The reason(s) amending of soils in small areas is counterproductive do not vary with the type of soil. Sandy, silty or clay-like, it makes no difference. You do not want to install plants in pockets, strips or zones of one soil texture surrounded by soil of a different texture, as this sets them up for likely problems with how water moves into and out of the soil around their roots. In the case of plants to be left in place for many years (or indefinitely) without lifting and re-planting there is no point in incorporating organic soil texture modification materials (bark, compost, peat...) even if the bed is large enough to minimize or eliminate water movement problems for most of the plants - once the amendments decompose the effects they produce will be lost. Inorganic amendments like perlite and sand do not decompose but enormous amounts of these have to be added to change a heavy soil into a light one. And if too much is added then a droughty and infertile (leaching) situation may be produced, that may be more limiting than a heavy clay-like soil. The most straightforward approach is to choose plants adapted to the existing soil type and plant these in wide, shallow holes dug out of that, loosening it over a wide area beforehand and mulching well afterward. The most satisfactory mulch for woody plants appears to be clean wood chips. If arborist wood chips available nearby tend to have bramble stem sections or other undesirable material mixed in then play chips from a local dealer may be the best bet. Ones we obtain here as cedar play chips are very nice but have become quite pricey, as far as it goes.

Cathy, What type of seating have you used? Plastic is easy to keep clean and store but I want my theme to be kind of rustic/victorian looking and that means having more wicker or benches and such. Do you have water or some type of drinks people can purchase in case it is hot - I have been thinking about that. I will have to set aside the front and side rows of each bed for annuals, as Trish suggests, so they are easier to get to - to replant. I have already planted my flowers in rows so we shall see. My thought has been I would have the flowers already picked and people can choose from them - I am sort of protective of my flower beds - but maybe I will change - my beds are set up so they are concentrated flower masses and then grass areas around them. I have a covered patio with wisteria (which is covering good) but I have planted some trees on the west side to provide more shade and now I am putting in a bed of taller flowers on two sides of the patio. I have a rose arbor but it is a ways away (future growth area) and I have porches on my little gift shop on four sides. Willow trees with seats under them and now I am converting my kiwi (which isn't growing that great) to another rose arbor and it will have seats under it. My lavender is planted on either side of a meadow and I want to put a raised deck with one of those canvas patio coverings over that - but I am saving up to purchase the wood. (The deck has to be raised off the ground because it is a wet area during the winter and the wood would rot and sink unless I put it above ground) You say customers pick one of everything you have - how do you do your pricing then - charge by the stem or by the size of the bunch? Or different prices for more expensive flowers? Do you find customers take all the large flowers and you are left with only small ones or how has that been? Since I have a little gift shop - my idea has been to have pre-made flower arrangements in the shop - people can purchase those or buy loose flowers and arrrange those themselves. How do customers take away their bouquests - in a sleeve a bucket or vase? Eventually I want to have classes on flower arranging at pre-arranged times. THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU! - for all your questions (which stimulates my mind on questions I didn't even know I had), suggestions, ideas and sharing - this is a great forum. My weed barrier cloth came last night and emitter tubing - so I am going out to put that down and plant more plugs - it is sunny today - I think spring has sprung. Linda

Hey Barb! There's a lot of good info on natives available. Have you tried Sally Wasowskis's book "Gardening with Native Plants of the South"? The Virginia Native Plant Society has an excellent brochure titled "Native Plants for Conservation, Restoration and Landscaping". Our MG definition of a native plant is any plant that was on this continent before Europeans arrived, easy to say but can at times be hard to determine. Lots of plants have been naturilized so long they seem native. Then there are the plants that collectors took back to Europe and played with genetically and they have been reintroduced here. Many of these reintroduced plants are now too aggressive, the Rudbeckia cultivar "Goldsturm" comes to mind. I guess technically you could call it a native but it's over aggressive and often doesn't bear the seeds that are one of the drawing points of the native plant. Native plants are often crucial host plants for butterflies and moths. These insects need specific plants in order to complete their life cycle, some are very specific such as the Monarch. Without native host or nectar plants many insects can't survive. Too often nectar plants such as Butterfly bush (Buddelia) or Lantana are planted without consideration of the caterpillars. Be aware that putting in plants that" attracts butterflies" or is a "butterfly magnet" should be offset by ensuring that host plants are also located nearby. Unfortunately the host plants are often not as showy or pretty as the nectar plants and are not planted as much as they should be.Try to plant more host plants than nectar plants, those caterpillars are hungry! Mixing native plants in with nonnatives and keeping a garden attractive to the average eye can usually be done with the 60-40 rule. Use 60% natives and 40% other, hopefully well mannered nonnatives. You may find that eventually the non's give up the ghost and the natives just get better looking. When buying plants at the big box stores keep in mind that they contract their plants from all over. They're looking for the best deals not necessarily the best plants. Although if you're fortunate you'll find one that actually has a knowledgeable person running the plant department. Try submitting requests, one of our local big boxes is starting to respond to our MG's asking for better plants and pointing out the problems with some that they bring in. So don't give up on them, just be wary. Good grief. I guess I got on a roll here!

southwest indiana...i have several suggestions 1. contact a native plant society in your area... 2. look for a native plant nursery in your area... 3. if you want a more planned look then place "like plants" together in groups of 3 or 5 and not in rows. although this isnt necessary if you want a more natural look. fill in between groups of plants with some grasses like bottle brush grass or sedges. 4. pick plants that are right for your soil. a few suggested plants: asclepias incanarta is a must have for butterfly garden. it likes clay and a fairly moist soil. others: eupatorium maculatum, veronicastrum virginicum, lobelia cardinalis, echinacea pallida, penstamon digitalis, aster novae-angliae, liatris pycnostachya... thats a few... there are many many more options. 5. its usually reccommended to space the plants about a foot apart... it takes a year or two before they "fill in". 6. soil amendment or a raised bed is not necessary for natives, particularly if you can get natives from your area... "local genotype" is desirable when at all possible. 7. starting from seed or planting plugs require different preparations... www.prairienursery.com has a great description about preparation of a seed bed for native plantings. I wouldnt necessarily order from them because they are not local, but they do have lots of great information and photographs about native plants on their web site. good luck and have fun!!!!