Photography by David Huffines / Aesthetic Images

It’s no exaggeration (though perhaps a bad pun) to say that Chad Spease’s gardening roots run deep. Not only did Spease earn his bachelor’s degree in horticultural science; he also comes from a family with a history of farming and planting here in the Piedmont.

A grandmother who cultivated greenhouses encouraged Spease’s interest in tending the earth. “Because of her, I’ve always had a tremendous respect for nature, for being able to watch something grow from a seed,” he says.

For the past nine years, Spease has worked at Greensboro’s New Garden Landscaping & Nursery, where he currently serves as Garden Center Design/Sales Manager. Here, he shares his gardening expertise through unique services like “We Plan — You Plant.” The hourlong consultations provide a full-scale plan and do-it-yourself instructions to those interested in updating a specific part of their landscaping, from a boring front entryway to an empty patch perfect for a garden.

Spease and his New Garden co-workers also perform full-yard consultation, planting, and maintenance services, as well as help with outdoor structures like patios, ponds, and fountains.

“We’ve all learned, from either education or the School of Hard Knocks,” he says. “And we want to pass that along.”

When is the best time to begin planting in the Triad?
We’re blessed here: You can literally plant year-round as far as trees, shrubs, and perennials go. For annuals, you tend to want to watch the frost dates. Late February and early March is a really good time period. The other optimum time, if I had to name two, is in September and October.

What should gardeners keep in mind as they start out?
Light … moisture … whether it is a well-drained area. Ultimately, the size you want your plants to get and the look you’re going for. Before you go out there and start sticking stuff in the ground, get a plan, whether it’s one you get from a landscape service or draw yourself.

How about post-planting maintenance?
Watering. It’s very easy to water something when you put it in the ground for the first time, but a regular watering routine is also very important.

Does gardening in the Piedmont present any unique challenges?
The area’s red clay soil. It is a hard-compacting soil; it is a poor-draining soil; but it is a nutrient-rich soil. The key is soil amendment — adding organic matter — and soil depth. You have to plant high. The top of the root has to be 1 to 2 inches above the ground. If it’s level in the ground or too deep, water will stand, which starves the root system of vital oxygen. Adding organic matter like a pine bark plus compost mix breaks up the clay soil and tremendously improves drainage.

What grows well and easily here?
Perennials: daylilies, sedums, coreopsis, creeping phlox, just to name a few. Annuals: pansies — they have color from fall all the way to spring in our area — begonias, vincas, and lantana, again just to name a few. As for shade trees, you can have great success with various red maples, paper-bark elms, and oaks. For ornamental trees, one of the best and the most recognized is the crape myrtle. It’s a tremendous performer in heat and humidity.

How about edible gardens?
Tomatoes grow great in this region. So do bell peppers. Any of the string bean varieties. Cucumbers. You can have zucchini and squash, as well as more specialty items like eggplant and habaneros. You don’t need a huge area; you can get just as much from a 5-by-10 raised garden. You can even grow vegetables in containers in the corner of a deck or patio.

Any suggestions for experienced gardeners?
Try techniques that have kind of fallen by the wayside. I really like espalier — taking something and training it to grow like a vine. It’s a great way to add height and color in a tight space.

What is your favorite thing to plant, if you had to pick just one?
I am partial to camellias. It’s kind of a classic, old South, old-fashioned plant, but there are lots of new varieties available. I’ve grown to love the plant because of its tremendous variability in time and size of bloom. It blooms in late fall/early winter or in late winter/early spring. It throws out blooms at a time when other things aren’t even thinking about it.

New Garden Landscaping & Nursery is at 5577 Garden Village Way. For information, call 336-665-0291 or go to http://www.newgarden.com.