answer:You start, as with all gardening, by doing your research. That means buying a book and reading or going on line and checking it out. If you want to plant delphiniums, for example, you need a neutral to alkaline soil. You can get a little kit to test the ph of your soil at any gardening center. If needs be, you then buy a little lime to amend the soil before planting. Conversely, bleeding-hearts like acid. You can amend with chopped up oak leaves or pine needles. All soil should be prepped before planting anything. The general rule is to turn or till, remove rocks and sod, and amend with peat moss, manure or compost and general fertilizer. You want the soil friable; that means that water will drain easily and not pool in clay deposits or sticky mud. You can add perlite (dried volcanic ash), bone meal, fireplace ashes, egg shells, coffee grounds, among a long list. Now’s the time to buy some good gardening books; there is nothing nicer to read on a cold night. Where do you live?