As a young girl, I remember walking around the beauty that is Arbor Gate looking at the abundance of plants, herbs, and tiny trees that were scattered among a beautiful landscape.
Since 1996, Arbor Gate owner, Beverly has been creating memories for families as well as a place to rejuvenate the inner gardener and nature-lover. Having always been a dream of Beverlys, she decided to put her dreams into action with the motivation that, “If I don’t pursue this, or try, I’ll never know.” From this dream, sprouts a beautiful three-and-a-half acres of all the plants and gardening items you could ever dream of!
Now, if you ever get the chance to talk to Beverly, you will find her to be a wealth of knowledge and a believer that everyone has a green thumb, you just have to know your climate. For this, Beverly cautions against solely using the internet to find information as their location can vary greatly from our Gulf Coast region. She highly recommends talking to local plant nurseries or garden centers to figure out what the best plan of action will be for your region. “The best gardeners have killed the most plants. That’s how we learn,” says Beverly and she encourages learning about not only what plants are best for this region, but also mapping out your sun and what your aim is when starting your garden journey.
She mentions a very helpful tip when trying to map out the sun. Start by buying three small Salvia plants, which she says are easy to grow, and place them in three different areas where you want to plant. Within about two weeks, you will quickly figure out which spots are ideal for planting and which spots are not. Further, you can map the sun by going out every two hours starting at 8 am and continuing checking until around 4 pm.
Check also the drainage in the area you want to plant. If drainage is poor, that could also be another reason your plants are not doing well. Beverly highly encourages new gardeners to not be discouraged when learning and to not overwhelm themselves. Simply start out with one potted plant or find one spot in your yard that you absolutely dislike. Starting with one plant rather than filling the entire yard will seem more manageable and you will more than likely find the plant quickly thriving!
Beverly also mentions that anything can be planted in a pot. Space should not stop you from planting what you love. As long as you have a pot, a plant, the correct sunspot, the correct soil, and drainage, then you can plant anything even if you’re in an apartment!
Speaking of soil, Arbor Gate has one of the most exciting and probably most helpful creations for new and even seasoned gardeners. Arbor Gate has come up with its own recipe for soil and compost that is specific to the Gulf Coast region. Not only is the soil and compost completely organic, but it can also be used for anything that has roots whether it be in the ground or in a container. Instead of having to buy several different bags for a variety of purposes, this becomes a one-stop shop for all your soil needs! You are able to get their soil and compost from Arbor Gate or you can place an online order and buy in bulk which can also be delivered! Arbor Gate truly does it all!
One of my favorite stories that Beverly shared with me is her love for sweet peas because of her mother. As a young girl, her mother would always have sweet peas, so every fall, she plants sweet peas around the property when they bloom they give off the most beautiful fragrance and remind her of those memories with her mother. Talking to Beverly is truly like talking with a dear friend which she considers all her customers. “It’s a friendship. It’s not customers, it’s our friends.”
So, if you need a push to start gardening, whether it be for food or just to have a beautiful view, take this as a sign to get planting!
Map the sun by going out every two hours starting at eight am and continuing checking until around four pm.
One of your strongest senses is your sense of smell, so every fall I plant sweet peas out here because my mom always had sweet peas growing out our back door, so that is my mom. That is my favorite thing.
