Want a Beautiful Garden But Don't Know Where to Start?
Starting a garden can feel overwhelming, but we promise you, you can do this! Whether you're planting flowers, shrubs, or trees, this beginner-friendly guide will teach you the basics of plant care. These short, simple tips are written for new gardeners and packed with the best plant care keywords to help you get growing with confidence!
- Important #ProPlantTips
- Gardening Basics
- Watering Info
- Why Mulch Is Important
- Specific Plant Quick Tips:
- Annuals
- Perennials
- Flowering Shrubs
- Evergreen & Broadleaf Shrubs
- Roses
- Trees
- Fruit Trees & Shrubs
- Lawns
- Bulbs
- Start Small, Grow Big!
What You'll Learn:
If you're new to gardening, you're in the right place!
Below you'll find helpful sections covering how to plant, water, prune, and care for everything from fast-blooming annuals to long-lasting trees. We've broken it down by plant type so you can take it step by step and learn at your own pace.
Every expert gardener once started right where you are. Let this be your first step toward a yard full of flowers, fruit, and pride. We believe in you, and Nature Hills is here to help every step of the way!
Important #ProPlantTips
Here is a comprehensive list of links to Important #ProPlantTips on common new gardener questions and concerns:
- All About Your USDA Growing Zone
- All About Fertilizer - Learn more here
- How to Prune - a comprehensive guide
- All About Full Sun, Part Sun, and Shade
- Proper Site Selection - know where to plant before you plant it
- Your local County Extension Office has tons of area-specific information for you!
- Learn about Frost Dates and why they matter!
- Complete Spring To-Do Checklists
- Complete Fall Clean-Up Checklists
- Weed Control
- Winter Plant Protection
- Summer Heat Plant Protection
- Quick Garden Start Tips & Easy Plants For Beginners
Gardening Basics
Watering Info
Not sure if it's time to water? Stick your finger in the soil:
- If the top 1-2 inches are dry, it's time to water.
- Always water deeply so roots grow down, not just stay near the top.
- Avoid watering in the hot afternoon sun.
- Watch the Finger Test in Action!
Knowing when to water is just as important as how much!
- Morning is best: Watering early helps plants soak up moisture before the heat.
- Avoid late evening: Damp leaves overnight can lead to disease.
- Check the soil: Use the Finger Test to avoid overwatering.
- Water at the base: Keeps leaves dry and helps prevent fungus and disease.
- Deep and less often: Encourages strong drought-resistant root systems over time.
Why Mulch Is Important
Mulch isn't just pretty—it helps your plants thrive:
- Holds moisture in the soil
- Keeps roots cool in summer and warm in winter
- Prevents weeds from growing
- Use bark, wood chips, straw, or pine needles.
- Keep mulch 3-4 inches deep, but away from stems and trunks.
- Why Mulch Matters
Specific Plant Quick Tips:
Annuals: Quick Color, Big Impact
Annuals are plants that bloom for one season, then fade when frost hits. Think Petunias, Marigolds, and Zinnias.
- Planting: Wait until after the last frost—plant in good soil with compost.
- Watering: Water when the top inch of soil feels dry. Use the Finger Test
- Fertilizing: Feed every 2-4 weeks with a bloom booster. Annuals love additional liquid fertilizer, keeping them blooming right up until frost!
- Deadheading: Remove faded flowers to keep them blooming.
- Pinching Back: Trim early to make plants bushier. Pinching back also makes older plants less leggy and fuller.
- Mulch: Spread 3-4 inches of arborist mulch out around your plants.
Perennials: Come Back Every Year
Perennials return year after year. Think Coneflowers, Black-Eyed Susan's, and Daylilies.
- Planting: Spring or fall is best because temps are cooler and rain is more available.
- Watering: Regular water until established, then water when the soil is dry 1-2 inches below the surface or during long drought/dry spells. Again, use the Finger Test.
- Fertilizing: Feed in early spring with a balanced fertilizer (10-10-10 formula).
- Deadheading: Snip off spent blooms to encourage more flowers.
- Pinching Back: In spring, cut back a bit to keep plants tidy. In summer after the first flush of flowers, you can pinch back again to create more bushiness and therefore more flowers later on.
- Dividing: Every few years, dig up and split large clumps to keep plants healthy. Read in-depth Dividing Perennials Here.
- Find the complete Perennial Planting and Care Guide here.
- Mulch: Spread 3-4 inches of arborist mulch out around your plants.
Flowering Shrubs: Structure and Blooms
Flowering shrubs like Lilacs, Hydrangeas, and Spireas add beauty and color to your garden.
- Planting: Spring or fall. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball.
- Watering: Deep water once a week. More in heat or drought.
- Fertilizing: Use a shrub fertilizer in early spring.
- Deadheading: Some flowering shrubs benefit from removing old blooms.
- Pruning:
- Know if your shrub blooms on old wood (last year's growth) or new wood (this year's growth).
- Old wood bloomers (like Lilacs): Prune right after flowering.
- New wood bloomers (like Panicle Hydrangeas): Prune in late winter or early spring.
- Read in-depth Flowering Shrub pruning - old wood vs new wood
- Renewal Pruning: Needed for most shrubs every 3-5 years. Removing entire old stems out at the ground of some shrubs helps revitalize them. New growth takes its place for bigger blooms, more fall color, and more vigorous growth. Read our Renewal Pruning Guide Here.
- Avoid high nitrogen: Too much nitrogen = lots of leaves, few blooms. This also means high nitrogen fertilizers around flowering plants near your lawn.
