You just brought home a fresh addition to your garden from the nursery, but when you try to find a spot to plant it, you hesitate. There are several free spaces in your landscape where it could look nice, but will each of those provide optimal growing conditions? Furthermore, how will the new plant complement the existing greenery in your backyard from any one location? Knowing where to put plants in your landscape can be tricky, so we’re here to help with the following tips.
Read Your Sunlight First
First, evaluate how much sunlight the plant needs and which place in your yard can fit that need. Most plant tags list sun requirements as full sun (6+ hours of direct light), partial sun (3–6 hours), or full shade (under 3 hours). Put a sun-loving plant in a shady corner, and it’ll struggle. Likewise, put a shade-lover in direct afternoon sun, and it’ll scorch.
Understand Your Soil
Soil type controls how water drains, how roots spread, and what nutrients are available. Sandy soil drains fast. Clay soil holds moisture but can suffocate roots if it stays waterlogged. Loamy soil (the mix of sand, silt, and clay) is a happy medium that supports the widest range of—but not all—plants.
Planting without checking your soil is one of the fastest ways to lose plants. You can grab an affordable soil test kit at any garden center, and it’ll tell you your soil’s pH and texture. Some plants, like blueberries and azaleas, need acidic soil. Others, like lavender, prefer fast-draining, alkaline conditions.
Respect Mature Plant Size
The little 6-inch shrub you’re holding will not stay 6 inches. You must check the mature height and spread on the plant tag and find a spot that can allow for its growth. For example, a shrub that reaches 8 feet wide needs to go at least 4 feet from any structure or neighboring plant.
Crowded plants compete for nutrients, sunlight, and water, and they invite disease from poor air circulation. Spacing plants based on their mature size, not their current size, protects your landscape.
Group Plants With Similar Water Needs
A succulent planted next to a hydrangea means one of them is always suffering, either drowning or drying out. Grouping plants by water needs, a practice called hydrozoning, makes irrigation easier on you and keeps your plants happier. Whenever possible, put drought-tolerant plants together in one zone and water-loving plants in another.
Put It All Together Before You Plant
Knowing where to put plants in your landscape is one essential aspect of planning a custom outdoor space well. If you think through all the factors we listed above before planting, then your softscaping should thrive and look its absolute best.
