|
|
The List of Easy-to-buy, Easy-to-plant, Easy-to-take-care-of plants. Yep, available at Lowe's or Home Depot. Back when the dinosaurs were not even thinking of extinction, I was starting my walk down the gardening path and all I wanted was annuals. Instant gratification. And I still do a lot with annuals. So I understand your "need for speed". Buy 'em, plant 'em and there they are, all perfect looking. But, in most cases - excluding euphorbium - annuals need to be watered way more than perennials. So, may I suggest you incorporate some fast growing perennials - day lillies and daisies? Daisies, black eyed susans (rudibeckia) are extremely fast growing and will put on a show from summer to late fall...and, with black eyed susans, they attract cool little yellow birds that match the flowers. All new plants need a lot of water, including perennials. Wait - especially perennials. They need to get their little roots in the ground and get a good base going so they can come back next year and show off just because they can! So here you go, the list with pictures. Not in any particular order. |
Sweet Potato Vine - this is bright green and purple trailing plant with no flowers that you see in containers. So easy to grow but don't try to eat the tubers. Trust me on this one. Check out the red geraniums in the background - now those are some good lookin' germaniums :) |
Daisies - I Lied! My favorites. Black Eyed Susans (the yellow flower below) and Shasta Daisies (the white flower in the middle) together in a garden - Party! |
Lilies - Day lillies, Asiatic lillies (or what some people call Easter lillies). Below is a beautiful Asiatic lily - stunning! These grow on long stems anywhere from 1 1/2 ft. to 4 ft. tall. Daylillies grow in clumps and they come by their name honestly - the bloom only lasts one day, but the blooms are replace daily. Daylily is easy, drought tolerant but folks, everything needs water! I have a friend that is forever trying to prove her theory that if you don't water plants they turn to silk. You keep working on that one, Girlfriend! The nurseries send her a special Christmas card ;) |
Yarrow - Can get empty at the bottom, so plant between something. |
Rosemary - Good as a filler, I'm not all about them as a focus plant. But it sure does help my cooking! |
Sage - Blooms summer into late fall. |
Knock out roses - I wish I had the patent on this rose. Why are they so wildly popular, you ask? Because, roses are fussy little brats that need a lot of attention. Knock out roses got their name from going a round with one of those regular, diva roses and the knock out roses won! No special fertilizer, no special powders to keep pests away. Just plant them in a good home, lots of sunlight and they bloom from spring to first frost. Watch out for the size - some grow to be 7 foot tall, others are the dwarf variety, growing to 4 feet. And now, you can get them in various colors other than red, as long as that color is yellow. |
Dianthus - also known as pinks. Plant them, love them, leave them alone - oh, but don't forget the water! this is a low lying plant, used a lot in borders. They bloom all season long and they come in different shades of pink. |
Ornamental grasses - Not Pampus grass! Repeat after me - I will never plant pampas grass. You're new at this, but you have your dignity! Check out the pampass grass in your neighborhood - seriously, do you see one you can't live without? You're local Lowe's and Home Depot carry about 5 different varieties of grasses. Bond with some of them. I have a picture of my favorite - Muhlenbergia capillaris. Looks like this all fall. Very cool! |
Sedum - also called living rocks. They never really go to sleep in the winter, at least not here in the South. They kind of hang out along the top of the soil and once it warms up, it's show time in a hurry! In the fall the plant's fro turns color, depending on the plant you bought. Most of them become brunettes or red heads. |
Coleus - seriously, don't you think this sounds like an internal organ or a disease associated with an internal organ? That, Girlfriends and Dudes, is how I remembered this plant's name. There are soooo many to chose from. Please remember to check the tag to see it it's a sun plant. If it says "sun to shade", step away from the coleus. They are not that easy. Cheap, but not easy. Get what you are looking for - sun, sun to partial shade or shade - you're worth it :) |
Geraniums - these are probably the easiest to grow and the most rewarding. I have found that the red ones will give you the best show. I tried the pink with varigations - disappointment. If the flower looks small on the plant in the nursery, no matter what the picture is in your head, it's going to stay that way. If you're good with that, then I'm good with that :) |
Poppies - Buy the seeds, put them in the ground. Water, watch them grow. Seriously, that easy. They don't do well started in pots and then transplanted into the ground. Does not travel well. |
Zinnia - Looks like a Dahlia, but shorter. |
Dahlia (love the name, sounds so sophisticated) Looks like a zinnia, but taller. Dahlias can have flowers that are 12" across. But, these big, beautiful blooms need some air to breathe, so be prepared for 6' tall plants, in some cases. |
Sunflowers - so many to choose from, again, not all about the transplanting thing. Seed in ground (also called sowing, as in sow the seeds), water, grow! If you want the flower heads to go to seed,(for their munchability) be prepared to do battle with the birds. You will have to cover the blooms up with some kind of netting to keep the birds away. Winning is everything! |
Morning glories - yet again, Sow, Water, Grow! Ok, so maybe I have a helpful hint - knick the seed with knife, put between wet paper towel for 24 hours (put towel in baggie) then SWG! |
Petunias - Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, petunias had to be dead headed or they would look scrawny. Pain in the neck, back, etc. BUT, fast forward to today and look ma, no dead heading (on most varieties). Love the way they grow with a flow! |
Vinca - looks like Impatiens, which is like, a totally shade plant in most places. But Vinca is a totally sun plant. As in, no partial sun, just sun all day long. I've seen them displayed side by each, which is soooo confusing for the nubie. The Vinca flowers are not as dense as the Impatiens, and have pointier petals. Can you spot the Vinca? Hint, on the left. So you vant a vinca, so check the tag, dahling. |
What? What did you say? I can't hear you - but I can be reached at mortarandpetals@gmail.com |