Okay, so the only thing you’ve watered recently is some scotch. Have no fear, here’s all the dirt you need to get started.

Unless you’re in a sunny climate like the American South or California, flowering bulbs and perennials should have been planted last fall to guarantee a lush spring garden. If you waited until now to start, follow these tips on how to choose blooms late in the game, and no one but your nosy neighbor will ever know.

Buy teenage plants, not adults
Look for healthy foliage with no roots poking out to indicate that the plant has outgrown its pot. Also, the plant shouldn’t be bone-dry. It’s often better to get a plant in bud rather than in bloom so it will blossom in your garden.

Ask about natives
Check out some native plant nurseries where you live. Inquire about varieties that are perfectly suited to your region (like cacti in Arizona or trilliums in New England), which will flourish in your climate. Bonus: Indigenous plants will attract other natives, such as birds and butterflies, to your garden.

Get grounded
If your blooms don’t have good soil, they won’t last. Prepare garden beds by getting rid of anything in the way like rocks, weeds, or tree roots. Lay down two inches of organic matter like compost and till the dirt about six inches. Organic mulches like shredded pine bark, shredded cypress, and cotton boll will help keep weeds at bay.

Create a focal point
Before you don those gardening gloves, design your garden so that one area is the highlight. Use objects like a birdbath, large urns, or flowerpots, or boldly mix the colors and textures of your plants. Make this area the most colorful part of the garden (the part that will make your friends confused by your Martha Stewartness).

Play with tall and small
Staggering plants next to each other by height will give a garden depth and dimension. Another way to trick the eye is to layer plants by placing the tall ones in the back and shorter ones in the front.

Water and fertilize
How often you have to water depends on the plant species. New growth usually requires more care up front, but a good rule of thumb to follow is that the soil should be moist about eight inches down.

Obviously, how often it rains in your area will determine how often you need to water your plants. Though keep in mind that not enough water kills plants, but so does too much. Fertilize annuals every 10 to 14 days—nothing else in your garden will need that much fertilizer. So even when you forget to do it during your spring trip, you probably won’t kill anything. Probably.

Essential Tools
Gear up and prepare to head out back with these four must-haves in your caddy.

1. Trowel A small tool that’s great for light-duty gardening like shaping, digging, and excavating small holes. Used for gardening plants in pots and containers.
2. Transplant Spade Best for cutting through and turning soil. Press the blade into the ground with your foot. Also good for relocating or digging in tighter areas.
3. Digging Fork Perfect for mixing in compost, turning over soil to prepare for a new garden bed, defending against insects, and planting shrubs.
4. Hand Pruner Indispensable and essential shear used to cut back and trim a wide range of plants, from shrubs to perennials, veggies, and smaller tree branches.

Nestpert Carmen De Vito, Principal of Groundworks Inc.
A Landscape Design & Building Firm located in Brooklyn, NY; GroundWorksGardens.com

-- Alonna Friedman

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