ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI)– A grass roots effort to remake St. Louis’ image is gaining steam.  Several ideas have been submitted and voted on, and now the five most popular are about to enter the stage of being funded through Rally St. Louis.

“I think if you talk to a lot of people outside of St. Louis, they’re not sure what to make of our city or region for that matter,” founder Aaron Perlut said Thursday.  “We all understand the benefits of living in our region, but there are a lot of people outside that don’t and we’re hoping to paint that picture.”

Rally St. Louis is the brainchild of Perlut, one of the managing partners in the Elasticity public relations firm downtown.  It began a little over a year ago when he wrote an article for Forbes Magazine entitled, “St. Louis Doesn’t Suck.”

The Forbes post, and the efforts that followed, have drawn national attention.  The New York Times commented on the somewhat new, social media approach.

“Unlike the traditional, top-down civic betterment campaigns that are backed by the likes of chambers of commerce, Rally St. Louis is taking a bottom-up approach,” the paper  reported in November.

Rally encouraged people to submit their own ideas and vote on the ideas of others as to how to market the city.  And he discovered something very quickly.

“I realized the ideas weren’t going to be traditional marketing ideas, they were going to be community improvement ideas,” he said.

The best example is what is currently the top vote getter.  It’s not a snappy ad campaign.  It’s called “Food Roof,” a rooftop farm designed to provide organic produce in a coop fashion.

“To serve the thousands of downtown residents who live here, potentially to restaurants, donate some to charity.  St. Patrick’s Center is just a block away. Basically bring the farm to the people,” Mary Ostafi told us.

In her day job she makes sure projects for the HOK Architectural firm are environmentally friendly, but now she’s heading up the “Food Roof” endeavor as they begin to try and raise money.

“We started a downtown community garden last year and this project came to be as a result of that.  So when Rally StL came on board it seemed like a great opportunity to get more exposure to what we’re trying to do.”

Even something as simple as a mural is taken to a different level by those submitting ideas to the project.

The dilapidated Cotton Belt building, north of downtown, is slated to become a massive, 45,000 square foot work of art, aimed at welcoming those driving across the new Mississippi River Bridge.  What is currently a pile of dirt in the front is also slated for landscaping.

Tom Nagel, who came up with the idea, is thinking big regarding who might do the painting.

“We hope to attract national, local, international artists because the scale is just so magnificent that we’re really excited about it,” he said.

A National Soccer Hall of Fame, a local pickup soccer space, and a proposal to put blacktop basketball courts on blighted lots round out the top five proposals so far.  Next month, the process of funding them will begin.  Users on the site will be able to make donations to their favorite projects, with the promise of a refund if they aren’t fully funded.  The hope is that large companies and wealthy benefactors will get involved in some of the projects alongside the grassroots donors that are expected to chip in.

Rally St. Louis has already raised about $250 thousand in operating funds.   What all this will produce remains to be seen, but it’s clear it will be the product of a community consensus.

“The crowd is really speaking to what is popular,” Perlut said, “so we’ve kind of democratized the process and we’re really seeing what St. Louisans want to truly represent our community as a whole.”

Links:

Rally St. Louis site:   http://www.rallystl.org/

NY Times Article on Rally St. Louis

Forbes:  St. Louis Doesn’t Suck 

Beginning in December 2011, the Cheatham County Master Gardeners begin sharing articles with our readers through our local newspapers in Cheatham County. We hope these articles have been of interest and now we would like to hear from our readers.

Do you have an orchard or a vegetable garden you’d like to share information about. Perhaps you have a beautiful flower garden or a rose garden we could visit and tell our readers about through our articles. Do you have unusual landscaping that would perhaps give other gardeners some good ideas? Perhaps some of our readers garden organically and would be willing to share their ideas with our readers. Do you have a community garden you’d like to tell Cheatham County about?

