We get the plant and we coddle it. We try to acidify a few square feet of soil around it, we water every day into pure sand, we mix amendments in secret recipes and think we have the answer. And, for a while it may do okay; but when we happen to see the same plant in its favored habitat it’s a bit of a shock to realize how poorly our little specimen is really doing. A plant that is surviving is not necessarily thriving.

So, what if we simply planted for the conditions we have?

Heresy! Well at least to the rabid plant hounds out there who have confused love with acquisition. But I’ll say what other reasonable visitors to your garden might not be saying until they leave your garden and start to really dish the dirt in the comfort of air conditioning and privacy: Your plant doesn’t look it’s best.

Moreover, the subset of people who care that you just got a rare sedum to make it through another winter in deep shade is probably about 27. Nationwide. You most likely know 14 of them.

Figuring out what our conditions are and matching them carefully to the wealth of flora available to that climate not only increases our chances of success with the plants upon which we spent precious time and money, but it gives us a better understanding and appreciation of our gardens – allowing us to spend less time maintaining them and more time enjoying them.

This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t help our plants to do well with better soil or slight environmental changes – it just means that we start with plants that match our overall conditions of soil, moisture, and exposure. Here are five ways to move towards that goal.

Look for the obvious - Your existing garden is already giving you hints. It’s time to pay attention. For instance, if you notice that the Rodgersia in one part of your shade garden has gone bonkers, but it’s struggling in another area, and you’re not favoring the first with a hose, you may have an underlying wet area that you should capitalize on with more moisture lovers like Ligularia. Meanwhile it’s time to replace the struggling Rodgersia with dry shade tolerant plant like Rohdea instead. No one needs to water all summer long.

Change your perspective - Let go of what you think you have to have and embrace new possibilities. If "garden" means a cool English spring and gentle summer to you, but you are gardening in what I like to term ‘MidAtlantic Jumanji,’ it’s time to start looking at good regional gardens to see how they cope with a fast, hot spring and a muggier summer. There are incredible plant combinations for every environment. Who needs Melianthus when you can have 12-foot hardy bananas?

Go native - Growing native plants has become extremely popular in recent years for good reason - plants native to your area are not only specifically adapted to your climate, but are intricately connected with the life cycles of native fauna.

A caveat however. Well, two. Just because it’s a North American native doesn’t mean that it’s right for your particular micro-environment. Research the plant’s preferred habitat as carefully as you would research exotic plants.

Caveat Number Two: In a changing climate, some of our regional natives aren’t keeping up. You can wring your hands and treat your plants like a museum curator, or you can be flexible in your definition of native.

Research native habitats - Understanding the native habitat of a plant can help you unlock its perfect growing ‘code.’ For instance: Calla lilies originate in the late winter/spring wetlands of South Africa. They love that moisture. But in the late summer and fall, those wetlands often dry up. Consequently, some will respond with a period of dormancy. Keeping them drier at that time might extend the life of the hardiest species in your garden.

Remedy construction destruction - New construction brings with it the challenge of reestablishing everything from soil structure to a general sense of place, but other factors such as moisture levels and exposure are easy to figure out from the beginning. Work toward creating a new topsoil layer as you match new plantings to existing site conditions in soils that have been abused to breaking point. If you’re not quite sure what those are, observe the remaining natural areas within your housing community to give you clues as to what was there before the bulldozers came.

Some factors in a garden are easily changed, but for others, you may be hitting your head (and your plant’s) against a brick wall. It’s so much easier, attractive, and friendlier to the planet if you capitalize on the strengths of your natural environment.