Water-Wise Gardens

Introduction | Planning and Design | Planting a New Garden
Soil Conditioning | Watering Requirements
Limiting Grassy Areas | Fertilizers
Pesticides and Herbicides | Plant Selection
Gardening with Native Plants

Planting a New Garden

Starting a garden from scratch needn't be a daunting prospect. Follow these simple tips, and you'll soon have a beautiful garden.

If you live in a new house and sod has not yet been laid, mark out where you would like your flowerbeds and vegetable gardens to be so the landscapers don’t plant sod in those areas.

If the area is already turfed, you will need to get rid of the grass. Don’t pull up the sod, because the valuable top soil will be lost with it. Instead, follow these simple steps:

Cut the grass in the chosen area very short. Don’t rake the clippings as they decompose and add nitrogen. You can now add some leaves, if you have them, spread compost or manure over the area, and rake it in. Water the area well.

Next place a barrier of cardboard or newspaper (no glossy or coloured pages) to smother the grass and to stop weeds from growing over the entire location. Newspaper should be at least 10 pages thick. Make sure you overlap the edges so no light can penetrate. Wet the paper and place several rocks (or other heavy objects) to weigh the paper down and hold it firmly in place.

Gardens prepared with cardboard or newspaper may be planted right away, though fall is an excellent time of year to prepare new beds because the barrier and winter snow smothers the grass. It also allows several months for the grass to break down under the cardboard or paper.

If you choose to plant immediately:

Spread a generous layer of topsoil, about 10 - 15 cm (4 to 6"), on top of the barrier layer. (You'll no longer need the rocks.) Now choose drought tolerant plants.

To plant your new plants, spread aside the soil layer exposing the paper barrier. Use a sharp knife to cut through the barrier. Peel the cardboard back and dig a hole for the plant. Remove the piece of sod directly under the hole and shake off any soil.

If you wish to create a bed for next spring:

Apply newspaper or cardboard as above. Do not cover with topsoil. When you remove the cardboard or newspaper in the spring, you'll find the grass underneath has died. If any portions have survived and appear to be greening up, remove those sections.

How to Plant Your Garden

When planting container-grown plants, water the plant well before removing it from the container. Turn the pot upside down, give the bottom of the pot a sharp rap, and catch the rootball as the plant slides out from the pot. Squeeze the pot if the plant is stubborn. Don't worry if roots have grown through the holes in the bottom of the pot. If roots are circled around the rootball, tease the roots out. If the roots are left wrapped around the rootball, they'll continue to grow that way and will never spread out into the surrounding soil.

Make sure you do not plant the new plant too deep into the soil. The depth should be equal to the depth in the pot. Cover the new plant’s roots and press the soil firmly around its base. Now water well. Plants may be watered (by hand with a watering can or with short, misting sprays from the garden hose) every few days until established (about 4 weeks). Then slowly wean them from watering.

As the plants fill out, they will help prevent weed and grass growth but you may need to still do a little weeding around the plants at first. Weeds can also be controlled by mulching the garden bed. Choices of mulch include wood chips, leaves, straw or a combination. Remember to leave an area around the plant free of mulch so it can grow.

Edging the Flowerbed

Use a shovel to make a neat edge between the lawn and the beds to prevent grass from spreading from the lawn. Hold your spade at a 45 degree angle to the edge of the lawn and push it 15 cm (6”) into the soil. Remove the thin strip of grass. Use healthy pieces of turf to patch bare spots elsewhere in your lawn, and compost the rest. Smooth both sides of the trench with a hoe. Scrape the trench regularly and keep it as dry as possible to prevent weed growth.