So, in 2013, we will have pens, pencils, note pads and cameras ready. We would love to cross Cheatham County from Kingston Springs and Pegram to Chapmansboro, Pleasant View, Ashland City and Joelton and find out how our residents are making a difference in all parts of the county.

We look forward to hearing from you, our readers. Please contact Sue Proctor at sue.proctor 42@yahoo.com.

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An informal workshop Dec. 11 to discuss options to make more and better use of the Guest House Museum hatched several ideas, including possible changes to the lawn and the appointment of a part-time director.

The City-conducted workshop in Town Hall was held to solicit ideas and develop a community vision for the museum and grounds, to be incorporated into a master plan. Garavaglia Architecture, Inc. was hired to prepare the plan, which will “provide guidance regarding future improvements to the Guest House facility and grounds and will identify opportunities for enhancing the museum operations,” according to the City’s meeting notice.

Michael Garavaglia, AIA, Principal, Preservation Architect and Becky Urbano, with Garavaglia Architecture, Inc. gave some history of the site and explained that when it was conveyed to the City, there was a requirement that it be used for cultural purposes. Urbano said the vision was to include all aspects of the site’s use, including possible landscaping, features, exhibits, programs and uses.

Land Use Planner Amy Wynn said she had interviewed several people involved in the museum, who were all passionate and had several ideas.

Commenting on the site’s strengths, Urbano said Historical Society members care deeply about the museum and work hard to keep it open and the museum is prominently located to attract visitors. It was also noted that the giant crosscut redwood log on the south portion of the property, attracts visitors

to the museum.

Regarding the museum’s weaknesses, some people suggested that its signs should be more prominent and that the access sidewalk is shrouded by plants, making it hard for visitors to see how to walk to it.

Suggestions

and ideas

Over the course of the informal three-hour workshop, several ideas were presented and discussed, including a partnership with the Skunk Train to provide museum gift certificates, more signage around the city, re-landscaping the front lawn to include a more visible sidewalk and picnic tables, prominent placement of timber-industrial artifacts, and cutting back of area bushes and plants to dissuade illegal camping and activity. Some suggested that educational programs be implemented through partnerships with local schools.

Weller House Inn owner Vivien LaMothe said she’d recently attended a West Company meeting that discussed marketing aimed at users of mobile devices through QR codes that would connect them to websites, historical photos and more information.

She said she has presented the idea to the Historical Society, Garden Society and Soroptimists, all of which are enthusiastic about the technology. LaMothe explained by phone later that she feels Fort Bragg is well-positioned to implement such technology to get more people interested in local history.

Johanna Jensen suggested that the museum could partner with the Paul Bunyan Days Association to enhance promotion. She also noted that the museum is difficult for people with limited mobility.

City Council member Scott Dietz said pedestrian access needs to be enhanced and made more prominent so visitors know the museum is open to the public. He said that in 36 years on the Coast, he had only been there once.

Group ideas

After breaking into groups for 45 minutes, speakers returned with ideas and suggestions.

Speaking for her group, City Manager Linda Ruffing suggested construction of a sidewalk from the Skunk Train Depot and pavement leading into the west parking areas behind the museum. The group discussed removing some of the vegetation and possibly creating a small plaza by the historic clock and redwood log. The group also discussed having picnic tables on landscaped areas nearby.

Ruffing said the current landscaping is not a historic feature, and suggested a partnership with the Gardens Society to revegetate the area in a way that denotes a connection to the Coast Botanical Gardens.

In response to a previous comment, she suggested fixing the building’s weathered gutters and possibly repainting parts of the building after the original color has been determined.

It was suggested that rather than erect a new Christmas tree on the Guest House Lawn every December, the City could simply plant a permanent one on the lawn.

Ruffing said that planting an evergreen tree on the Guest House lawn would likely detract attention from the museum itself. She suggested the possibility of instead lighting and decorating a large holly tree which is already on the grounds.

