| Beautiful flower gardens with less work can be a | | | | the right niche (see the next strategy) for your |
| dream come true when you follow the six steps | | | | plant! |
| below to get you started. As you begin to plan | | | | - Know your niches. It's a helpful business plan as |
| your garden, it's beneficial to begin with the end in | | | | well as a helpful garden plan. The dictionary |
| mind. After all, it's true what they say "If you | | | | defines a niche as: "A comfortable or suitable |
| don't know where you're going, how will you | | | | position in life or employment." Your garden is |
| know when you're there?" A cliche for sure, but | | | | made up of several different niches-ecological |
| knowing where you want to go and how to get | | | | pockets that vary in terms of light, moisture, |
| there is critical...in business and in gardening. | | | | wind and soil. Matching your plants to these niches |
| Review these six steps each time you plan a | | | | is the best way to assure gardening success. |
| project, design a garden, or pursue any new | | | | - Set nature free. You like having the freedom to |
| vision that may have planted its seed in your | | | | pursue your God given talents and passions, right? |
| brain. Each strategy will help you have more | | | | Well, so do your plants! They all have their own |
| garden with less work. | | | | personality and passions. Some love to run |
| Six steps for managing your space, energy, and | | | | rampant all over your yard (sort of reminds me |
| time. | | | | of our 25 year old when he was young) but then |
| - Reduce repetitive tasks like mowing, edging, | | | | others are very content wherever they happen |
| planting, pruning, raking leaves, picking up sticks, | | | | to be (our 22 year old.) You love them both |
| weeding, mulching, fertilizing, and pest control. | | | | equally but each has their own set of needs. So, |
| Figure out how much time you are spending, or | | | | likewise, be sure and put shade loving plants like |
| are willing to spend, on these tasks and plan | | | | hostas in low light areas and don't even purchase |
| accordingly. Buy ergonomic gardening tools to | | | | high maintenance plants like roses if you're not |
| reduce joint strain. | | | | willing to take care of these babies. |
| - Choose what you will do. From the above list, | | | | - Grow what you love. Don't like radishes? Don't |
| see which things you actually like to do. Maybe | | | | grow them! I actually did this last summer. Grew |
| you love mowing your lawn or edging. Great! Go | | | | radishes...I hate them. I did it just because they |
| for it! But, on the other hand, don't feel guilty if | | | | are easy to grow. Big mistake! It doesn't matter |
| you decide to take down that huge oak tree | | | | what it is, just find your own passion in gardening |
| because you're tired of picking up the nuts or | | | | and "grow" for it! Whether it be bonsai, a fern or |
| racking the leaves every fall. | | | | hosta collection, or even perhaps a native plant |
| - Repeat what works. In business, if something | | | | collection... just grow what you love. |
| works, keep doing it. Same in gardening. Have you | | | | With these six steps you can have the beautiful |
| been to a public garden or seen a neighbors' yard | | | | flower garden of your dreams and be the envy |
| with a landscaping idea that seems to work? | | | | of the neighborhood. If you are new to gardening, |
| Maybe it's a great color scheme they used with | | | | be sure and start small and build on your |
| their annuals like red and white begonias, or pink | | | | successes. If you are a seasoned gardener, |
| petunias with gray dusty miller. Take notes on the | | | | branch out and try something new! |
| botanical name, helpful to your landscape designer, | | | | Copyright: You may freely republish this article, |
| as well as the common name, if possible, and use | | | | provided the text, author credit, the active links |
| them in your garden. Be sure you have picked | | | | and this copyright notice remain intact. |