7 things you should consider before buying plants at the nursery

I’ve decided to start with this topic as my inaugural blog post, as it’s easily the most common situation I face when a new client contacts me to design their outdoor space.

Clients are usually at their wits end, and have given up on their garden. They tell me that it seems that no matter what plants they buy at the nursery, nothing seems to survive for more than 6-9 months, never mind thrive.

Most people though, are making the same mistake. They pick out the plants they like before considering the site conditions of their garden. Why is this a problem? If one is not considering how good ones soil is ( has it turned to dust or is it filled with remnants of construction debris?), and if one hasn’t analysed which areas receive full sun, which are only in the sun during part of the day, or how much space one actually has allocated for a particular sized plant, it is likely that one is choosing plants that may not be suitable and may not thrive.

Here in Dubai, it’s easy to blame ‘the gardener’ or the hot and humid climate. More often than not, it’s more likely that plants aren’t thriving because one hasn’t considered a few key factors.

Follow these steps…

in order to help you select the perfect plants for your outdoor space

• Check your soil

Here in Dubai, the soil is sandy. However, there is a big difference between sand that is laden with salt, and sand that has been washed ( called ‘sweet sand’). If your soil hasn’t been renewed or augmented in the last 5-7 years, you can almost be certain that it is nutrient deficient. If you’re aiming to replace only a few select plants, you may get away with digging a hole twice the width and depth of the plant you’re planting, and filling this with a fresh mix of sweet soil, potting soil and fertiliser. If however you are redoing the majority of the garden, it is best to get a contractor to dig out the old sand and replace this with fresh sweet soil. Only then can you be sure that you are giving your new plants the best start.

• Consider the sun and shade in your garden

Take a few days to observe and note where the morning sun falls, which parts are in the sun all day, and where you get afternoon sun. Many plants will not tolerate full summer sun for the entire day. If you have areas that are in full sun all day long, it’s important to plant desert-adapted plants in this space (rather than any tropical species), if you want your plants to thrive. Another thing to consider, if you like flowering plants such as Bourgainvillea for example, is that to flower predictably they will usually require 5-6 hours of sun, so it’s important not to plant flowering species in a shady part of the garden, or where they will only receive 1-2 hours of sun. Plants that are sun loving that are planted in the shade will tend to thin out and become ‘leggy’ as they search and try to reach areas of sun.

• Think about how much space you have

Are your borders wide enough? A common mistake I see is the very narrow border strip up against the wall. Shrubs and trees need space to thrive. If they’ve been wedged into a 30cm border with no room for their roots to grow and no space for their canopy to grow, then one cannot expect them to thrive. Another reason for wider borders is it gives you the chance to develop some depth to your planting by allowing you to ‘layer’ your plants. It may well be that it’s time you considered widening the borders to suit the type of plant you’re planning to get before you head off to the nursery. This can sometimes feel like a daunting task. How wide is wide enough? Where is the best place to plant a tree? How big will this plant be in 3 or 5 years time? Maybe it’s time to called in some professional help. A qualified garden designer is trained to help see the potential in your garden, to advise what’s possible and what is not realistic, and to help you make the most of your space.

• Be realistic about the quality and quantity of ongoing garden maintenance you are willing to invest in

Are you planning to pay a professional reputed garden maintenance company to take care of your garden’s needs and keep it looking great throughout the year? Or are you happy having no professional maintenance and are simply planning to use adhoc unskilled labour to water your garden and sweep the driveway? And if you’re planning to maintain the garden yourself, be realistic about your abilities and the amount of time you’re willing to spend. The average small to medium sized residential garden will need around 2-3 hours of professional maintenance a week, on average. Some weeks/ months it will be less, some more, but it must be regular and consistent if you want your garden to look great.. Maintenance will involve cutting back shrubs, augmenting the soil, checking for pests and diseases, checking on tree ties, fixing trellises, weeding, adjusting the automatic irrigation etc

• research your plants beforehand

Look around your community to see what’s thriving and what’s not thriving. Take pictures of plants you like that are doing well. Make a note of whether they are planted in full sun or receive sun only part of the day, or are they planted in the shade? Make a list of your favourites. Research and make a note of how big or tall these plants will be once mature in order to understand how much space they will take up once they are fully grown.

Another good reason to research your plants well beforehand is if you want a dynamic display, plants should be of varied heights, degrees of fullness, and color. Think about how the plants will look and interact next to each other. in order to give you a better idea of how they’ll look together in your garden.

A further consideration is the plant’s water requirements. The species available in the UAE are from all corners of the globe, and do not all like the same amount of water. For example, the desert rose, which is a sun loving, desert- adapted, succulent plant will not do well planted only in partial sun and next to tropical plant that requires lots of water. What is likely to happen in this particular scenario, is that the desert rose’s leaves will yellow and drop off as it is literally drowning. In the worst case scenario, it may also develop root rot and die.

• Keep it simple

As with most things, this principle certainly holds true for all manner of design, including planting design. Keep it simple. Less is more. It is far better to choose fewer species and buy them in greater numbers, than to buy only one or two of each. Be bold, and buy 20 or 30 of each species. This will give you rhythm and repetition within the design. Buying only one or two of a specific plant species will likely lead to an incoherent design, and you risk the garden looking like a stamp collection.

• Avoid impulse buying

It can be easy to fall in love with the vibrant blooming plant prominently displayed at the nursery and then buy it without knowing where it will go in the garden or even if it will do well in your climate. This can result in a plant that has a decreased chance of survival. Sadly, it isn’t uncommon for nurseries to sell plants that are ill-suited to the particular climate they are located in. Your best bet is to walk on by that pretty plant, unless you have done your research.

• Buy Local desert adapted Plants Whenever possible

Plants have a much higher chance of survival if they’re planted close to where they were grown, where the climate is similar. Plants that have been brought in from a different climate may not have had the chance to acclimate to new weather conditions. For example, plants grown in Belgium may do well here in our cooler months, but of course are ill-adapted to survive our summer heat. Whenever possible, ask your nursery professional for plants that come from local growers. For more info, here are two links to fairly recent articles in InsideOut magazine about plants that will survive the UAE summer Read more about this here.

• A Few more handy tips for when you’re at the nursery:

When you’re at the nursery, look up. Are you standing in full sun or under a shade canopy? If you’re standing in full sun, then it is likely that the plants displayed in this area are sun loving and thrive in full sun. If however you are standing under a shade canopy, it is likely that the plants displayed in this area prefer only partial sun, and would generally struggle in full sun, especially during the summer.

Look at leaf colour and size. Generally speaking, the lighter the leaf colour the better adapted the plant is to full sun. Why? This is an adaptation and has to do with the complex arrangement of the chlorophyll in the leaf structure. Also, the smaller the leaf the better adapted it is to a hot climate and is likely to thrive in full sun. A good example is Texas sage (Leucophyllum frutescens). With it’s tiny glaucous coloured leaves it is perfectly adapted to our climate.

Whereas, for example, the popular Traveller’s Palm is a tropical species from an entirely different climate zone. It is ill- adapted to our climate. With it’s large, thin leaves, it looses a lot of water through transpiration. The thin leaves easily shred when the hot winds blow through an exposed garden. The only way this tropical plant could survive our climate long- term is if it is planted in a shady, sheltered courtyard or as under canopy in an already mature and established garden, protected from the sun under tall palms and nestled in amongst other plants that will protect it from the wind.