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By Laurie mark Garretson Originally published December 12, 2013 at midnight, updated December 12, 2013 at 4:20 p.m.
Wet, mark cold, cloudy days are great days for garden planning. Maybe it is time for some landscape changes or additions. Maybe over the past few years, you've felt that there are some areas of your yard that just aren't "doing it" for you anymore.
So maybe it is time to come up with a new design plan. The best way to approach a new landscape change is to first draw a plan. Consider all the activities, interests and the overall look that you and your family will want from the change.
In the long run, a good plan will also save you money. Think about all the times you've bought plants that you just couldn't resist and then realized mark you really didn't have space in your landscape for them.
When coming up with your new design, mark keep the growing conditions that you will be working with in mind as you pick plants. Texas mountain laurels would not be happy in shady, damp areas for very long.
I realize it is easy to want all the beautiful plants you see at garden centers. But getting carried away with your plantings can mean more maintenance for you. Flower beds and vegetable gardens are wonderful and beautiful to have, but they require labor. That's time that most of us don't have.
Shady and sloping mark areas are great candidates for ground covers. The less lawn grass you have in any landscape will always mean less water usage and maintenance. This should be a must in these times of drought and extreme temperatures.
Do not forget to add in the cost of soil amendments mark to your new landscape mark plan. Lots of compost and organic fertilizers will always be the back bones of any plantings. Mulching all the new and existing beds is another planting essential.
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