Chris's front beds extend out about 20 feet on either side of the steps. Our first order of business was bringing in a pickup truck full of good topsoil and spreading half on each side. A tip for beginners--know the source of the topsoil and/or inspect it before you order it. You want good, clean, loose, dark earth--not clay, rocks, branches, and trash. Never substitute uncomposted cow or horse manure, unless you want seedlings of everything the animal ate coming up in your yard.

Topsoil isn't enough by itself. It usually lacks the organic matter that most plants crave. So Chris added sphagnum peat moss--about 1 (4-cubic-foot) bale for every 30 square feet of bed. Composted manure is an acceptable alternative. Some folks substitute pine bark, but I don't like using it up against the house. Wood attracts termites, and I'd just as soon they schedule their picnic at somebody else's place.

After using a hard rake to spread the peat moss, Chris added the final ingredient--sand. He spread 3 to 4 (40-pound) bags on each side of the steps. Though sand is inert, it loosens soil and aids aeration and drainage, as does organic matter. And when dealing with clay soil, good aeration and drainage are just what the gardener ordered.

Now it was time to mix together the topsoil, peat moss, and sand. Chris rented a heavy-duty power tiller for the job. These machines can be a handful to control, but Chris is a big, very macho guy. (Just ask him.) However, smaller tillers, weighing as little as 25 pounds, are readily available and more easily operated.

Blessed with practically perfect soil, Chris was now ready to plant trees and shrubs--and not a single one was plastic.

"Good Soil is Job #1" is from the November 2001 issue of Southern Living.