Last month, to introduce "Dear Landscaper" I posed a question: How can you make a pre-fab outbuilding unnaturally sitting on concrete blocks fit more naturally in the existing landscape?

While I sought professional help, my father, who owns the outbuilding/workshop in question, came up with a typical woodworker's solution. Before that column hit the news stands, he simply boxed in the gap between the building and the ground with pressure treated lumber.

While that did make the workshop look more like a permanent structure, we ( I ) decided to commission the installation of the delightful landscape plan created in the debut of "Dear Landscaper." (Home, Jan. 3).

Today the workshop is nestled among a variety of colorful shrubs, and a lovely Forest Pansy redbud tree that's already large enough to provide a goodly amount of shade this summer.

The tree and shrubs were planted even though temperatures dipped into the 20-degree range the third week of January. Landscape designer Nelsa Cox had no qualms about installing them in the chilly weather. (There were perennial flowers -- dianthus and daylilies -- on the master plan, but we decided to wait until the weather warms up before adding them.)

For fellow transplants who haven't gotten this message before: In this region, it's preferable to plant most shrubs, trees, herbs and perennials in the fall. The soil remains warm during the winter, and even when plants aren't actively growing above ground, root systems continue to spread and take up nutrients. So fall, and even winter planting, is better than waiting until spring.

I was skeptical about this practice at first, but I'm a true believer after observing the results for the past 10 years. Just remember that weekly watering during the first year is essential to help plants get established.

On with the planting

Back to the outbuilding's new garden. Here's how it took shape:

Cox painted a Day-Glo pink outline of the garden on the ground to show the size and shape of the layout. The day of the installation, the sod inside the outline was removed with a sod cutter and hauled away. The area was cleared of grass roots, and the soil was leveled. Cox used a trenching machine to establish the edge of the bed.

The trenching also will help keep the Bermuda grass lawn from invading the garden, will hold the mulch in place and will capture and retain rainwater to help augment hand irrigation (gardeners with similarly sandy soil understand the worth of heavenly irrigation during a long, hot summer). To facilitate mowing around the garden, the border has gentle curves with no sharp corners or tight spots where a mower can't fit.

At the downspout on the corner of the building, a narrow trench was dug to direct rainwater slightly downhill and away from the building. Then a shallow hole was excavated where the decorative boulder would be placed. Seating the large stone slightly below ground level looks more natural than placing it on top of the mulch.

Once all the digging was complete, plants still in their containers were placed into the garden. Cox took her time, evaluating and tweaking the plant placement until each specimen displayed its best face forward and was given enough space to grow into maturity without becoming crowded.

Turkey compost was used to amend the soil before plants were removed from their containers and planted. Each plant was then individually and generously watered in. The area around the redbud tree where the dianthus and daylilies will go was top dressed with a layer of turkey compost so the soil will be ready when it's time to plant the perennials.

The drainage trench under the downspout was then lined with hockey puck-sized river rocks, which will help maintain the underlying soil and will keep mulch from washing into the small ditch during heavy rains.

After the rest of the garden was topped off with a 3-inch deep layer of hardwood mulch, the contrasting color accentuated the pretty river rocks, adding an unexpected bonus -- the miniature "dry creek bed" balances the natural textures in the garden, and provides a minuscule wildlife haven. I can already envision a family of lizards sunning themselves on the warm stones, and butterflies drinking from petite puddles after a summer rain.

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