There are a few simple things you can do to ensure the greatest success when adding new plants to an existing or new garden.

Know your location.
Collect some basic information about your site; consider the following: How much light? Slope? Direction? Soil type? Drainage? Large trees near by?  How much water? etc

What will grow at the site.
Once you know the conditions you can select plants to suit the conditions. There is a plant for every spot, so do your research and find something that will be happy in that spot.

Prepare the soil.
Once you have selected your plants you can start preparing the soil. Depending on the plant you may need to add compost, lime or a planting mix.
Before planting give the soil a good soak. Don’t plant into dry soil.

Water 
Give your plants and soil good soak before planting.
Once the plants are in the ground give another really good soak (you may also choose to water them in with Seasol or similar seaweed tonic, but plenty of water is more important).
Then water regularly while plants are becoming established; especially throughout the first summer. Even drought tolerant plants will need water in the first summer as it takes time for their roots to get established.  A good soaking water two or three times per week is often better than a light water daily – it will encourage the roots to penetrate deeper into the soil rather than remaining at the surface for water, which will make them more drought tolerant in the future.

Planting 
Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot and slightly deeper.
Make sure to loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole to create a mound of soft soil.
Gently remove plant from pot. Don’t tear roots, if necessary use a sharp clean knife to cut any root. This will be necessary when dividing plants or to spread out roots encouraging them to grow out.
Some plants do not take kindly to root disturbance but most are quite adaptive.
Plants growing in pots have a easy life the have nice loose soil, that is watered regularly.  Once they go into the grown the have to work a bit harder. Spreading the roots out a bit will encourage them to grow out rather than around and inwards.
Around the plant mix the existing soil with quality soil, compost or planting mix will also help encourage the plant to grow spread its roots (if planting natives then ensure you do not add anything too rich for them or over feed them).
Ensure your plant is planted deep enough with all roots covered up to the level of the potting mix. When planting grafted plants ensure to always plant below the graft.

Mulch
Mulching adds so much benefit to the garden. It improves soil, prevents water evaporation and helps to maintain a consistent temperature.  Ask us which mulch would best suit your garden bed.

Ongoing Care
Different plants have different needs, it is well worth finding out what they are to keep your plants looking tip top. Whether it is pruning, staking, feeding or protecting young plants from weather extremes or being eaten alive a little bit of care in the beginning will pay off in the long run.

Good luck and we hope your garden thrives with a little TLC!