Do you dream of lush gardens full of colorful flowers, leafy greens and waterfalls, but don’t know the difference between an annual and perennial? Do you often catch yourself daydreaming of reliving your childhood days of playing in the dirt and having your mom scrape it out from underneath your fingernails, but have no idea if your soil is fit for a desert or an oasis? Or do you wish you could create your own lunchtime salad instead of forking over another $10.00 and wasting your lunch hour while waiting in line with the rest of the workforce? If any or all of these sound like you, then grab your gloves and spades and get ready to get back in touch with the great outdoors. We have rounded up some tips and tricks to get you started, so you can turn those thoughts into reality and use your own yard as a canvas for nature’s beautiful artwork.
To start things off, we live in Minnesota—a place where weather exists at both ends of the spectrum. Plants need to be hardy enough to survive the harsh, bone chilling minus 20 degrees and minus 30 degrees winter nights, and able to sweat out the hot and humid dog days of summer. So, to make things easier when you step foot in a jungle-esque nursery or browse online, look for plants with a label of Zone 4 or lower. These are the warriors able to power through our unpredictable and wide-ranging climate. Any plants in a zone higher than four are susceptible to an early exit.
If you found any of this helpful, check out our other tips on plant and soil types, mulching and light requirements.