Happy First Day of SPRING!!!
Thinking of throwing in the towel (trowel?) because what you've
tried hasn't worked? Please don't!!!
We'll help you get back in the ring and avoid disappointment this summer and next by......
discussing the criteria for choosing the proper plants.
The most common source of disappointment by both new and seasoned gardeners is to
have unrealistic expectations after selecting the wrong plant.
Asking a plant to perform outside its capabilities is setting yourself up for failure.
Often, this is done simply because we don't know better.
We blame ourselves (or the garden center) for failures that could have been avoided.
Sometimes, the garden centers ARE to blame, especially when they are knowingly
selling plants as perennials that are not zone hardy in their area.
Be an informed shopper and save yourself some heartache and hard-earned cash.
The basics are:
Step 1: Knowing the difference between an annual and a perennial plant will result in
realistic expectations on how a certain plant will or should perform.
Annual plants are grown for a single growing season, and generally will
die with the first hard frost of the fall. Some are more cold hardy than others, but
all will perish in the cold. Some annuals will grow from seeds shed by the plant
the first year it was grown. These are not perennial plants, they are self-seeding annuals.
Perennial plants re-emerge each spring and will have a
"USDA Hardiness Zone" designation on the tag. Recently, the Minnesota Department
of Agriculture issued a mandate and garden centers are now also inspected to be sure they are providing the proper information as to hardiness and suitability for planting
in the zone where it is being sold.
REMEMBER, and this is important: ALL plants are perennials somewhere.
Then there are the Temperennials. These are often tropical plants that
are sold in colder climates as annuals. They may be perennials in their native land,
but are sold in the north to be used for the summer season. Examples of
temperennials would be banana plants, Colocasia (elephant ears), and Caladiums.
Step 2: The USDA has a hardiness zone map that is published for every zone in the USA.
There are also zones for Canadian provinces, too. Sometimes I look at the Canadian
zones to make myself feel better about living in Zone 3.
To be clear, you must pay particular attention to the perennial plant's hardiness zone
if you'd like it to come back next spring. This means that living in Zone 3,
purchasing a Zone 4, 5, 6 will allow you one year of enjoyment,
then that plant will probably not come back unless you have
an amazing stroke of luck, an outstanding microclimate in your yard and/or a seriously mild winter. Most likely it will be luck, and your luck will run out.
Step 3: A frequently made mistake when selecting either annuals or perennials is to ignore
the plant's sunlight requirements.
If the tag says "Shade", it can be planted under trees, for example,
or on the north side of your house. If it says "Sun", and you place it on that north side,
the plant will languish and eventually die. The labels are there for a reason.
If it isn't labeled, ASK.
Day Lilies are an excellent choice for flowering perennials in full sun for Zone 3,
where the winters are long and cold.
They're exceptionally nice for the northwoods because they bloom for an extended period,
require little to no maintenance, and come back reliably year after year.
There is a wide variety of color available, and this year, we'll have three new ones:
Peonies are another excellent perennial for full sun, and are beautiful interplanted
with Nepeta, the tall purple spikes in the background.
Hostas are for shade. Hostas can tolerate a few hours of sun
per day, but plant them in full sun, the leaves will scald and the plant will not thrive.
Also, for some gardeners, hostas = deer magnets.
The deer leave mine alone. Experience alone will tell you how your deer population
will react to your hostas.
Another great choice for zone 3 gardeners with a shady yard or garden is
Dicentra - Bleeding Heart.
Brunneras are also an excellent choice for shady areas.
Step 4: Knowing what you want is how you will decide what to plant, annuals or perennials.
Your decision will be based on your needs and vision for what your garden is to become.
Other considerations are watering requirements and your particular tolerance for upkeep.
Looking to spruce up your patio and have loads of color all summer long?
Annuals are a good bet.
Want a low maintenance yard with color and texture?
To plant and be done?
Some nice perennial beds may be just right for you.
Of course, all plants have some maintenance requirements and most people
plant both annuals and perennials.
It's not fair to expect peak performance if you haven't done your homework.
That's called gambling.
Thinking of throwing in the towel (trowel?) because what you've
tried hasn't worked? Please don't!!!
We'll help you get back in the ring and avoid disappointment this summer and next by......
discussing the criteria for choosing the proper plants.
The most common source of disappointment by both new and seasoned gardeners is to
have unrealistic expectations after selecting the wrong plant.
Asking a plant to perform outside its capabilities is setting yourself up for failure.
Often, this is done simply because we don't know better.
We blame ourselves (or the garden center) for failures that could have been avoided.
