When choosing trees and shrubs that you can place in your yard, make sure that you are getting trees that are already familiar to the climate in your area. Consider where you will also plant them since you cannot place a tree that needs heavy sun in a shaded area, or else it will not grow well. The same concept goes with shrubs.
The type soil in your garden is also an important factor in making your selections. Rich loams are ideal for most of the plants. There are soils that are sandy, containing small pebbles and clays. Soils can have acids and alkaline and can either dominate the soil to be acidic or neutral. You can test for the soil’s acidity by digging up some of it and using a soil testing kit, which you can obtain, from a nursery.
Most of the time, nurseries can tell the kind of soil you have in your area, but of course, these can be different, given the characteristics of excessive moisture. Soil conditions also change due to events that may affect the soil. During home construction, heavy bulldozers erode the topsoil and this can never be replaced. In some cases, they do put it back, but it becomes mixed already with the subsoil. This means the soil would need a lot of time to regain its former condition.
As you determine the kind of soil in your garden, you can alter and condition it to accommodate your chosen trees and shrubs. Get a load of information from books and magazines to help you grow your plants properly. You can get tips here in looking out for invasive roots that can mess up your house’s underground piping and foundation.
Be aware of the kinds of seeds your shrubs or trees drop since there are kinds that can be poisonous. These seeds are very appealing to young children so you if you have kids running around the garden, might as well be cautious of the plants you are getting. One dangerous plant that hides in the grass when dry is the bauhinia. This can have sharp slivers that can hurt a barefoot child.
To be safe, you can list down shrubs and trees you have in mind and consider their good and bad points in growing them. Going to a nursery without your prepared list can send you buying on an impulse without knowing what they are, leaving you on the wrong foot getting inappropriate plants.
One thing to remember in choosing trees and shrubs is these plants’ abilities to lure birds, especially hummingbirds, to your lawn. If your garden’s foliage is suitable enough to give birds shelter and food, expect them to flock into your garden. Just try and keep the flower-and-fruit eating birds away from your garden.