Right plant, right place
Brennan Jackson Jones County Extension Coordinator & 4-H Agent
For my personal yard I have one rule when it comes to landscaping: plants do not come home without a pre-determined idea of where it will go. That rule has always served me well, and I have suffered the consequences when I have not followed it. One of the beautiful things about plants is that people’s memories get intertwined with a tree, flower, or shrub that has been in their yard for 20-50 years.
However, the reason that plant persists in a given environment is that it was the right plant in the right location. On the other end of the spectrum, a big reason why plants tend to struggle is that they were the wrong plant for that specific area you planted it. There are some tips and tricks though that you can use to make sure whatever plant you select has the best chances of being as healthy and fruitful as possible.
The first tip is to check which hardiness zone the plant is rated for. Our area is in hardiness zone 8a which means that any plant that can handle minimum temperatures of 10-15 degrees should thrive here.
There are always exceptions, but this is a general rule of thumb. This is why tropical plants cannot stay outside during certain temperature ranges. The second tip involves spacing. Most plants will provide you a tag that gives an estimate of how wide and tall the plant will get, but in optimal conditions it could certainly get bigger than what it is labeled for. Therefore, always leave yourself room for the plant to grow and be healthy. The healthier the plant the less issues you will encounter down the road from disease, plant competition, etc. For example, trees typically grow very tall and their canopy spreads very wide; therefore, it’s probably not the best idea to plant a tree right by your house, under power lines, right beside each other that limits air flow, or in an area where erosion is a problem. In any of these situation trees will end up being pruned or removed due to the poor location.
Thirdly, the plant tag should tell you what the light requirements are: full sun, partial sun, or shade. That’s a good indicator as to where it should be planted. Fourthly, different plants have different water and nutrient requirements. It is a good idea to know what those requirements are to make sure you are giving it the food it needs. Also, most plants are healthier when they are watered deeply and infrequently as opposed to a little bit every day. Lastly, make sure that you’re not planting in an area that is prone to drainage issues.
This can lead to root rot and other diseases.
These tips are certainly not exhaustive, but correct temperature, spacing, lighting, nutrition, and water requirements are a good start. By implementing each of these tips you can stall or prevent physiological, disease and hopefully plant death. If you have any questions regarding horticultural or agricultural issues feel free to contact the Extension office by calling 478-986-3958 or email brennan4@uga.edu.
