Reply to I'd like to get into gardening. Teach me how!

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Look for native plants.
[b]Plant fewer plants farther apart than you think they should.[/b]
Mulch.[/quote]

Why? [b]Plants like company, and you'll also have less weeds if you plant densely. [/b]You don't want to end up with isolated plants in a sea of mulch.

There was an interesting article recently in the NYT about this:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/30/style/understanding-what-makes-plants-happy.html[/quote]

Thanks for posting this.  I am always confused by the conflicting advice--give plants room or pack them together to prevent weeds.  I wish they had published a list of sociability numbers for various plants--they do give some tips, however.  I just planted a garden in back and it does look like a sea of mulch![/quote]

The advice in the NYT piece is better for gardeners with experience and misleading to novice gardeners. You have to strike a balance between plants in isolation and plants at their full height. The photos in the NYT article show plants at different stages of maturity. Those gorgeous full gardens most definitely did NOT look like that when they were first planted--in fact, they probably looked a bit like small plants in a larger sea of mulch. The article doesn't talk about a lot of factors--including how large the plants will be at full size and how it can take to get there. So many novice gardeners make the mistake of planting large shrubs like azaleas or laurels right next to the house, for example. The picture above of the paw paw tree is a perfect example of a plant being too close to the house without regard for its full size.[/quote]

PP here who posted the NYT article and I agree. Of course you need to consider mature size, especially with shrubs and trees. With perennials, you can more easily move things around if plants get too crowded after a few years (you might want to divide them anyway). I'm thinking of buying the book referenced in the article to get more insight into the topic.[/quote]

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