When buying plants for your garden it really pays off to do some homework and be absolutely sure what you're buying. These tips can help you a great deal with your decisions.

Always analyze the leaves and stems to make sure they don't have plagues nor diseases: stained leaves, holes in the leaves... the purchase of an ill plant will result in infection of the rest of your plants in your garden.

Avoid plants whose roots come out through the drainage holes of the flowerpots; it's an indication that they've been waiting too long for a transplant; the same can be said of plants that have slight root formation on the surface of the soil.

The plant must have perfectly taken root. Verify that the plant is well stabilized by giving the stem a slight pull; it shouldn't come out with ease. This can happen when plants are removed from the soil too soon and put in a pot to be sold, without it having taken root properly.

Avoid plants that display an unequal development on each side. You want to look for plants that are equally full on both sides.

Winter is not a good time to buy interior plants because the house is heated, and has dry air and less luminosity. These are conditions very different from those in let's say a gardening center. The change can kill them.

Inspect the leaves and stems to be certain they don't have insects or suspicious spots.

Remove the root ball from the pot to watch the roots. It shouldn't fall apart when removing, because that would be signal of bad rooting.

The roots must be abundant, with a nice clear color which indicates good health and growth, and not blackish, which indicates rottenness.

But if there are roots in excess, it means that this plant has spent too much time in that pot and should have already been moved to a larger container.Avoid buying plants if they have roots showing outside the pot..

Is it's a flower plant you're buying, choose those that still have lots of closed buds.

If you're buying houseplants for the first time, stay away from fragile plants like the orchid, unless you're planning to devote more time in caring for your houseplants. Choose lush, green plants like for example ferns. This kind of plant only needs basic care, but it rewards you by brightening up the most boring room.

Besides choosing healthy plants, a key factor is the soil. I always recommend taking a soil test before you start your gardening activities. It varies depending the location, but in some places the soil can be too acidic or alkaline, which will retard growth. If this is your situation you can do the following to correct it: mix one-quarter cup of white vinegar in a quart of water and use it throughout the garden plot. This will neutralize the pH of the soil.

It's recommended that you add compost to your garden soil two to four weeks before you begin planting. That way the compost will have time to integrate with your garden soil.

Remember, garden care and good landscaping takes a lot of patience; especially if you want to have a garden that stands out.

For more info and landscaping tips please visit The Landscaping Ideas Blog and The Lawn Maintenance Blog.

Timothy Eisden is the founder of http://www.onlinefortunes.biz, a site that offers e-books with resale rights. He also runs the Online Affiliate Marketing Blog (http://online-affiliate-marketing.blogspot.com). As a hobby, he started two gardening related blogs: http://great-landscaping-ideas.blogspot.com and http://great-lawn-maintenance.blogspot.com