Sometimes, the garden centers ARE to blame, especially when they are knowingly
selling plants as perennials that are not zone hardy in their area.
Be an informed shopper and save yourself some heartache and hard-earned cash.
The basics are:
1. Knowing the difference between an annual and a perennial.
2. Knowing your hardiness zone if you're looking to plant perennials.
3. Knowing, really knowing, your yard, patio, and garden's particular patterns for
sunlight and shade, morning and afternoon.
4. Knowing what it is you expect from your plantings.
Once you are armed with this information, you have set yourself up for success
and can confidently select plants.
realistic expectations on how a certain plant will or should perform.
Annual plants are grown for a single growing season, and generally will
die with the first hard frost of the fall. Some are more cold hardy than others, but
all will perish in the cold. Some annuals will grow from seeds shed by the plant
the first year it was grown. These are not perennial plants, they are self-seeding annuals.
Perennial plants re-emerge each spring and will have a
"USDA Hardiness Zone" designation on the tag. Recently, the Minnesota Department
of Agriculture issued a mandate and garden centers are now also inspected to be sure they are providing the proper information as to hardiness and suitability for planting
in the zone where it is being sold.
REMEMBER, and this is important: ALL plants are perennials somewhere.
Then there are the Temperennials. These are often tropical plants that
are sold in colder climates as annuals. They may be perennials in their native land,
but are sold in the north to be used for the summer season. Examples of
temperennials would be banana plants, Colocasia (elephant ears), and Caladiums.
 |
| Colocasia |
Step 2: The USDA has a hardiness zone map that is published for every zone in the USA.
There are also zones for Canadian provinces, too. Sometimes I look at the Canadian
zones to make myself feel better about living in Zone 3.
To be clear, you must pay particular attention to the perennial plant's hardiness zone
if you'd like it to come back next spring. This means that living in Zone 3,
purchasing a Zone 4, 5, 6 will allow you one year of enjoyment,
then that plant will probably not come back unless you have
an amazing stroke of luck, an outstanding microclimate in your yard and/or a seriously mild winter. Most likely it will be luck, and your luck will run out.
Step 3: A frequently made mistake when selecting either annuals or perennials is to ignore
the plant's sunlight requirements.
If the tag says "Shade", it can be planted under trees, for example,
or on the north side of your house. If it says "Sun", and you place it on that north side,
the plant will languish and eventually die. The labels are there for a reason.
If it isn't labeled, ASK.
Day Lilies are an excellent choice for flowering perennials in full sun for Zone 3,
where the winters are long and cold.
They're exceptionally nice for the northwoods because they bloom for an extended period,
require little to no maintenance, and come back reliably year after year.
 |
| Moonlit Masquerade |
 |
| Ruby Stella |
 | ||||
South Seas |
with Nepeta, the tall purple spikes in the background.
per day, but plant them in full sun, the leaves will scald and the plant will not thrive.
Also, for some gardeners, hostas = deer magnets.
The deer leave mine alone. Experience alone will tell you how your deer population
will react to your hostas.
Dicentra - Bleeding Heart.
Step 4: Knowing what you want is how you will decide what to plant, annuals or perennials.
Your decision will be based on your needs and vision for what your garden is to become.
Other considerations are watering requirements and your particular tolerance for upkeep.
Looking to spruce up your patio and have loads of color all summer long?
Annuals are a good bet.
Want a low maintenance yard with color and texture?
To plant and be done?
Some nice perennial beds may be just right for you.
Of course, all plants have some maintenance requirements and most people
plant both annuals and perennials.
It's not fair to expect peak performance if you haven't done your homework.
That's called gambling.
This spring and summer, Gracie's Plant Works will have a large array of annuals and perennials, along with a nice selection of trees and shrubs. You are busy. We get that. Don't feel as though you need to read up and become well acquainted with every perennial plant out there.
That's OUR job.
Please feel free to come in to Gracie's and ask either of us for help when selecting your plants.
That's our PASSION.
We are also happily available for personal consultations (by appointment, please) if you think you need undivided attention and a lot of assistance for more than a half an hour.
If you think you have a pretty good handle on things, and if you happen to come prepared to answer these 4 questions, we can recommend the best plants for your vision and gardens in a jiffy.
That's OUR job.
Please feel free to come in to Gracie's and ask either of us for help when selecting your plants.
That's our PASSION.
We are also happily available for personal consultations (by appointment, please) if you think you need undivided attention and a lot of assistance for more than a half an hour.
If you think you have a pretty good handle on things, and if you happen to come prepared to answer these 4 questions, we can recommend the best plants for your vision and gardens in a jiffy.
Happy gardening,
Kathy and Patty
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