Apr 27, 2015 By Suzanne Elliott 3 min read

The key to a healthy garden is a good soil mix moist enough that it sticks together when squeezed.

That’s the advice from Doug Oster, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gardening columnist and co-host of “The Organic Gardeners” radio show on KDKA 1020 AM. Oster spoke April 24 at the South Park Township Library on “How to take Parisian Style and use in your garden.”

Oster said many Parisian gardens have a linear design. He said lines can work in small backyard gardens, too. The key to making lines in a garden work is to have a focal point, like a statue or fountain, at the end, said Oster, who recently returned from an eight-day trip to Paris, where he toured the city’s famous gardens.

Containers are popular in Paris too, he said. And anything can be used as a container.

“When you are doing containers, it is important you get the right plant in the right container,” said Oster, who showed slides of various things that can be used as containers, such as a tree that fell to the ground, a shopping cart and even an old bed. Anything that can hold soil and has drainage can be used for plants said Oster, who once gave a friend two ballet shoes he turned into a plant container.

“Of course it only lasted one season,” he said.

“You fertilize every other week with containers,” he added.

Succulent plants, which are thick and fleshy, are good in containers and don’t need a lot of maintenance because they are drought resistant. Strawberry containers, which have holes on the sides, are good options for succulents, he said.

“Herbs love containers too,” he said. “You can bring them inside (when the weather gets colder) and everything but basil will do well.”

Compost is the key to having a green thumb and almost anything, but meat, dairy and oil can be used. Oster said gardeners need to feed the soil, rather than the plant. Gardens that are built up tend to work better than those that are dug.

Many Parisian gardens also use pedestals and statuary, he said.

“Pedestals are something I am also looking for in a thrift store,” said Oster, adding he is always on the lookout for statues that may be missing a head, arm or wing. Damaged statues can usually be purchased at a discounted rate, he said.

“I am big on using glue,” he said.

It is okay to mix flowers and vegetables together in a garden. Oster said he tends to plant items close together. As the plants grow, they block the sun from weeds.

“Water is great to have in a garden and moving water attracts birds,” he said. “I like to float flowers on water.”