For someone who is terrible with plants, I sure talk about them a lot

[hbartthe2nd]

As always, I have nothing truly exciting to say, but I feel obligated to check in, periodically.

That said, my small excitement is this: I plant flowers in my side garden every year, and I dislike gardening, so last year I decided it was time to go with perennials and I planted some Calla lilies in my yard. They are quite possibly my favorite flower

Comments

[madeleone]

I'm with you on the perennials. I used to buy flats of annuals every year and mulch all around my flower beds, what a lot of work! Then I started adding perennials. They were more expensive and money was tight back then so I only added a few each year. BTW, I'm in mid-Michigan, my area is listed as 6a to 5b on the USDA Hardiness Zone map. Now I only buy a few annuals to make up a couple of pots of flowers for a splash of color here and there.

Keep in mind that perennials bloom at different times and not all summer long for most of them. In the Spring my daffodils, crocus, and hyacinths bloom. Then late spring my ground cover pops up ( don't remember what it's called but it has green leaves with silver/gray marking and little yellow flowers in the spring that the bumblebees love). I don't even put down mulch anymore because this ground cover has spread so much it actually covers the ground, (it does seem as if it is rather invasive though as I noticed this spring it has actually spread over the edges of the flower garden areas and is trying to extend into the lawn, so I'll need to cut that back some).

Then azalea bush and rhododendron bloom, (azalea is just now finishing blooming and the rhody still has some flowers). My iris are blooming now and my lilys are coming up now and should bloom late this month and into July. (So yes lilys do come back, but I guess it probably depends on the type of lily so check for hardiness). My Hydrangea bush is just starting to form flower clusters that will bloom later this month and continue through summer--the flowers are light pink and fade to green by the end of the season. (I just looked it up as mine doesn't look like my daughter's blue hydrangea which has bigger flowers and clusters while mine has smaller flowers). It turns out mine is called a smooth hydrangea/or wild hydrangea and is supposed to be good in areas with harsh winters.

Hostas are nice garden accents, and although they do get flower spikes that shoot up in the fall they are grown more for their foliage than their flowers. They grow in clumps and have big spade shaped leaves that come in a variety of greens with yellow or cream accents. Day lilies seem to be hardy I've had some that have come up regularly for years and bloom through the summer. Although mine haven't done as well the last few years, they come up but don't seem to bloom as well.

Something I really need to add is some fall bloomers. My daughter has gorgeous mums that bloom in the fall and I keep telling myself I need to plant some, but for some reason when fall rolls around I'm not thinking of planting flowers. LOL!

Well this has been a long ramble but my advice is definitely add some perennials, they are the gift that keeps on giving. Just start with a few and add more as time goes on. It's fun, I so look forward to seeing them come back every year.

[hbartthe2nd]

Thanks! I’m 6a as well, so that is really helpful. I just started thinking of how much money I’m spending on annuals each year and added to the fact that I don’t enjoy the planting part, it was just time to try something else.

I do have a day lily that comes up every year and does amazingly well, no matter if we have a blazing hot summer or brutally cold winter.

I’m glad you mentioned planting for fall too. I’m with you, I never have that on my mind that time of year, but I would love having flowers to enjoy come fall.