Getting Started

Creating a first garden or first tackling a long-neglected one — they’re daunting tasks, not prone to the instant makeovers we’re accustomed to seeing on TV. Where to start?

That’s what my coaching clients usually ask, so I’m adding to this page as fast as I can.

Photo: Border at River Farm, home of the American Horticultural Society.

Hiring Professionals

• Finding a “Coach” Near You covers ways to get a LOT of good gardening help without paying much.
• Me and My Landscape Architect is my happy report about getting some cheap help from an expensive professional.

Help on this Site

• How to Learn to Garden — because it’s not just about starting your garden; it’s getting you started as a gardener.
• Design/Install Lessons Learned is about the steps rearranging a garden, with photos.
• Gardeners are notorious for giving away plants — find out how you can get some of them!

More Getting Started Info on Line

• Minnesota’s Renegade Gardener is one of my favorite gardening writers, and his Landscaping 101 is a must-read.
• Michele Owen wrote some Rules for Beginners and 38 commenters chimed in — great stuff! It’s called “Initiation Rites”.
• I recommend this 10-part series “Getting Started in the Garden” from Slate Magazine.