Excited, that's how you felt when you saw that space in your backyard. And you bought some plants, but without even considering first what kind of soil you have at your garden, or perhaps, without planning carefully what kind of plants will survive. Now your garden is a mess. Think it over.

Before buying plants you should be attentive of where are you going to place the plants in the garden - shade-loving plants for the sheltered areas, sun-lovers for the warm spots, drought-resistant plants for the parched areas which may be either sunny or shaded, and swamp plants for the poorly-drained parts. Once you decided with your selections it is time to choose how you are going to position them in your garden.

Take a look at these pointers:

What to plant

Do you want fruits, vegetables, flowers? Remember to start small; you can always increase the size of your garden if you choose to. But do it gradually. This is particularly important if you're in a budget, of course.

Test your soil first, to determine the pH level of your soil and what kind of nutrients you need to add. You can alter the garden soil's pH. However, it is a lot easier to maintain a garden without having to alter it's soil's pH level. This calls for choosing plants that will survive with the kind of pH your garden soil has.

Plant in groups

One good rule of the green thumb is to buy at least one of the many varieties of small plants. However, a "one of everything" method of plant selection tends to make the garden seem spotty whereas plants placed in groups makes it more organized.

Positioning the Plants

Before planting your chosen plants, you can either let them be in their pots first and arrange them according to how you plan to position them in your garden. Grouping plants in sets of threes or fives usually looks better than planting in groups of even numbers. Be sure that you have an interesting combination of colors and textures of plants.

Color of the plants

The right color scheme is one way to maintain the harmonious ambience in your garden. Imagine the color of the flowers when they are in bloom. Some plants may have flowers that would not look good with other flowers but they can be planted alongside if they have different blooming season. Foliage color does not have to be confined to green. Look for plants that have other colors for their leaves if it such suits your taste.