"Craig & Audrey" wrote in message
...
I have just moved into a property that has a small garden. All the
plants
appear to be dead, but how do I know if there or not ?


Well it is nearly wintertime, so some of the plants may be annuals
that die off in winter and need replacing every year.

Or they might be perennials that die down in winter and come back up
in springtime.

You can check things like shrubs with twiglike stems by gently
scraping the twig near it's base with your fingernail. if you see
green underneath the bark, then the shrub is probably alive and
kicking and just dropped its leaves for the winter. If however the
twigs are brown underneath and break of very easily, then it may be
dead.

Your best approach is probably to wait until spring and see what comes
back up !
Or maybe a gardening friend, neighbour might be able to give you a
hand in deciding what's what.

Could you perhaps get some photo's online. that way we could see what
you have inherited:~)

Jenny