For her group, Jensen said the large grass lawn can be a barrier to those with limited mobility and suggested terraced landscaping there. She suggested moving the museum’s sign closer to the street and include changeable elements to inform people of events, hours and programs.

She suggested investigating partnerships with local timber companies to highlight efforts toward sustainable forestry, rather than the logging industry of the past.

Weddings, live music events on the lawn and promotion of tech attractions like geocaching were also discussed.

For her Group, City Community Development Director Marie Jones said the group discussed possible ways to attract those who come to town for the Skunk Train and involve both in promotions. She said her group was divided on the subject of a permanent tree.

Regarding a previously-suggested amphitheater west of the museum, Jones said it would not be appropriate, especially since a large amphitheater is already in the plans for reuse of the mill site.

She said local artifacts could be placed around the site and encouraged the placement of “anything climbable” for kids.

Rosalie Gjerde said her group’s plans were similar to others aside from wanting more pedestrian walkways.

Amy Wynn said her “group of two” discussed having a prominent front path right up to the museum that would be visible from the street. She said the site’s shrubs and bushes are necessary to block the coastal wind and protect other vegetation there.

She suggested creation of connections to other historic attractions in such a way that would not detract from downtown foot traffic.

Director position

Some discussion centered around the possible appointing of a museum director who would be employed by the City.

Jones said the position would not need to be full-time. Ruffing said she would look into the possibility and suggested that a City staff position could be created to take that responsibility.

At the close of the meeting, Urbano said the firm would need to speak with a cost estimator before a draft master plan can be created.

City Planner Teresa Spade said that while a specific date has not been set, staff and consultants hope to have a draft master plan complete for City Council review by February or March 2013.

Using less water is the cheapest way to meet Texas’ long-term water needs. The state water plan envisions nearly a quarter of Texas’ future water supplies coming from conservation. So what could and should Texas lawmakers do to promote the idea of saving water?

This is a tricky question, because conservation is generally the domain of local authorities. The nature of water supplies varies tremendously from place to place. Some towns may have fairly stable reservoirs, while others draw from diminishing aquifers. So local groups maintain day-to-day management of their water supplies, including ordering restrictions at times of drought (as many Texas cities have).

But environmentalists and some lawmakers say the state has a key role to play in promoting conservation. Blanket statewide watering restrictions seem politically infeasible, given the unpopularity of mandates. But other options abound. State Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, has filed a bill to create a sales-tax exemption for water-saving appliances sold over Memorial Day weekend, and environmentalists’ other ideas (not yet in bills) include requiring farmers to put meters on their water wells and preventing homeowners’ associations from barring drought-resistant landscaping. Improving how Texas measures water use and water savings is also high on the agenda of the Water Conservation Advisory Council, a group that brings together representatives of numerous state agencies.

Texas has passed water-conservation bills in the past. In fact, Texas and California rank first among all states in water efficiency, according to a September report from the Alliance for Water Efficiency. Texas accumulated points for laws such as requiring water utilities to audit their water losses and limiting the amount of water that toilets and urinals can use. (A 2009 measure by state Rep. Allan Ritter, R-Nederland, tightened the limits, some of which take effect in 2014.) The Legislature created the Water Conservation Advisory Council in 2007; last month it produced a report filled with recommendations for the Legislature.

But Texas, with its fast-growing population, needs to do more, water experts say. “Even though we’re requiring [utilities to have water conservation plans and] we’re requiring reports on implementation, at the end of the day there is just not enforcement of any of those things,” said Carole Baker, executive director of the nonprofit Texas Water Foundation. Requiring more consistent implementation of water conservation plans is one area where the Legislature could act, she said.

Texas has worked on standardizing its water information. Senate Bill 181, passed in 2011, requires the state to develop a consistent method for tallying water use and conservation, for example by breaking data into categories like residential single-family use, multifamily residential use and agriculture. Senate Bill 660, also passed in 2011, clarified requirements for reporting on water conservation.

