Which Plants?

Question

I want to do my garden up, and need plants that will come back every year but don`t have a clue what sort is best. Any gardeners out there with some variaties for me,want colour but like grenery as well.

I am in west yorkshire england our garden is a total suntrap,we have pets a dog and an iguana which tends to try and eat brightly coloured things.

Answer 1

You want to buy Perennials. Those come back each year.

First walk all around your yard. Notice which areas are wet, dry, hilly, windy, shady, traveled by pets, etc. These are your micro climates. You want to put plants in their happy spots so they will survive and you will save money & look like a pro.


Here are a few sites to get you started:

Zone Finder--when you buy plants make sure they are suited for your zone. How cold or wet or dry it gets is determined by zone. Most catalogs list the zone. Ask in the nursery you go to, they'll tell you too.


https://www.bloomingbulb.com/XQ/ASP/1.ZoneFinder/QX/Locator.htm

Perennials by zone:
Lists plants for each zone, talks about how-to and care:

http://www.explore.cornell.edu/scene.cfm?scene=home+gardening&stop=HG+-+How+to+Grow+Perennials&view=allViews

Finally, you want to be able to picture your garden when it is mature. Here is a free planning program that lets you try new things, move them around and look at your gardens when they are mature:

http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/bhg/story/data/planagardenhome_03022002.xml

Have fun!
gg

Answer 2

Hostas are superb but you need to keep the slugs away. There are so many different kinds with different leaves and you can split them easily in spring to make so many more. You can also go for Michaelmas Daisy, Lupins, and a few shrubs and climbers that you like best when you visit thegarden centre. Go for some colour and some perfume. Once youve got a garden full of perennials (they come up every year) then each spring scatter a few packets of night scented stock around them - just scatter them on the soil when you're watering. The scent is amazing!

Answer 3

Roses love the sun, there are so many varieties and choices of colour. Ceanothus ( Californian Lilac ) would be a nice shrub as would Azalea and Verbena. Lupins, Oriental Poppies, Maltese Cross, Aquilegia and Geum are all very easy to grow from seed and will come year after year. There are a huge choice of palms that will give you lots of greenery. Ferns and Hostas come in a variety of shades of blue and yellow greens however they favour shade and slugs love hostas, this can be remedied by saving empty, clean egg shells, drying them in the oven before crushing. If you then place the crushed shells around your hostas you'll find that slugs and snails won't slither over them.
There is a wonderful choice of bulbs that will come year after year. One of my favourites is cyclamen coum which flower in January giving you an amazing array of brilliant bright pink blooms.
Have you ever watched BBC Gardeners World, it's very informative, the magazine of the same name is also good. If you take a trip to a good garden centre take a look at the brilliant collection of Dr Hessayon books, there's one for every gardening subject, I know he does one on Perennials
Happy gardening, I hope you learn to love it as much as I do.

Answer 4

where in the world are you though? Is it a dry/wet climate or shady or sunny all the time, how big can the plants be? For England try a trachycarpus fortunei if you want a palm look and maybe some ornamental grasses and phormiums, will look architectural. For smells try honeysuckle and for a pretty climber choose clematis.

Answer 5

I work at a nursery in Colorado. The best thing to do is to go to your local nursery(Not Home Depot!) and ask a professional in your area to show you plants. Know the sun exposure and preferred color and height. Take a small soil sample along as well. It can be fun for all.

Answer 6

Go into your local garden centre and tell them exactly what the conditions in your garden are like and they will advise you. Or just have a look over your garden fence and see what your neighbours are growing. Your neighbours will tell you what does well, or the disasters they have had.

Answer 7

Hostas, many varieties/colors, they like shady spots, are totally self-reliant plants, and can be split in a year or two to create more plants. These are mostly greenery, but they do flower on tall stalks small little purpley flowers.

Answer 8

It all depends on where you live. I suggest going to the library and picking up a book on native plants for your area. These plants would be the ones that are used to the environment that you live in.

Answer 9

Allium triquetrum. Come back at the beginning of October, die down in May. Edible leaves and flowers. Yum. Green, with white flowers.