You can’t design a landscape until you understand the land itself.
If you’ve ever planted a rosebush only to watch it wilt in two weeks, you’ve learned a hard lesson: soil matters. Chapter 2 is all about site analysis—the unglamorous but essential work of testing your dirt, tracking sunlight, and mapping slopes.
The chapter breaks site analysis into four main categories: soil type, drainage, sunlight, and wind patterns.
First, soil. Grab a handful of moist soil and squeeze it. If it forms a sticky ball, you’ve got clay. If it falls apart immediately, you’ve got sand. If it holds together loosely and feels crumbly, congratulations—you have loam, the gold standard. Most of us aren’t so lucky. The book explains how to amend clay with compost and sand with organic matter.
Drainage is next. Dig a one-foot hole, fill it with water, and time how long it takes to drain. If it drains in less than an hour, you have fast-draining (possibly sandy) soil. If it takes more than four hours, you have a drainage problem that may require French drains or raised beds.
Sunlight analysis is simpler but often misunderstood. “Full sun” means six or more hours of direct sun. “Partial shade” means three to six hours. “Full shade” means less than three hours. Walk your yard every two hours on a sunny day and mark where shadows fall.
Wind matters more than you think. A windy slope will dry out plants and knock over tall flowers. The book suggests planting windbreaks (like arborvitae or a fence) on the windward side of your property.
Finally, Chapter 2 teaches you to draw a “base map” — a simple bird’s-eye sketch of your property showing structures, trees, utility lines, and slopes. This map becomes your blueprint for everything that follows.
Takeaway: Don’t guess. Test, observe, and draw. Your plants will thank you.
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