Larson has also filed a bill for the upcoming session requiring utilities to better project future water shortages by assessing how long their current supplies can last. 

The nonprofit Environment Texas offers a range of conservation-related proposals for the next session. Among them: ensuring that homeowners’ associations allow drought-resistant landscaping; prodding cities to adopt plans to limit per-capita water usage; and requiring farmers to put meters on their wells.

The metering proposal would not go down well with farmers. “My members will oppose being required to put meters on the wells,” said Billy Howe, the state legislative director for the Texas Farm Bureau. His group would support state funding to help farmers switch to less water-intensive technologies, through research or other means.

Proposals by Environment Texas to limit the use of fresh water for hydraulic fracturing during droughts and require new power plants to study less water-intensive cooling technologies, would probably meet industry resistance as well.

Water conservation is also likely to enter the broad debate over funding for water projects during the session. Lawmakers are discussing whether to allocate $1 billion or more from the state’s Rainy Day Fund to create a revolving fund for water infrastructure projects, such as building desalination plants or pipelines. Environmentalists want conservation projects to be prioritized when the funds are doled out. 

Texas Tribune donors or members may be quoted or mentioned in our stories, or may be the subject of them. For a complete list of contributors, click here.

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI)– A grass roots effort to remake St. Louis’ image is gaining steam.  Several ideas have been submitted and voted on, and now the five most popular are about to enter the stage of being funded through Rally St. Louis.

“I think if you talk to a lot of people outside of St. Louis, they’re not sure what to make of our city or region for that matter,” founder Aaron Perlut said Thursday.  “We all understand the benefits of living in our region, but there are a lot of people outside that don’t and we’re hoping to paint that picture.”

Rally St. Louis is the brainchild of Perlut, one of the managing partners in the Elasticity public relations firm downtown.  It began a little over a year ago when he wrote an article for Forbes Magazine entitled, “St. Louis Doesn’t Suck.”

The Forbes post, and the efforts that followed, have drawn national attention.  The New York Times commented on the somewhat new, social media approach.

“Unlike the traditional, top-down civic betterment campaigns that are backed by the likes of chambers of commerce, Rally St. Louis is taking a bottom-up approach,” the paper  reported in November.

Rally encouraged people to submit their own ideas and vote on the ideas of others as to how to market the city.  And he discovered something very quickly.

“I realized the ideas weren’t going to be traditional marketing ideas, they were going to be community improvement ideas,” he said.

The best example is what is currently the top vote getter.  It’s not a snappy ad campaign.  It’s called “Food Roof,” a rooftop farm designed to provide organic produce in a coop fashion.

“To serve the thousands of downtown residents who live here, potentially to restaurants, donate some to charity.  St. Patrick’s Center is just a block away. Basically bring the farm to the people,” Mary Ostafi told us.

In her day job she makes sure projects for the HOK Architectural firm are environmentally friendly, but now she’s heading up the “Food Roof” endeavor as they begin to try and raise money.

“We started a downtown community garden last year and this project came to be as a result of that.  So when Rally StL came on board it seemed like a great opportunity to get more exposure to what we’re trying to do.”

Even something as simple as a mural is taken to a different level by those submitting ideas to the project.

The dilapidated Cotton Belt building, north of downtown, is slated to become a massive, 45,000 square foot work of art, aimed at welcoming those driving across the new Mississippi River Bridge.  What is currently a pile of dirt in the front is also slated for landscaping.

Tom Nagel, who came up with the idea, is thinking big regarding who might do the painting.

“We hope to attract national, local, international artists because the scale is just so magnificent that we’re really excited about it,” he said.

A National Soccer Hall of Fame, a local pickup soccer space, and a proposal to put blacktop basketball courts on blighted lots round out the top five proposals so far.  Next month, the process of funding them will begin.  Users on the site will be able to make donations to their favorite projects, with the promise of a refund if they aren’t fully funded.  The hope is that large companies and wealthy benefactors will get involved in some of the projects alongside the grassroots donors that are expected to chip in.

