Testing the Soil
A soil test tells you what the soil needs for your plants to grow well. You may need to change the soil's pH or add fertilizer or organic matter. Soil test kits, sold at nurseries and garden centers usually measure only pH. For a more complete diagnosis, have a professional lab test your soil--it's inexpensive and worth it. Look in the Yellow Pages under "Soil testing," or check with your County Cooperative Extension office. The lab will tell you how to take samples for testing. Tools hand trowel or soil core sampler

Improving the Soil
Your plants and lawn will grow better if your soil is in top shape. Add organic matter to make your soil more workable and to help it hold water and nutrients. Lay it 2 inches deep around trees, shrubs and woody ground covers. For lawns and beds, use 3 to 6 inches. If your soil has tested too acid or alkaline, adjust its pH by adding limestone, sulfur or an equivalent. A soil pH of 6.5 is the goal. Soil tends to return to its original pH. You'll save work down the road by confining your pH changes to small areas. Better yet, choose plants that tolerate the existing pH in your yard.

Safety
Soil sulfur can be caustic. Wear rubber gloves when applying it, and follow the directions on the label.

Step by Step:
1. If the soil is sticky wet, wait until it dries. If it's bone dry, soak it and wait a few days. It's just right when a handful feels crumbly and somewhat moist. 2. Rake the soil clear of weeds and debris. 3. Using a wheelbarrow, shovel and rake, spread organic matter evenly over the soil. 4. If you need to add limestone or sulfur, scatter it evenly. 5. Also scatter a 10-10-10 fertilizer at the rate of 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. 6. With a spade or spading fork, mix all amendments into the top 8 inches or so of soil. For large areas, use a rotary tiller and make a second pass at right angles to the first. 7. Rake the soil until it is smooth, removing any rocks and breaking up any clods.

Buying Plants
Several weeks before planting, make a shopping list and take it to your nursery. You'll see plants there in any of several forms, including: bare root, balled and burlapped or containerized. Your choice depends on the kind of plant, its size and the time of year. Better nurseries can special-order any plants that aren't in stock. Try to pick up your plants or have them delivered just before planting time, so they will be in top condition.
Money-Saving Tip Buy plants in smaller sizes, such as 1-gallon rather than 5-gallon. They will catch up in size in a year or two. If you're working with a landscape architect or designer, see if you can accompany them to a wholesale nursery. You could save as much as 50 percent.
Laying Out Planting Areas When you're finished designing your landscape on paper, mark the areas where trees, shrubs and other plants will go. First, choose reference points such as fence corners or a gate. Measure from these points to the proposed edges of beds, setting stakes every few feet along the boundary lines. Connect the stakes by laying a garden hose along them, or with string or a line of powdered gypsum sprinkled on the ground. You can also use landscape paint. If you want plants in straight rows, stake out each row with string and measure off the spacing. When you're done, look over your yard from all angles.

Planting Trees and Shrubs Spring or fall is the best time to set new container plants into the ground. Starting from a fence corner or other reference point, measure off the planting distances indicated in your plan. Set each container in position, then adjust placement if it looks ungainly. Use tall stakes to represent plants you'll be adding later. Your new plantings may look sparse, but you should resist the urge to move plants closer together. Have patience. They will eventually fill in. Even drought-tolerant plants need water while they are becoming established and their roots are growing into the surrounding soil. Water them through the first season's dry spell.

Step by Step: Planting Trees and Shrubs 1. Dig a hole for each plant. Make it twice as wide as the rootball. (If planting trees or shrubs, dig the hole extra wide to help the plant's roots grow.) To prevent settling later, leave a platform in the middle of the hole that is only as deep as the rootball. Then dig 2 to 3 inches deeper all around the platform to make space for the roots. 2. Tap sharply on the sides and bottom of the container to loosen the rootball. Turn smaller containers upside down and slide the plant out, supporting the top of the rootball with your hand. For a larger container, lay it on its side and slide the plant out. You may need a helper. 3. Gently loosen the roots with your fingers. Cut off roots that are too tightly coiled. 4. Set the plant on the mound and spread out its roots. (For balled and burlapped plants, untie the burlap and spread it out in the hole to decompose. Also spread out the roots.) 5. Backfill the hole with soil, firming around the roots with your hands. Soil around the root crown should be 1 inch above surrounding soil.

Planting a Lawn When putting in a lawn, you've got several ways to go: seeds, sod, plugs, or sprigs. Seeding is the least expensive method but it takes work and time. A sod lawn, while expensive, looks great immediately and is ready to walk on in about 2 weeks. Sprigs and plugs are both less expensive than sod, but you use them mainly to plant warm-season grasses. They send out horizontal runners that fill the lawn in 9-12 weeks. Before planting any type of lawn, prepare the soil.

Step by Step: Planting a Lawn 1. Install edgings, if desired. 2. Install an in-ground sprinkler system if desired. 3. Work amendment such as compost and fertilizer into the top 8 inches of soil, or make several passes with a rotary tiller. Take care not to disturb any pipes or utilities below. 4. With a rake, level the low and high spots and remove any rocks or debris. If you'll be laying sod, allow for its depth by raking the soil an inch lower than adjoining sidewalks, driveways, or edgings. 5. Use a half-filled roller to firm the soil, then water to further settle it. The finished grade should be ½ inch lower than adjacent edgings or pavement--1 inch lower if you're planting sod.


Planting a Lawn Laying Sod Sod is a carpet of grass you unroll to create an instant lawn. You can lay sod in any month when the ground isn't frozen. To purchase it, look under "Sod" in your Yellow Pages. Order enough sod to cover your lawn, plus about 10 percent extra to allow for fitting. Sod deteriorates quickly if it sits around, so arrange to pick it up or have it delivered on the day you intend to lay it. Also plan to have help--sod rolls are heavy.

Step by Step: Laying Sod 1. Prepare the soil. If it is sticky wet, let it dry out. 2. Lay the first strip along a straight edge, such as a sidewalk. If your lawn shape is irregular, mark a line down the middle and lay sod along it. 3. Unroll the next strip tightly against the first, staggering the ends of each strip as if you were laying bricks. Place the edges tightly together, but don't overlap them. 4. Use a turf edger or a heavy knife to cut sod to fit around curved edges or trees. 5. After laying all the sod, roll it with a half-filled roller to firmly connect its roots with the soil. 6. Water until moisture has penetrated the top 6 to 8 inches of soil. (Dig a narrow hole to test.) Water heavily for one to two weeks, then keep the soil lightly damp for a few weeks more. 7. Keep heavy traffic off of the lawn for the first five to six weeks, while the roots become established.