3 Steps To Figure Out Your Site's Conditions

Test the pH: if you can imagine a forest floor with deep shade, constant moisture and thick mulch floor has acidic, damp soil - perfect for blueberries, rhododendrons and azaleas - and think of Mediterranean-like hot spots with fast-draining, sandy loam has alkaline dirt - good for everything from peach trees to lavender and then have a good look at your own garden and think accordingly

Find Our Your Soil Type: grab yourself a mason jar and trowel a few shovelfuls of the dirt you wish to plant into the jar. Add water to top of jar and shake vigorously. Wait for a few hours to the following day for the water to settle, and take a look at how the soil separates at the bottom of the jar. Soil can be divided into three basic classifications: sand, loam, and clay. 

soil triangle

• Sandy Soils: are a 'light' soil type, containing large sized soil particles that are easy to work with, contain high percentage of air, allows water to dry quickly, usually low in nutrients and are often more acidic that the more fertile loams and clays. Tip: Because sandy soils are easy to work with when it comes to ploughing and planting, and because sandy soils warm up quickly, if the site is not too weedy to start with you can sow wildflowers and native grasses in the spring as well as the fall. Please note that spring seedings will require watering which is not practical on large meadow sites. Also, as sandy soils dry out quickly, we recommend mulching with a light covering of weed-free straw which will help retain soil moisture.

• Clay Soils: are 'heavy' soil type at the opposite end of the of the particle size spectrum than sand, with very small, tightly-packed soil particles. hard to work with because the particles form strong bonds with each other and when dry, can act like concrete, however very nutrient-rich, with a high water-holding capacity and can be very productive. 

Tip: When working with clay soil don't try tilling it in the spring when it is wet as this will compact the soil and you may get your equipment or yourself stuck in it. Instead, wait until late spring when the soil has dried out a bit before starting to prepare the land for seeding. Clay soils are best seeded in the late fall so this gives you the whole season to get the site ready.After planting in clay soil, we recommend mulching with a light covering of weed-free straw which will help retain soil moisture. Details on mulching are on the Seeding your Meadow page.

• Loam Soils: are "intermediate" between sands and clays and are the best of both worlds. They are usually fertile, hold water well but also provide good drainage, and are easy to work with making an excellent medium for growing most plants. Many wildflowers do best in a loam soil.

• Tip: Sites with loam soils that have not been used for crops often will be quite weedy. It is very important to properly prepare the site starting in the spring. While it is not as important to mulch loam soils after planting as it is to mulch clay or sandy soils, we still recommend mulching with a light covering of weed-free straw which will help retain soil moisture.

Be and Bees: Take time to just 'be' in your garden. Watch the sun rise and set, where water pools and where it doesn't reach. Get to know the wind on your face to know the direction it will affect your landscape. And most importantly, take care of your bees!

Of course you can plant any plant in any spot, but instead of forcing these plants to grow in areas that they are not well-adapted for, either choose a different plant for the spot, or a different spot for the plant. 

If you want to move away from frequent watering and dependence upon chemical fertilizers, then we cannot recommend enough a focus on plant-inspired design.