Rally St. Louis has already raised about $250 thousand in operating funds.   What all this will produce remains to be seen, but it’s clear it will be the product of a community consensus.

“The crowd is really speaking to what is popular,” Perlut said, “so we’ve kind of democratized the process and we’re really seeing what St. Louisans want to truly represent our community as a whole.”

Links:

Rally St. Louis site:   http://www.rallystl.org/

NY Times Article on Rally St. Louis

Forbes:  St. Louis Doesn’t Suck 

Shrubs can replace trees at the Central Nebraska Regional Airport because birds are less likely to use the shorter vegetation for nests.

On Wednesday night, the Regional Planning Commission approved a request from Airport Executive Director Mike Olson and Regional Planning Director Chad Nabity to change language in city code concerning landscaping requirements. When new buildings are constructed, the landscaping must include a shade tree, an ornamental tree and three shrubs for every 100 feet of frontage, Nabity said.

The airport will be building a new terminal and parking lot, but Olson raised concerns about adding trees to the Airport Overlay Zone due to federal wildlife management regulations. The Federal Aviation Administration is “very diligent” about airports limiting wildlife habitat, he said.

Two shelter belts along the overlay zone have already been removed because they are favored by deer and birds, Olson said.

Nabity asked for the language to be changed so three shrubs could be substituted for each required tree. However, if a tree wouldn’t cause issues for the airport, it could be planted, he said.

“We’re fine with putting more shrubs instead of trees,” Olson said. “The airport’s board is committed to beautifying the airport. We don’t want to look like a desert.”

He said some trees in the park by the airport will remain in place, while others will need to be removed so the parking lot can be expanded. “We will be vigilant with those trees and watch for nests,” he said.

Planning commission members approved the language change request.

The commission also received information about the countywide hazard mitigation plan. The Federal Emergency Management Agency requires the update every five years. Hall County’s plan is four years old.

Jon Rosenlund, Grand Island/Hall County emergency management director, gave commission members an outline of the higher priority projects, including:

— Emergency backup power.

— Drainage improvements.

— Floodplain management and flood control.

— Reverse 911.

— Public tornado shelters and severe weather awareness education.

— Power line burial.

The list also included medium and lower priority projects such as tree planting information, water supply augmentation, becoming a Tree City USA, hail education, and securing at-risk development such as manufactured homes.

Rosenlund said a series of meetings will be held to gather information and ideas on the projects. Nabity suggested inviting area fire chiefs, emergency management directors and village board members to get their input on potential hazards.

The planning commission will oversee the plan evaluation and revision process, unless another agency or board is designated by the Hall County Board. The previous plan, along with the goals and objectives outlined in it, will be reviewed and revised as needed, Rosenlund said.

In other action, the planning commission:

— Approved a language change in the accessory building and uses section of the city code to reflect current practices. The ordinance was written based on the frontage of a lot and not the width of a lot. City staff recommended changing the language to be consistent with the interpretation and enforcement of the regulation.

— Approved the final plat of the Dinsdale Subdivision on west Webb Road and north of Stolley Park Road. The subdivision consists of 12.5 acres and two lots.

The next Regional Planning Commission meeting is Feb. 6.

Bored with your garden? Want to make some design changes? Now is the time to plan how you’re going to do it. Hannah Stephenson reports

It may still be a bit nippy to be doing many jobs in the garden, so now’s a perfect time to relax with some of your Christmas leftovers and make design plans for the year to come.

Ideas may come from magazines, a TV programme or may simply be inspired by a neighbour’s garden, but it’s best to buy yourself a notebook and jot down your plans.

Whatever you decide to do, whether it’s creating a new bed or making radical changes with hard landscaping, work out how much time and effort you’re prepared to spend on the project and the subsequent maintenance that will require.

