Bed PreParation: insurance for success 29
Bed Preparation:
Insurance for Success
W
hile factors such as garden size, design, light exposure, and
plant hardiness are undeniably important in preparing your
garden for perennials, time spent properly preparing the
planting bed is equally vital to the continuing health of your
plants and is the key to reducing future maintenance. A
perennial growing in healthy, nutritious soil will require
less fertilizer and will be less stressed, thereby improving its
ability to fend off attacks from disease and pests. Of course,
some perennials can be temperamental and require
coddling. Even if we do everything right and follow all the rules, we still lose them.
As much as 80 percent of all plant problems are related to poor soil. It is a
waste of time, money, and valuable natural resources to try to “Band-Aid” an
ailing plant by using a variety of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Usually the
problem could have been avoided initially by incorporating the proper amounts
of organic matter and other soil amendments to provide additional nutrients and
to alter the properties of the soil, which increases the availability of air and water
to the plant. An amendment can be any material—such as compost, lime, or
synthetic conditioners—that is worked into the soil to improve its conditioning
properties. (Compost is defined here as an organic material rich in humus that is
formed by decomposed plant material and other organic matter.)
Perennials can double or even triple in size in the first season if the beds in
which they are growing are correctly prepared with sufficient organic matter.
Unfortunately this critical step in the garden and landscape building process is
often overlooked and given a lower priority than other tasks. Creating good soil
is hard work, to be sure, and it will not win any popularity contests when
compared to the joy of selecting which plants to use, or colors to combine, or all
the other glamorous aspects of creating a garden. If you are an industry profes-
sional, you may need to take the time to educate your clients on the importance
of investing in proper soil preparation. The most critical time to have good soil is
while the plants are establishing themselves.Healthy high-organic soils
produce lush, healthy gardens.
Dianthus gratianopolitanus
‘Bath’s Pink’, Allium schubertii,
and Digitalis purpurea are on
display.