You walk into the garden center of the big box store and are greeted by rows and rows of colorful blooms. You get excited and start filling your cart with the ones that you like the best. You purchase them and race home to lovingly plant them in your empty flower beds. Sometimes, this story has a happy ending. But more often than not, it doesn’t. Some of your flowers may die. And even if they survive the warmer months, the ones that say they are perennial may not come back the next year like they are supposed to. So what happened? Why did some of your flowers die?
Most people have this happen and think that it is their fault. And, in some cases, maybe it is. But I think that most of the time it is a matter of buying the wrong plants to begin with. Unfortunately, big box store tend to carry the same plants in every store around the whole nation. So that means that plants that do well in the humid South are sold in the dry Western states. Acidic soil-loving plants are sold where there is an alkaline soil, and so on. So just like anything else in life, if you want to have success, you must first do a little research.
Thanks to the Internet, you can find information that will help you know what plants to choose with just a click of a button. Here are some of my favorites.
- Almanac
This website has so much information about weather, agriculture, gardening, and flowers.
They list some of the most common flowers (the ones you would likely find at a nursery) and tell you the hardiness zone, sun exposure, soil type, soil pH, and possible pests and problems they may have. While they do not have a large variety of flowers (only 30 or so), it is a good place to start, and you won’t feel overwhelmed. - Extension Office
Each state has USDA extension offices with a wealth of knowledge about anything food and agricultural based, including plants that do well in your area. Click on your state, then your county. For my county, it gives me the option to click “horticulture,” which then brings up links about annuals and perennials. It might say “landscaping” or “gardening.” Each county’s links will be different, but should be easy to navigate if you look for those keywords.
- Garden.org
You type in your zip code, and it will tell you what zone you are in and supply you with a link that says “Find plants in your zone.” You can then search by color, annual or perennial, height, and other characteristics. There are a lot of options on this site. Don’t get overwhelmed. Just refine your search!As you can see by the map, even within each state, there are multiple zones. SO it isn’t just about finding plants that work well in your state. You need to find plants that work well in your specific location.
Ask a neighbor!
Do you have a neighbor who has a stunning yard? Year after year, do they continue to impress with their green thumb? Ask them what plants they would recommend. They are clearly doing something right and would be able to tell you through their own research and trial and error which plants do best in your specific neighborhood.
Visit your local nursery.
Usually, they tend to only carry what will grow best in your area. Ask the employees for help. Tell them your specific needs and problems, such as shade, pests like deer or squirrels, the size of your flower bed, and anything else you think would help. They can point you in the right direction.
Plants at the nursery should have a tag stuck in the soil with information about the plant and instructions on how to plant it. It will tell you things like how much light it needs (shade or mostly sun), if it is heat tolerant, if it is deer resistant, and the type of soil it likes. I like to keep the tag and file it away, in case I need to reference it later. I do this especially with perennials, since they come back every year.
With a little extra knowledge about what flowers to buy for your area, you can be more successful in your gardening endeavors. What are your favorite flowers to plant? What flowers have you had the most success with? Let Homes.com know in the comments below.