It’s no use planting a garden full of high-maintenance plants if you’re not going to be there to deadhead, water, feed and keep everything under control.

Think about where you are going to site any new project. If you’re planning a raised bed for vegetables, make sure it’s going to be in a sunny spot with not much shade from overhanging trees, or you won’t be able to grow a huge variety in there. And remember that veg patches can be high maintenance too, as weeding, watering and feeding is likely to be a regular requirement.

If you’re a seasoned gardener, you’ll already know what type of soil you have. If not, a simple soil test kit can be bought from any garden centre which will indicate what type of soil you have and, from there, you can find out what types of plants will grow in it.

If your garden is dry, shady, or you have clay or acid soil, you need to work with it. Don’t try to fight it by changing the make-up of the soil because no matter how much organic matter you add, eventually the original type will come through. If you want to grow acid-loving plants such as azaleas but have alkaline soil, you’re best off growing them in pots of ericaceous compost.

Other practicalities to consider when creating a new area include drainage, storage space, available electricity and water. If the garden’s on a slope, you may need to level the site or install a drainage system. If you’re planning a paved area, make sure it’s level but with enough camber to drain effectively or you’ll end up with puddles you don’t want.

Think outside the box and you may come up with a more interesting design. Never, for instance, make narrow borders along boundary fences, because following the boundary lines will just emphasise the shape of your garden and make it look smaller.

If you’re creating a new bed or border, the minimum width should be 1m (40in), and even that will restrict what can be grown. It’s better to go for a border twice or even three times that width for dwarf shrubs and modest perennials.

Strong shapes are important and need to blend with your house, keeping everything in proportion and making both outdoor and indoor space merge seamlessly.

The general rule of thumb with proportion of planting and features to open space is one-third planting to two-thirds space. Without the space, the planting and features within the garden cannot be seen to best advantage.

Even if you have an awkward-shaped garden, you can create spaces within it which can be explored – it might be a circular lawn or a winding path, fringed by planting and focal points to give it depth and structure.

You may want to create a change of level in your garden to define specific areas, using terracing, or install points of interest along the way such as a water feature, seating or an eye-catching statue. Consider light and shade, which can also be used to change the shape of a space by creating the illusion of depth and distance.

Of course, gardeners are always interested in new plants, but often the plants which can be guaranteed to steal the show are old favourites, so look at what you already grow successfully in your borders, the plants which like your soil and their situation, and perhaps consider repeat planting further along.

Most of all, when planning, work out what you want the garden for – is it to relax, to experiment with gardening or to use as a family-friendly play area? If your children are regularly playing football in it, forget a bowling green finish or planting delicate plants around the lawn which are likely to get their flowers knocked off by a ball.

And remember that fashion plays its part when planting. Years ago, hybrid tea and floribunda roses were in vogue but now alliums and tree ferns have become the must-have plants – but will they still be in fashion in a few years’ time?

You may be better off with something you’re happy with on an everyday basis as the basic structure of planting, but you can vary the colour and type of seasonal planting from year to year.

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So we are off and running into 2013. The holidays are over and it’s now time to start looking toward things we gardeners can do to keep ourselves from going stir-crazy until it thaws out.

Winter is when a lot of gardeners look for classes and workshops so they can bone up and learn about all the latest and greatest new garden plants and ideas.

The WSU Spokane County Master Gardeners are offering their biannual horticulture class series starting Jan. 10. This is the same basic education the Master Gardeners go through but without the volunteer time commitment. The classes will run through March 28 and will cover Spokane climate and growing conditions; basic botany; soil science; vegetable, small fruit and berry production; fruit tree management; perennials, pruning, turf grass management; diseases; insects and integrated pest management; weeds and weed management; composting; and waterwise landscaping.

This year for the first time the turf management, plant diseases and weed management classes will be offered for pesticide license recertification credits. The pruning class will be offered for arborist recertification credits.

