Know your
planting spot.
You don’t need to become a soil scientist. Start with your county and what you notice. A few simple observations will help you find plants that belong.
Study the spot where the plant will grow—not an average of your whole yard. You can leave anything you haven’t checked as “Not sure.”
Count the hours of direct sun.
- Choose a mostly clear day during the growing season, with deciduous trees in leaf.
- Check the planting spot through the day. Note when direct sun starts and stops; add the sunny intervals together. An hourly note or photograph is a useful starting method.
- Record whether the sun arrives in the morning or afternoon. If sunlight flickers through leaves, note “dappled” rather than treating the whole period as direct sun.
| What you observe | What to record |
|---|---|
| Six hours or more of direct sun | 6+ hours |
| Four to under six hours | 4–6 hours |
| Two to under four hours | 2–4 hours |
| Some direct sun, less than two hours | Less than 2 hours |
| No direct sun and little filtered light | Deep shade |
| Bright filtered light, hard to count | Not sure; note dappled light |
Tree cover and shadows change with the seasons. A sunny winter spot beneath a deciduous tree may be shaded in summer. Check again as the season changes.
Guidance: NC State Extension: selecting woody plants and observing sun; NC State Plant Toolbox: sunlight terminology.
Notice how the soil usually feels.
Move mulch aside and examine a little soil a few inches down, without disturbing established roots. Check on several days between rains, not only just after a storm or watering. Record the recent weather and irrigation.
| Typical pattern | Starting description |
|---|---|
| Often dry below the surface between rains | Dry / dry to average |
| Moist after rain, then gradually dries | Average |
| Usually feels damp between rains | Usually moist |
| Often saturated or visibly waterlogged | Wet |
These are observation labels, not laboratory thresholds. Soil texture affects how moisture feels. Record uncertainty instead of deciding from one handful.
Background: University of Minnesota Extension: assessing moisture by feel and texture.
Moist is different from poorly drained.
After rain, note where water collects and when it disappears. Soil can hold useful moisture while still allowing excess water to drain. Record persistent puddles separately from your usual moisture description.
Optional: a simple drainage test
Where digging is safe and won’t damage roots or buried utilities, the University of Maryland Extension describes this screening test:
- Dig a hole about 12 inches deep and 12 inches across.
- Fill it with water. The next day, refill it.
- Measure and record the fall in water level over time.
Its guidance flags less than an inch per hour as slow drainage and more than four inches per hour as very rapid drainage. These are screening clues, not universal plant limits. Soil conditions vary; record the result rather than diagnosing the cause yourself. This is not a septic-system test.
Method: University of Maryland Extension: soil health and drainage.
Use a soil test for pH.
You can start choosing plants before you have a pH result. When you do test, sample the planting bed separately from areas with different soil or management. Use clean tools, combine samples as your laboratory instructs, and label the area.
For Tennessee garden samples, UT recommends portions from about ten locations, taken six inches deep and mixed. For North Carolina, follow NC State and NCDA&CS instructions for the planting type; depths and sampling procedures vary. Follow the lab’s current packaging instructions.
Enter the reported pH and keep its date. Don’t infer pH from soil color or automatically add lime, sulfur or fertilizer. Match amendments to test results and the plants you plan to grow.
North Carolina soil-sampling guidance · Tennessee garden sampling · Current UT submission information.
Measure room to grow, not the nursery pot.
Measure the usable width and length. Note walls, paths, overhead wires, existing trees and other fixed obstacles. Compare those measurements with the plant’s mature spread and height. Roots also need space; crown width alone does not establish safe clearance.
A canopy tree and an understory tree serve different roles. White oak is a large shade-tree choice; redbud is an understory-tree choice. Choose the layer you want, then compare plants suited to that role. “Understory” does not automatically mean deep-shade tolerant—check the species’ light requirements.
NC State Extension: site analysis and mature plant form · Redbud · White oak.
Start with county. Refine with your spot.
Use the USDA map to find the hardiness zone at your location. The zone describes average annual extreme winter minimum temperature—not summer heat, sunlight or native range.
Note hot pavement, a sheltered wall, an exposed slope or a low pocket where cold air settles. These observations help describe your site; they don’t automatically establish a plant’s tolerance.
USDA: finding and interpreting your hardiness zone.
You don’t need every answer to begin. With Fit, your estimate starts with available evidence and becomes more informed as you add details. More information may confirm a match or reveal a better choice.
Your planting-spot notes
Name a bed or corner so you can return to the same spot. These notes stay in this open page; print or save as PDF to keep them. They are separate from your Fit selections.