Choose Plants that Will Thrive in Your Garden

Sue Nicol has 26 years of gardening experience in Puget Sound, including 16 years as a horticulturist at Woodland Park Zoo and five years as the Manager of Outreach and Education at the UW Center for Urban Horticulture.  Attend her class (listed above) to get plant ideas suited to your garden.

Many gardeners think the “right plant” is one with great color, or that the “right place” means near the front door. That may be true, but more importantly “right plant, right place” means matching a plant’s needs with the soil and sun or shade your garden has to offer. Spend a few minutes learning about your garden before heading to the nursery, and you may save money on plants and time on maintenance.

Gardening in Puget Sound Country
Twelve thousands years ago, glaciers made our soils. They left us with three general soil types: gravelly compacted glacial till, slow-draining clay and sand. Glaciers also made our topography: a series of north-south ridges separated by low areas filled with bogs, lakes and the Puget Sound trough. While overall temperature and rainfall determine the climate of our region, thousands of “microclimates” make up our neighborhoods. A forest of conifers grew on these soils, along with prairies, wetlands, and other habitats that today we garden in. It is wise to understand your garden’s microclimates, in order to select plants best adapted to grow there.

Things to Know Before Visiting the Nursery

1. Know Your Soil
Dig a hole, fill it with water and see how long it takes to drain. If it takes an hour or less, your soil is well drained.  If it takes longer, avoid plants that need fast drainage. Next, pick up the moist soil in your hand and squeeze. Rub it between your fingers. If it is smooth like flour and holds together like Silly Putty, it’s clay.  If it’s gritty but acts like hard-packed concrete, it’s compacted glacial till. Does it drain fast and feel gritty? If so, it’s sandy soil that likely dries out quickly in the summer. Know your soil before you buy. For example, when lavender is planted in soil that doesn’t drain, it dies from root rot from our winter rains. At the opposite end of soil types, when Rodgersia is planted in dry sandy soil, this moisture-lover turns brown around the edges in the summer

2. Know the sun or shade your soil gets
Your garden may have varying microclimates around the house or trees. The south and west sides of a house are usually the sunniest areas, while the north side may be shady all the time. Watching the garden through the seasons will help determine where the warmest spot is or the bed that is always shaded. Knowing the variations in your garden will help you choose plants that are best suited to them.

3. Know how much time you have for maintenance
Some plants are high maintenance, needing lots of watering or pruning. Others thrive with little care no matter where they are planted. Nursery staff can help you select plants suited to the care you plan to give through the year.

There are many resources for finding plants that match your garden. Nursery professionals can help you the most when you know the kind of soils and microclimates you have. That knowledge will also help you narrow your search when looking up plants online. See the Featured Websites section for plant websites that have been specifically developed for our area’s microclimates.