first time gardener?

Fall: weed and feed the lawn Prune roses back by 1/3

Learn about perennials - winter blooming plants are easy, look at what's available at HomeyD, Wally world. They usually have seasonal plants.

Perennial or annual, buy what is beautiful to you. The plants will teach you. Many root in water, experiment.

You can grow just about anything in TayHas. have fun

As a long time home gardener and specialised native plant horticulturalist, I wouldnt even bother with the web for first time gardeners.

Seriously your best bet is to walk your local neighborhood looking at gardens. When you see a nice one approach whoever lives there and ask their advice.

Next, head to your local nursery. Not sure if the large ones are the best. Usually small, privately owned nurseries have staff that love to give advice.

Remember that the books, and professional advice is pretty generic. Where I am, I am told that we are supposed to be in a temperate region, but we are more like desert.

Many factors change your own little microclimate, for example, if your garden gets north access, or if it is south. If you have bad winds, salt spray, frosts etc.

The best advice is that you work on your soil, add as much organic material as you can, plant the same plants that you have seen thriving in your local area. Go to your local nursery. Dont believe everything that you see on web sites, or in garden books.

Buy cheap plants to start with.

Keep on asking anyone that will talk to you... And NEVER knock back someones offer of cuttings, seeds, or plants. Presuming of course that they look fit and healthy.

Good Luck

It's good that you put where you live, so many times questioners don't and it's hard to answer questions when you don't know where the asker lives.

The others have given good advice-

See what others are growing in your neighborhood.

Go to a couple of local nurseries or garden centers, not the big box stores and ask for advice. Many of them have fact sheets that they will give you for free about what grows best in your area.

There are many fine sites on the web that have gardening info. Look at them and when you get conflicting information, use your best judgment to sort out what is best for your area.

Check out your state's agricultural extension service as well. They will most likely have a county office that can help you. The link under Sources is for Texas A&M's horticulture website.

Visit our website for more gardening ideas at-

http://www.gardening-at-the-crossroads.com/

Good Luck and Happy Gardening from Cathy and Neal!

You will get so much more information from live people in your area than the web. Your neighbors that have a nice looking yard would be the first place to go. the next would be the local plant nursery. talk to the employees and the customers. Just ask, people will share when it comes to plants and gardens. The next place is your local library or bookstore and get your hands on a local plant book.

you will learn about good plants to work with for your area of the country.

Yeah, a completely simple sight in the "Leap over Web Clutter" section at New Free Books. Very easy to use. Just look for the words "Grow anything."

www.about.com, search for gardening or whatever you want to know.