If you’ve read my “Blue Thumb Gardener” feature in the past, you know that I’ve often admitted that I’d rather be more smart than good when it comes to gardening. I have no problem going to my local professional “mom and pop” garden center to take advantage of their knowledge and experience. And I’m definitely not afraid to ask for advice.

This is the tale of one of those episodes, where I spent an hour with one such nice person who was willing to spend the time to help educate me on how to improve my backyard by starting a home garden. Try doing what I do and ask the simple question: where do I start?

Asking the question is easy; it’s the actual starting that’s the hard part. So, just get in your car and go ask the question! The lady who helped me with my quest gave me some simple but efficient advice. The most important thing she told me was to examine the space I wanted to convert to a garden very carefully. She said to start by taking notes and look at the space during various times of the day. Look at the space at different angles to learn what areas are shaded and what areas are not. Check for areas that might remain damp and look for areas that could potentially block your existing view.

The next step is to develop an action plan. Try to determine what plants and trees are worth saving (if any). Next, go back to your friend at the local home and garden store, like I did. Of course, I returned with my notes so she could help me with my next phase –choosing which plants would be best suited for my new garden. She warned me not to just pick what looks good without first doing the proper research on my own. I think this was her way of letting me know she wasn’t going to take responsibility for my mistakes.

She did tell me to keep it simple and maybe do something unique like creating a courtyard or implementing both plant and stone into my garden. She also asked me to be adventurous and think about bringing elements of my indoor space outside. She explained that connecting the flow from the inside to the outside makes sense. She said that the goal was to make your outside be an extension of your interior. Once again, she suggested I go online or get a book or magazine to give me some ideas. She said that I would know what she was talking about when I saw it…and I did!

What I found is that, in the long run, a good balance of hardscape and landscape seems to be the best approach. It will reduce the amount of maintenance involved and will give you time to build your garden around your stone or block. Also, consider containers instead of planting directly into the ground. This will give you some options if you’d like to experiment on where you’d like to place them. You’ll also want to consider what seating you’ll want, if any.

Building your garden is only half the work; the continual upkeep and maintenance is the other half. Be careful to make sure you’ll be able to handle the continual upkeep of the project you choose.

Finally, the last piece of advice she gave me was to be patient and give the plants time to grow into your landscape. No matter how well you plan, some plants will die and not prosper. That’s just how it is. She suggested potentially using less expensive plants than the more developed, expensive ones. If you want instant results and money is no object, choose a qualified professional that you find advertising in our publication.

Good luck, have fun and remember – don’t build a garden that’s more than you can manage.