Question
I assume I'm zone 7 if you are, although I'm not sure.  I am new to both the South Shore of Long Island and to gardening.  The previous owners of our house left it full of weeds and dead shrubs.  We've removed all of that, but I'm not really sure what to do next.  Can you recommend any specific plants that tend to do well here?  I'd love to have some that keep their leaves/needles/whatever year round and also have a bit of color.  Thanks for any suggestions.
Jenna

Answer
Long Island's South Shore is most notable for the color of its light on a Summer Day.  It's a combination of light bouncing off the Sand, the Sky, and the soft, hazy Ocean Air.  I don't know where you used to live, but the South Shore has an unforgettable feel to it.  And this impacts your Gardening.

Now is the perfect time of year to order your Bulbs and Shrubs for spring 2008.  Shrubs should be planted in September or October, with special attention paid to the site they will be growing in to make sure the soil around the roots is rich.  Shrub roots continue growing throughout the Winter.  Even when it's bitter cold, the root cells are still dividing and multiplying.  Come Spring, they are big and strong, ready to support plant growth in leaps and bounds.

Look at the Bluestone Perennials website:

www.bluestoneperennials.com

Find the interactive Plant Finder which allows you to plug in your Zipcode, shrubs/perennials, the bloom season, Sun/Shade/deep shade, flower colors, soil type, other variables, then narrows down the field to those plants that match up.

Warning: Don't go crazy when you open up that website.  Catalogs and Internet Stores bring out the worst in the Gardener, we order 1 of this, 1 of that, next thing you know you have a $500 bill and you run out of places to put things.  Exercise a little self control.  Do as I say, not as I do.  Just a tip.

Next, How does the Lawn look?  Two words: SOIL TEST.  There's nothing like a clean slate to grow a beautiful Green Lawn.  Don't ever let a chemical touch that Grass.  Get a thorough, reasonably priced Soil Test from the premier soil scientists at Cornell University:

http://www.css.cornell.edu/soiltest/Soiltest.html

Get the whole works.  It will cost you less than a tank of Gas for the car.

Want some blooms next Spring?  Page through the photos at Van Engelen Nursery and pick out ONE BULB to plant:

http://www.vanengelen.com/

Order at least 50 or 100 of that ONE BULB and plant the whole order a day or two after it gets delivered in October.  That's ONE (1) single bulb order.  It is so easy to get carried away.  Come Spring, they'll come up, maybe you will cut some for the house, maybe you will let them grow.  You'll be pleased as punch about your Spring Bulbs.

Now, is your Garden Bird-friendly?  Have you got a Bird Feeder?  How about a Birdbath?  We're coming to the end of the Season.  These things are going on sale.  Go save yourself some money.  Pick up one of each and keep them stocked with treats and water.  Birds are not just little conversation pieces.  They are the best bug-killers going.  They eat all kinds of Bad Bugs, FOR FREE!  Plus they wake us up in the morning in the nicest way.  Love your Birds.

Finally, it's time you started a Compost Pile.

Compost is the BEST fertilizer money can be.  It just happens to be free.  This is where you will rake up all your dead leaves, those stubs from shrubs and weeds you have removed, the shells left over from your breakfast eggs, the orange juice nobody finished before expiration, the black coffee at the bottom of the pot (no milk), the spent flowers from your bloomed bulbs, Grass that you mowed.  All this goes into your Compost Pile and turns magically into rich, nutrients-packed DIRT!  Find a place no one sees, preferably one that gets rained on, and call it your Compost Pile.  No meat, no oil and no dairy goes into this Pile.  Vegetable matter only, and eggs and their shells.

Recap: Bluestone.  Bulbs.  Soil Test.  Birdbath/feeder.  Compost pile.  You've got your hands full this weekend.  Give me an update when you get a chance and we'll go over any questions and problems that come up.  By this time next year they won't recognize the house when they drive by (and believe me, THEY WILL drive by -- human nature).  Thanks for writing, neighbor.  Pour me a Margarita.