If you’ve ever purchased a home, you may have also inherited the previous owners’ garden along with it. Rather than try to maintain unfamiliar territory and risk a lifeless landscape, get to know your garden with these three tips.

1. Knowledge
Make the transition to your new-to-you garden that much easier by taking stock of what the former owner planted. Ask for an inventory list and explanations for each, including special care instructions.

2. Safety
Tour the property and note any potential safety issues, such as dead limbs, drainage problems
or tripping hazards. Recognize what needs immediate attention and what can wait.

3. Patience
Be patient. Don’t try to tackle everything in the first year. Attempting to take care of everything all at once will make gardening seem more like a chore. Focus on any dangers found in your safety check, and take time to learn what your garden looks like from season to season.

Ruth Schoenherr is a mortgage broker who will help you find home loans in the Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Safety Harbor, St Petersburg and Tampa Bay area. For more information, go to her web site at www.ClearwaterMortgageBroker.net.