Amend with lots and lots of top quality compost, like Nicholson-Hardie Organic Compost wherever you intend to add to your landscape. Mix the compost in well -- remember, the root structure will fan out, hopefully deep down into the soil where temperatures are more constant and warm weather evaporation is not as great an issue, so take the time and create the best foundation possible when preparing your planting beds.

Once the soil is ready, you are ready to plant! Each species of tree and shrub, groundcover and bulb, corm, rhizome or tuber requires a different planting depth, so follow the packaging instructions or ask one of our nursery professionals for help. After digging a hole for each specimen, sprinkle the bottom of the hole with a quality fertilizer like Ferti-lome Start-N-Grow, or an organic fertilizer like Carl Pool Controlled Release Fertilizer 13-13-13 or Texas Tea.

Remember to keep the soil moist around new plantings until fall rains arrive and to give regular feedings as winter progresses. Autumn is a great time to plant because the ground is still warm enough to promote root growth without the stress of warm weather watering requirements. By next spring, plants will have well developed root systems, enabling them to put on a substantial amount of growth and truly "Spring Forward."