A question for gardeners.

Molly I would love to help but all I know about are vegatables. I love to garden but know very little about the pretty stuff you put up next to the house.

 

Hi,
I love roses myself, for filling a spot with a bit of color...even the leaves are pretty. But they can take some work. Mini-Roses aren't as much work though and are very pretty.

Bulbs will be lovely, follow the packaging for best bloom times, and if they aren't going to be ready for summer you can plant annuals right over the top of them for this summer.

Also it's nice to plant according to height, I have a backdrop of Irises and Daffodils and then crocuses and Hyacinths in front.
Personally I like keeping it annuals for these bare spots...but mostly because I like to change things all the time. Maybe one year do all blue or red or purple and yellow.

But for perennials you can search around, I love herbs. But there is a multitude of lovely perennials out there...probably more for you than for me as you are in a warmer zone.
I like Lamb's Ear, which isn't colorful (it's a silver-leafed..but will grow tiny purple flowers) but is a very soft, low-growing spreading plant...it feels like a Lamb's ear, thus the name.
But the spreading you have to watch...a lot of perennials will spread, and just have to keep up the weeding/pruning back.
Hope this helps!
~SeaFlower~

 

Molly -
Knowing what to plant depends a lot on where in the states you are located (referred to as the "zone") since flowers require different environmental conditions. A good place to start is www.thegardenhelper.com which actually shows pictures of the plant and helps you determine what plants will grow in your zone. Another site that I have not personally check (but assume they would have info) would be www.HGTV.com which is the Home & Garden Television show. Just remember to have fun with it! It can be very relaxing and rewarding. Start out small and then increase in small increments each year so that it is not so overwhelming the first year.

God bless - (a prayin' for your "green thumb")
--Vicki

 

If you don't mind schoolbus yellow, coreopsis(tickseed) is easy, daylilies(shorter period of bloom), sneezeweed, gallardia(blanket flower); since you live in the south, you might try verbena(these come in red, purple, pink, and white). I'm not sure but I think verbena needs more water; they'd be great if you have an in-ground sprinkler system. Ask at your local nursery about the water requirements or look online. If you see Russian sage and meadow sage at your local nursery, that usually means they'll grow in your area. The Russian sage has lavender flowers, the other has dark violet. I think iris cristata grows in the south. They're short and lavender-colored. But they probably don't bloom very long. Oh, pincushion flowers(the perennial kind such as 'butterfly blue' and 'pink mist'[sometimes referred to as scabiosa]) are easy and they'll reseed if you don't deadhead all of them. Deadheading means removing the spent blossoms.

Well, I've been learning as I go along so I shared with you what little I know. I hope it helps. If you find a nice nursery in your area, they'll be glad to answer your questions. And if their prices are too high, you can run somewhere else after they give you advice. I'm not trying to put them out of business. I buy my plants everywhere even at nurseries. I just buy a few perennials each year. Eventually I'll have quite a few.

[ March 30, 2002, 07:34 PM: Message edited by: Ephesians432 ]

 

I just read your post again. Ask about oriental lilies at the nursery(it might be too late to plant them that far south). But they're just heavenly...ahhh...the fragrance will fill a room if you decide to cut some.

 

oriental lilies? Are those the ones that are usually(I see them all the time here) pink?
I'm not sure what these are I keep seeing, but I love them.
Does anyone order from a catalog? How is that? They have wonderful flowers, and usually good prices. I'd like to find some affordable tiger lilies.

 

Most of the oriental lilies have dots all over them. 'Stargazer' is the most popular one. It's a bright rose with white. I don't like the asiatic lilies as much. When you go plant shopping, look at the tags on the plant. Oh, yes, I've done a lot of mail-ordering! I shouldn't because you get better prices at Lowe's. The mail-order plants tend to be smaller at first. But I have to tell you that Wayside Gardens probably has the best catalog I've ever seen. And they are trustworthy. You might spend a little more, but if your plant dies, they'll either replace it or refund your money. You can get an education from reading those plant catalogs. A lot of them will tell you whether the plant requires full sun, partial shade,or full shade.

 

I like Lamb's ear, too. Daylillies are good & so is Lavender (smells terrific & can be dried for sachet).