I remember when we bought our first house and my husband wanted to spend our limited budget on a new roof. I wanted to paint, put in hardwood floors, and buy new, fun furniture. But of course, with a leaky roof, the furniture and walls and floors would soon be wrecked.

Well, the same goes for your garden. Without proper drainage and good soil, your plants will wither and die off.

Through the years I have had great success ensuring proper drainage by amending my soil.  I’m always putting my grass clippings on my garden, and I also mulch with cocoa hulls. I watch for areas that may have been dug up by the squirrels, bunnies, or my beloved dog, Harry, and I re-plant and re-level with the best top soil. I also add a 1- to 2-inch layer each spring with the finest compost from Bruce Company. I also add coffee grounds to my garden daily all year-round. I’m really lucky to have inherited rich soil here in Wisconsin. But I have also worked with clients who had clay from new construction and renovations. In those cases I double- and even triple-dug each hole for each plant and bush to ensure they would not drown in the heavy clay soil.