By Kathleen LaFrancis Eaton, Ph.D., Master Gardener

Primroses, crocus, daffodils, cherry trees, even rhododendrons are blooming! Don’t you want to cruise your favorite nursery and stock up on every beautiful, blooming thing in sight?

Wait, where are you going to put all those beautiful plants? What will they look like in a week or two sitting forlorn, waiting for a home? Not very good. Let’s talk about planning your garden before you shop.

Take that rough sketch you made for tracking the sun rotating towards its summer equinox. If you haven’t started, it’s easy. Start noting where the sun rises and sets on your property every Sunday on your garden plan. No garden plan? Before you go to the nursery is the time to make one. Plants that are properly selected, located and tended can give you pleasure for years.

Grab a pencil, eraser, paper and tape measure, and head outside. Sketch the major layout of your yard including your house shape, out buildings, fence, gate, big rocks and trees (including their spread or drip line and how far their roots poke out of the ground). Anything at all that is a permanent fixture or a permanent planned part of your yard or used as a pathway should be drawn on your sketch.

It’s messy, right? Redraw it leaving plenty of room to write. Measure distances between everything, note measurements in broken double arrows in spaces. You are drawing things that stay put. Now redraw it to scale using graph paper. Are you getting excited? See where you can put a rhody, a bed of dahlias, maybe some veggies and herbs near the kitchen? Wouldn’t roses smell heavenly?

Make several copies of your plan. Reserve one for tracking the sun for a year. Use one to draw and identify the plants in place. Make a few photocopies of the plan with plants.

Now get creative. What do you want? How much can you handle at once?

Here are s few guide lines: a planting bed should be at least eighteen inches wide; masses of rock or masonry (buildings or walls) hold heat; all garden areas should be in arms reach to tend; raised beds are easier on bad backs; everything needs water; and container gardens can be moved. Most importantly, plants don’t take vacation in August.

Decide where to start. Picking plants will depend on where you put them. Success depends on the right plant in the right place. Soil, drainage, sun, water and size are the main factors to consider. Although you can alter the soil to some extent, you can tell the existing soil conditions immediately. For example, if you have rocky glacial till or clay then water won’t be absorbed well. Think drainage. Are you affected by a hill? Keep away from streams and lakes. Some plants, rhododendrons and blueberries like “wet feet.” Others, like raspberries and lavender, suffer or die without drainage.
Nurseries mark plant preferences. If there isn’t a tag, ask. Sun requirements are full sun (6-8 hours), partial sun (4-6 hours), partial shade (dappled sun) and full shade, though authorities vary.

Generally, nursery tags are accurate. The one exception is tree height and shrub height. Be aware that their horizon for tree height is only ten years. Your trees may far exceed tagged specifications.

Choose plants that perform well in the Pacific Northwest. Go to greatplantpicks.org for ideas. Choose for hardiness, short-term ripening (90-100 days), and disease and pest resistance. Interesting gardens include multicolored foliage, flowers and fruits, even in containers.

At the nursery, pencil-in the mature size of plants to make sure you don’t crowd them. Select compatible plants, putting taller in the back or center of beds. Take your time and have fun. Master Gardeners will be on hand to assist in your plant selection at the Annual MG Plant Sale on Saturday, May 2 from 9 am – 2 pm at McCollum Park.