The course is $275 per person for the series or $15 per class. Check out the WSU Master Gardeners website – www.spokane- county.wsu.edu/spokane /eastside/ – for a complete list of the classes, dates and a registration form. Registration by check or cash will need to be mailed to WSU Spokane County Extension, 222 N. Havana St., Spokane, WA 99202.

If you find you have a question about your houseplants or any other gardening topic, the WSU Master Gardeners are available by phone through the winter. Volunteers pick up messages and emails on most Wednesdays and will get back you with an answer. Call (509) 477-2181 or email mastergardener@ spokanecounty.org. The clinic will reopen March 1 for walk-in visitors.

While the days are slowly getting longer, most houseplants are pretty much dormant until the light levels increase. Because they are dormant most plants are going to need very little watering. Check each pot before you water by inserting your index finger into the soil up to the first joint. If the soil is dry, add enough water to lightly moisten the soil. Too much water will cause root rot and unfortunately the symptoms of root rot – wilting and turning yellow – are very similar to a plant that needs water. If in doubt, hold off for a few days before you water.

By the middle to end of February, the light levels will have risen enough that you can add a half-strength fertilizer and begin watering more regularly. Late February is also a great time to repot any overgrown plants so they can take advantage of the room to grow as spring takes hold. Keep a sharp eye out for bugs and mildew, especially if you had your plants outside for the summer. The bugs just love your nice, warm house and the free salad bar offered by your plants. Treat problems as they arise with the appropriate control method.

Master Gardener Pat Munts has gardened in the Spokane Valley for more than 35 years. She can be reached at pat@ inlandnwgardening.com.

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Ideas may come from magazines, a TV programme or may simply be inspired by a neighbour’s garden, but it’s best to buy yourself a notebook and jot down your plans.

Whatever you decide to do, whether it’s creating a new bed or making radical changes with hard landscaping, work out how much time and effort you’re prepared to spend on the project and the subsequent maintenance that will require.

It’s no use planting a garden full of high-maintenance plants if you’re not going to be there to deadhead, water, feed and keep everything under control.

Think about where you are going to site any new project. If you’re planning a raised bed for vegetables, make sure it’s going to be in a sunny spot with not much shade from overhanging trees, or you won’t be able to grow a huge variety in there. And remember that veg patches can be high maintenance too, as weeding, watering and feeding is likely to be a regular requirement.

If you’re a seasoned gardener, you’ll already know what type of soil you have. If not, a simple soil test kit can be bought from any garden centre which will indicate what type of soil you have and, from there, you can find out what types of plants will grow in it.

If your garden is dry, shady, or you have clay or acid soil, you need to work with it. Don’t try to fight it by changing the make-up of the soil because no matter how much organic matter you add, eventually the original type will come through. If you want to grow acid-loving plants such as azaleas but have alkaline soil, you’re best off growing them in pots of ericaceous compost.

Other practicalities to consider when creating a new area include drainage, storage space, available electricity and water. If the garden’s on a slope, you may need to level the site or install a drainage system. If you’re planning a paved area, make sure it’s level but with enough camber to drain effectively or you’ll end up with puddles you don’t want.

Think outside the box and you may come up with a more interesting design. Never, for instance, make narrow borders along boundary fences, because following the boundary lines will just emphasise the shape of your garden and make it look smaller.

If you’re creating a new bed or border, the minimum width should be 1m (40in), and even that will restrict what can be grown. It’s better to go for a border twice or even three times that width for dwarf shrubs and modest perennials.

Strong shapes are important and need to blend with your house, keeping everything in proportion and making both outdoor and indoor space merge seamlessly.

The general rule of thumb with proportion of planting and features to open space is one-third planting to two-thirds space. Without the space, the planting and features within the garden cannot be seen to best advantage.

Even if you have an awkward-shaped garden, you can create spaces within it which can be explored – it might be a circular lawn or a winding path, fringed by planting and focal points to give it depth and structure.

