Four Seasons of Garden Plants
Choose vegetables and herbs that your family will love. If you live in a shaded area, think about cultivating vegetables that thrive in the shade such as kale, spinach and brussels sprouts.
Learn the difference between plants belonging to the same family by learning their botanical names. Understanding their life cycle will help you plan your garden and maintain it.
Small Ornamental Trees
Trees can bring a sense of size to your garden and also provide visual interest throughout the year thanks to their spring flowers, autumn foliage, berries, or seed pods. They can also provide shade and privacy for a patio or entryway. Ornamental trees can be grown as a stand-alone focal point or grouping them together to create an encircling grove, or planted as part of a mixed plant and flower border. Smaller ornamental trees are available already pruned to tree form at nurseries or they can be bought bare-root and trained as needed. Viburnums, winged euonymus, and late lilacs are large shrubs which can be cut down to small ornamental trees.
If you have a garden in an area that is hot and sunny with well-drained ground the blossoming trees will attract butterflies and other pollinators. For example, the crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is a southern favorite with its long-lasting bloom of pinks and purples from summer until fall. Its leaves turn red to yellow in autumn and it has attractive exfoliating bark in winter. It is resistant to cold temperatures from zones 5 to 9.
The heptacodium or the seven-sons tree can withstand full sun and produces small white flowers from late summer to early fall. It's an excellent option to add height to a cramped deck and is drought tolerant once established. The plant is tolerant of USDA zones 5 to 9.
The golden Irish yew is a great choice to add shade to the shadier areas of your garden thanks to its blue-green to green leaves. It's slow-growing and can be pruned easily and thrives in full shade or partial shadow. The narrow, fastigiate habit of this plant makes it an the perfect choice for planting in tight areas.
Flowering Vines
Flowering vines are either annuals that bloom for one season or perennials that bring an element of color to the landscape for many years. Some of these plants require an sturdy trellis that can be climbed. Others can simply sprawl on the ground. Most quickly fill in vertical spaces which add beauty and interest to a garden. Vines come in a variety of colors and blooming times. There are plants that fit into every USDA zone of hardiness. There are also many different types of climbing vines from woody or clinging varieties, such as English Ivy, and non-woody or herbaceous vines such as morning glory and nasturtium.
The flowering vines are accentuated by a variety of flowers. The Susan with the black eyes Susan produces a wide variety of flowers that are bright yellow, orange or white with dark centers. This fast-growing annual is a great option for a sunny trellis and works well in containers too. It's also a favorite for hanging baskets because it can be twisted around supports.
Try clematis if looking for something more durable than the black-eyed Susan. This perennial is widely available in a variety of colors including yellow, pink and white. Certain clematis like Duchess Edinburgh and Josephine have large, fragrant flowers which appear in early spring. Others, such as Sweet Autumn, bloom all throughout the summer and fall.
Another evergreen, flowering vine is Carolina jessamine (Jasmine wrightii). This native to the southern United States is a lovely option for a garden or container, with its golden yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers. It can reach imposing heights if it is not pruned and given sufficient support and care, making it an ideal plant for screening the view or a shaded corner of the yard.
gardening vegetable add instant color to a garden without the multi-year commitment of plants grown in ground or raised beds. They can also be used as a focal point to the entrance to a house. They're also a great method to grow flowers, herbs or vegetables that are at eye-level to make it easy to pick and cook. Containers come in a variety of sizes and shapes: barrels (even half-barrels made from wood), buckets, baskets, boxes, window panes, urns, bath tubs and so on.
The key to successful container gardening is knowing your plants and giving them the proper amount of attention. The plants in containers dry out more quickly than those in the ground, so frequent watering is needed. The morning watering is ideal since it provides enough moisture to endure the midday heat and prevents any dampness on the leaves at night.
For the perfect container garden Look for plants with trailing stems with bright flowers or fun foliage. Coleus thrives in pots, and is available in a wide range of colors aswell as dark green and leaf shapes with variegated leaves. Another colorful option is the Ivy-flowered Geranium. It's a classic plant for sunny containers and it will self-clean so you don't have to deadhead.
If you're looking for a larger potted outdoor plant, you can try Japanese pieris (Pieris japonica and Cvs. Zones 6-8). It blooms in spring or summer with stunning pink white, salmon-pink, or red flowers. A pot with this deer-resistant plant can transform a space in shade or sun. Papyrus is also a great filler for a large pot, and its tufts of brightly colored foliage look lovely draping over the sides. Another option is the golden creeping Jenny (Lysimachia Numularia 'Aurea' Zones 4-8). It's a great trailing plant that looks stunning in containers with more light. The yellow-colored foliage is a great match for a variety of shades.
Mid-Sized Trees
There is room in the garden for flowering plants that do not attain heights that are imposing. These beautiful trees provide interest throughout the year and provide visual texture and shape to the garden. They also bring your garden to life by their colors, flowers, and scents. These tiny trees can be used to create a small garden, front yard or add a touch of color.
Crape myrtles are an iconic example of this type of flowering tree. Plant breeders have developed a variety of colors, from lilac-purple blooms like Muskogee crape myrtle, and the fantastic hot pinks of Strawberry Dazzle crape myrtle, to the deep reds of Dynamite and the elegant white of Natchez crape myrtles. These trees are fast-growing and bloom all summer. They can last up to 40 years if they are properly cared for.
Serviceberry (Melancholiaxlucida) is another beautiful deciduous tree with flowers. This native tree is adorned with stunning white flowers in the spring, which are followed by delicious dark berries, as well as finely-toothed leaves. It also offers red and yellow fall colors and a light brown winter bark. Serviceberry is easy to grow in full sun and average soil that is well drained and is drought tolerant once established.
If homes gardens seeking a small evergreen tree, you should consider swamp white oak. starting a garden -growing tree is disease-free and grows in wetlands, where other trees aren't able to adapt. It is able to withstand some flooding and is an excellent option for areas that are wet. It will reach 50-60 feet in a rounded shape and is an excellent choice for clay and wet soils. Once established, it is drought-tolerant and tolerant of air pollution.
Light Requirements
When looking at plant tags, there are numerous references to "full sun,"" "partial sun" and even "part shade." In most cases, these terms are not easily defined. Plants that require full sun need at least of 6 hours of direct sun every day. The sun's rays reach their peak between 10 am and 4 pm, so a full-sun garden must be protected from the harsh afternoon sun.
The majority of vegetables and fruiting fruits require full sun, however some will do fine in light shade. Leafy greens are also affected by shade, but they might take longer to mature and produce.
Partial sun is an expression used to describe areas of the garden that get between three and six hours of direct sun each day. The remainder of the day the areas are moderately shaded or receive diffused light from the trees and leaves. The ideal partial sun/partial shade location is on the east side of your home. This will provide cool morning sunlight and early afternoon shade for the majority of sun loving plants, like azaleas, rhododendrons and macrophylla Hydrangeas.
Full shade is the term used to describe dark areas that rarely receive direct sunlight. These areas can be covered by high evergreens or structures that hang over, or they could just be enclosed gardens and passageways in between houses. These are difficult places to establish because of the competition between tree roots for water and the lack of light. If you find that a flower or vegetable does not thrive in this type of shade, try moving it to another location and add water as needed. Shade-loving plants include astilbes, golden Hakone Grass, goatsbeard and a variety ferns.