- Mulch: Spread 3-4 inches of arborist mulch out around your plant's entire root system.
Evergreen & Broadleaf Shrubs: Year-Round Green
Evergreen shrubs, like Juniper and Yews, and broadleaf evergreen shrubs like Boxwood, Holly, and Rhododendrons, keep their leaves all year.
- Planting: Spring or fall. Choose locations with good drainage.
- Watering: Deep water weekly until established.
- Winter Watering: Because evergreens keep leaves all winter, the chances of wind burn and frost burn are high. Water your shrubs very, very well in the autumn before the ground freezes.
- Fertilizing: Use slow-release evergreen fertilizer in spring (acid-loving plant fertilizer).
- Pruning: Lightly prune to shape in early spring after the first flush of new growth (like Yews, or Junipers)or after blooming if it is a flowering broadleaf evergreen.
- Mulching: Helps keep roots cool and prevents water loss.
- Winter Protection:
- Wrap shrubs in burlap
- Tie up shrubs for support in heavy snow load areas to keep them from falling flat
- Spray the foliage with an anti-desiccant like Wilt Stop to prevent burn from the icy air and drying northern winds.
- Learn How to Choose The Right Shrub Here!
Roses: Classic Elegance and Fragrance
Roses are timeless and come in many types, including hybrid teas, shrub roses, and climbing roses.
- Planting: Choose a sunny spot with at least 6 hours of sunlight daily. Good air flow helps prevent disease.
- Watering: Water deeply at the base 1-2 times a week. Avoid wetting the leaves.
- Fertilizing: Use rose food starting in early spring and reapply every 4-6 weeks until late summer.
- Pruning: In late winter or early spring, prune dead, weak, or crossing canes. Cut at a 45-degree angle above an outward-facing bud.
- Mulching: Keep roots cool and moist with 2-3 inches of mulch, but don't pile it against the canes.
- Air Circulation: Don't crowd Roses (or most plants). Give them some shoulder room for air flow. This prevents powdery mildew and other foliage issues.
Trees: The Garden's Shade & Height
Trees provide shade, height, structure, and seasonal beauty.
- Planting: Spring or fall. Dig wide, not deep. Keep the root flare above the soil. Read this in-depth Guide about Proper Planting Depth Here.
- Watering: Deep water using the Finger Test, especially the first 1-2 years.
- Fertilizing: Use tree food in early spring. Don't overdo nitrogen.
- Trunk Protection: Wrap young trees in winter to prevent cracking. Read the Complete Guide For Trunk Protection here.
- Staking: A good stake supports the straight trunk growth of new trees. Staking is important if your location is windy, but remove it after 1-2 years. Check the ties often to ensure they are not cutting into the bark. Read all about Staking Young Trees Here.
- Suckers & Water Sprouts: Remove from base and branches to keep tree healthy.
- Avoid high nitrogen on flowering trees—like Crabapples or Redbuds—to protect bloom set.
- Mulch: Spread 3-4 inches of arborist mulch out around your tree's entire drip line.
- Controling Suckers and Water Sprouts
Fruit Trees & Shrubs: For Tasty Harvests
Want fruit? Start with sun-loving plants like Apples, Blueberries, or Raspberries. Edible landscaping (adding fruiting shrubs and trees to your regular landscaping plants) is all the rage, and these flowering/fruiting plants pull double-duty with your curb appeal! Find More Fruiting Plant Success Tips Here!
- Read How To Plant Fruit Trees here!
- Sunlight: Most fruit plants need 6-8 hours of full sun daily. This encourages more flowers, which therefore create more fruit, bigger fruit, and more flavorful fruit!
- Watering: Regular watering helps fruit grow big and sweet!
- Fertilizing: Use fruiting plant fertilizer in early spring. Read More Here!
- Thinning: Remove extra fruit early to help the rest grow bigger and better.
- Pruning: Late winter is best for shaping and air flow.
- After Fruiting: Clean up fallen fruit and prune lightly if needed.
- Learn About Fruit Tree Pollination & Pollination Partners Here
Lawns: Green and Gorgeous
A healthy lawn takes a little effort but makes a big impact.
- Watering: Water early in the morning, deeply 1-2 times per week.
- Mowing: Mow at least once a week to keep your lawn healthy.
- Fertilizing: Use slow-release lawn food in spring and fall.
- Weed Control: Apply weed & feed products or pull weeds by hand.
- Seeding/Overseeding: Best done in fall or early spring to thicken grass.
Bulbs: Easy Color From Below
Bulbs are underground powerhouses that bring big color in small packages.
- Fall-planted/Spring-flowering bulbs(like Tulips, Daffodils, and Hyacinths) are planted in the fall, before the ground freezes. These need cold weather to bloom.
- Spring-flowering/Summer-flowering bulbs (like Dahlias, Gladiolus, and Lilies) are planted in spring after the last frost.
- Planting Depth: As a rule of thumb, plant bulbs 2-3 times as deep as they are tall.
- Watering: Water after planting, then keep lightly moist during growth. Don't overwater dormant bulbs.
- Fertilizing: Use bulb food or a balanced fertilizer at the time of planting and again in spring when shoots appear.
- After Flowering: Deadhead spent flowers, but keep the leaves. Let the leaves yellow and die back naturally before removing. This makes food for the bulb for next year.
You've Got This, Gardener! Start Small, Grow Big!
Starting a garden might feel like a lot at first, but with a little care, love, and help from Nature Hills Nursery, you can grow anything!
Every green thumb starts somewhere. With each plant you care for, you're building beauty, peace, and joy right in your own yard. Let's grow something great together!
Happy Planting!
