Right Plant, Right Place: Avoiding a Common Garden Mistake
One of the most common—and costly—garden mistakes is choosing the wrong plant for the wrong place. It’s easy to do. You see a gorgeous bloom or a favorite variety at the garden center, bring it home full of excitement, and then… it struggles. Or it never blooms. Or worse, it fades away by next season.
The problem isn’t always the plant or the gardener—it’s often the location.
Take lavender, for example. it’s one of the most requested plants from Seacoast clients, and it’s easy to see why. With its soft silver foliage, fragrant blooms, and magnetic appeal to bees and butterflies, lavender brings charm and elegance to any garden. But in coastal New Hampshire, it’s also one of the most misunderstood plants.
Despite its popularity, lavender is not naturally suited to rich, moist, or poorly drained soils—the kind many New England gardens offer. Native to the dry, rocky slopes of the Mediterranean, lavender is adapted to hot sun, minimal nutrients, and extremely sharp drainage. When planted in heavy soils or in areas that hold winter moisture, it struggles. Root rot, woody dieback, and poor flowering are all common signs of stress in these conditions.
Lavender needs at least six hours of direct sun each day, ideally more. It prefers sandy or gravelly soils, slightly alkaline pH, and good air circulation. If it sits in waterlogged soil for even a short period—especially during winter—it will quickly decline. Raised beds, sloped areas, or borders with amended soil and grit work well. When planted in the right spot, lavender rewards you with fragrance, beauty, and pollinator power all season long.
The good news? This is one of the easiest problems to solve with a little planning.
At Seacoast Gardener, we help clients choose plants that not only suit their style but also match their garden’s specific conditions. We look at sun exposure, soil type, drainage, and spacing before recommending anything. If you’ve already fallen in love with a plant—like lavender—we’ll help find the right spot for it, or suggest a similar alternative that will thrive in your landscape.
At Seacoast Gardener, we help clients assess their site and determine whether lavender can succeed—and if not, we suggest look-alike alternatives like Russian sage or ornamental oregano that thrive locally.
Gardening is a long-term relationship between plants and place. When you match the two correctly, you get healthier plants, less maintenance, and more beauty season after season.
If you’re looking to build a garden that’s both stunning and easy to care for, here are some of our favorite low-maintenance perennials that do well in many New England landscapes:
Successful gardening starts with Easy-Care Perennials for New England Gardens and here are a few top performing perennials that will work in a variety of landscapes.
Echinacea (Coneflower): Drought-tolerant, long-blooming, and pollinator-friendly
Nepeta (Catmint): Tough, fragrant, and long-flowering
Sedum (Stonecrop): Great for dry, sunny areas with late-season color
Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan): Cheerful blooms and excellent durability
Hosta: Ideal for shade gardens with bold foliage
Heuchera (Coral Bells): Colorful foliage and adaptable to sun or shade
Geranium (Cranesbill): Low-growing and reliably reblooming
Astilbe: A shade-loving perennial with feathery flowers in midsummer
Day lilies: Nearly indestructible and easy to divide over time
Choosing the right plant for the right place saves you time, money, and stress—and leads to a more satisfying garden. If you're ready to get it right from the start,
How Seacoast Gardener Helps You Choose the Right Plant for the Right Place
We believe that improving your garden starts with truly understanding your landscape—not just reading a plant tag or guessing from a sun map. As an experienced garden designer, I don’t just look at your space from a distance—I work in it, hands-on. That’s how I get to know the soil, the microclimates, the drainage, and even how the wind moves through your yard.
Every garden is unique, and a successful planting plan has to be rooted in that real-world knowledge.
When we begin a new project or seasonal care, I take time to observe how your garden performs in different conditions. I note where water collects, which areas dry out fastest, and how much sunlight actually reaches each bed. This kind of detail helps ensure that choosing the right plant for the right place isn’t guesswork—it’s based on experience.
Whether you're dreaming of a pollinator garden, a shady retreat, or a low-maintenance perennial border, I help you choose plants that will not only survive—but thrive. And if you already have favorites, I’ll help find a home for them, or suggest alternatives that offer similar color, texture, or bloom time.
With a thoughtful approach and hands-on care, Seacoast Gardener helps you create a landscape that looks beautiful, functions well, and gets better every season.
Let’s work together to bring out the best in your garden—starting with the right plants in the right places.
Ready to Get It Right in Your Garden?
Whether you're starting fresh or refining an existing landscape, choosing the right perennials for your space is the key to lasting success. With expert guidance and a hands-on approach, Seacoast Gardener helps take the guesswork out of planting and ensures your garden grows beautifully season after season.
Let’s get started with a free garden consultation. Contact us by phone or text at (603) 770-5072 or by email
We’ll walk your landscape together, talk about your goals, and start identifying what plants will thrive in your space. No pressure, no sales pitch—just thoughtful advice rooted in experience.