for you with soil etc. If weed will grow there, so will plants. Just make sure the soil will hold water, but not bog it down. In other words, don’t use sand because it wont stay moist, and don’t use solid clay because it wont drain.