You may want to create a change of level in your garden to define specific areas, using terracing, or install points of interest along the way such as a water feature, seating or an eye-catching statue. Consider light and shade, which can also be used to change the shape of a space by creating the illusion of depth and distance.

Of course, gardeners are always interested in new plants, but often the plants which can be guaranteed to steal the show are old favourites, so look at what you already grow successfully in your borders, the plants which like your soil and their situation, and perhaps consider repeat planting further along.

Most of all, when planning, work out what you want the garden for – is it to relax, to experiment with gardening or to use as a family-friendly play area? If your children are regularly playing football in it, forget a bowling green finish or planting delicate plants around the lawn which are likely to get their flowers knocked off by a ball.

And remember that fashion plays its part when planting. Years ago, hybrid tea and floribunda roses were in vogue but now alliums and tree ferns have become the must-have plants – but will they still be in fashion in a few years’ time?

You may be better off with something you’re happy with on an everyday basis as the basic structure of planting, but you can vary the colour and type of seasonal planting from year to year.

Best of the bunch – Winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis)

This clump-forming, tuberous perennial produces stemless, cup-shaped, bright yellow buttercup-like flowers on a ruff of light green leaves.

It grows to just two to three inches tall but makes a good ground cover plant from late winter to early spring and is ideal for naturalising in dappled shade beneath deciduous trees and large shrubs, especially in chalky soils.

Bulbs should be planted in autumn in fertile, moist but well-drained soil. Winter aconites spread rapidly to form colonies, which can be divided after flowering.

Good enough to eat – Forcing rhubarb

January is the perfect time to force established outdoor rhubarb by packing straw or leaves around a clump and then covering it with an old bucket or bin with some ventilation holes in it. Only force strong clumps of plants that are at least three years old. You may have to weight or rope the bin down to prevent it being blown away.

The plants should not normally need watering and the blanched shoots should be ready for pulling by the beginning of March.

Rhubarb that has been forced indoors in December can be harvested in January, pulling sticks about four to six weeks after forcing. Pick them every few days to reduce the risk of grey mould and throw the plants away when harvesting has finished.

Three ways to… dispose of Christmas tree

1. Recycle it yourself, trimming the branches and cutting it into small sections before shredding it in a good-quality shredder such as the Bosch AXT 23 TC, which was voted Which? Gardening’s best buy for more woody material in a recent trial. Pine trees are low in acid and, once shredded, the released nutrients are relished by perennials and shrubs, offering them additional protection for the final few months of winter.

2. Many local councils have their own recycling schemes in place for Christmas trees. Ring your local authority to find out if your refuse collectors will pick up your tree or if you have to take it to a recycling plant yourself.

3. If you have bought a container-grown tree, after Christmas it can either be planted out with a good chance of success or can be left to grow on in its pot, but it is much better in this case to re-pot the tree in a larger pot. It is seldom possible to re-pot trees in this way for more than one season.

What to do this week

On your winter rambles around the garden, take the hoe with you and knock out weed seedlings before they get too big.

Spread organic matter such as well-rotted manure or garden compost, even if the soil is rock hard. The soil will soon thaw when the weather improves.

Continue to remove leaves from the lawn on a regular basis.

Disperse worm casts on the lawn.

Check container plants which are sheltered from rain by the overhang of the house eaves and make sure they have not dried out.

Move displaced deciduous trees and shrubs, if you haven’t already done so.

Plant deciduous hedging plants such as beech, hawthorn and hornbeam in well-prepared ground, if weather permits.

Keep climbers such as ornamental vines, ivies and Virginia creeper in check to stop them working their way into window frames and doors or causing damage to drainpipes.

Start ordering summer-flowering bulbs to give you the best choice of variety.

Cover ground which you have dug over, but are not yet ready to plant, with polythene sheeting to stop weeds taking over and to warm up the soil for any young plants to be set outdoors early.