Courtney Burkholder

Okay, moms. If you’re reading this article, then chances are you’ve decided to practice what you preach and give gardening a try.

Though I sometimes pretend to be a mommy expert, I must be honest and admit that I’m no gardening expert. I don’t really understand about the various zones or alkaline soil or the coded numbers on the bags of fertilizer. I don’t have an overwhelming desire to make my own compost or raise prize winning roses from seedlings.

But there’s nothing I love more than a beautiful yard, and I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty and do a little experimenting. My goal is always to do the most practical, cost-effective, time-efficient planting that gives me the most bang for my buck.

So, I’m going to make this as simple for you as possible. First, you need to observe your yard for a few days to determine if the bed you are planting requires sun or shade plants. You may love impatiens, but you’ll be wasting your time and money if you plant them in a bed that gets a lot of sun.

Something else I love to do is walk through my neighborhood and look at what is growing well in my neighbor’s yards. That’s a great way to get ideas about what you’d like to see growing in your own yard. You can even take a little sprig to the nursery (in a sealed, zip-lock bag) if you don’t know what the plant is called or what it requires. Don’t forget to ask questions!

Second, check your equipment. You wouldn’t go shopping without your Spanx, your best friend and a credit card, would you? Gardening requires a few simple tools. There’s no need to invest in a wheel barrow just yet, though it is on my Mother’s Day wish list, but a good spade, a trowel and some gardening gloves (to protect that manicure) are essential.

Lastly, make sure the ground is soft enough for digging. I always have my yard men bring in some extra dirt at the beginning of spring. Or you can till the soil to prepare it for planting. (Honey … are you busy?)

Now, here are the Courtney Burkholder Plant and Flower Requirements: Plants and shrubs must be evergreen (meaning the leaves don’t fall off in the winter and leave little sticks in your yard), flowers should have a long blooming season (I’m not interested in that rare tulip that blooms for two days then dies back until the next year), flowers must stand the summer heat and be fairly water resistant, and I like a lot of COLOR.

So, if these requirements work for you, then here are a few of my favorites to try this spring:

Sunny plants: Rose Moss, Plumbago, Chinese Fringe Plant (Loropetalum), Dwarf Rosemary and Desperado Sage

Shady plants: Impatiens, Begonias, Fox-tail fern (or any ferns!), Caladiums and Sago Palms

Grow-anywhere plants: Giant lariape (nothing can kill it!)

If-you’re-brave plants: (I love these plants but they didn’t grow so well for me.) Azalea, Lily of the Nile, Macho Fern and Bougainvillea

Now, unless I am inundated with phone calls and e-mails from all the new gardeners these articles have cultivated, begging for more gardening tips, I will move forward to new, untapped Mommy issues.

However, there are many other gardening articles just brewing in my mind: “The Fun of Fertilizer,” “Getting Groovy with Ground Covers” and “Bulbs are Bad@$$.” Sound intriguing? Call me!