Landscaping Ideas For Brown Thumb Gardeners

What color is your thumb? Seriously. Mine has always been a little on the brown side. That has changed in recent years as I’ve had children and animals and learned to grow a few roots of my own. However, in my wilder days long gone by I would buy the cutest plant or flowering pot then bring it home and watch as it withered away. Some I would water too much while others managed to carry on despite my rare watering. Whatever I seemed to do for my plants seemed to be the wrong then.

Once I had children (and by this I mean plural children) I realized that just as with children, raising a proper plant required not holding to a one size fits all philosophy and doing a little bit of research of my own. Not all plants are created equal just as all potential plant owners are not graced with green thumbs. Many of us do in fact have brown thumbs despite the greatest of intentions and some of us have completely and thoroughly black thumbs.

If you fall into these categories there is hope believe it or not. The trick is in finding plants that will work with your gardening style rather than changing your natural gardening tendencies in order to accommodate plants for which you have no real connection. Take the time to learn about the plant variety you are considering before you take the plunge it could very well save the life of a plant that you are really not equipped to handle.

For the purpose of landscaping it is very important that you keep a few things in mind when trying to work around your brown thumb and the tendencies that your thumb has to wreak havoc on plant life. The first of those things is the condition of your soil. It doesn’t matter how much money you spend on plants if your soil cannot sustain them they will die. Test your soil before you begin planting or transferring any plants if at all possible. This could save you countless dollars as well as hours of labor, grief, or the belief that you are truly hopeless when it comes to growing a proper garden.

If your soil is not feasible for sustaining life at the moment, invest a little time and money into the process of getting your yard in order before you introduce new life to the mix. Compost should be the first thing you try. Fertilizers should be used as a last resort for two reasons. First of all, fertilizers could very well be an unnecessary expense (and they can be quite costly). Second, fertilizers are more effective (when necessary) if you have the organic and natural nutrients in place already.

The best possible landscaping ideas for brown thumb gardeners are those that require minimal supervision and care. Believe it or not nature tends to care for its own in many ways. Choose plants and flowers that grow naturally in the area in which you live and take care that you cover them up when the temperatures get too cold, add a little extra water during excessively dry times, and you should be amazed at how quickly opinions of your brown thumb will reform to oh’s, ah’s, and renewed respect.