Selecting plants suitable to your climate and USDA hardiness zone can help create a lush, vibrant garden landscape. Before selecting suitable varieties, start by determining which varieties can withstand and thrive in your location.
Sort potential plant selections according to water and sun; narrow your options further. Consider all aspects of site adaptability before making aesthetic selections that will do well on your property, such as adaptability issues.
Flowering
As soon as the weather warms up, gardeners eagerly anticipate planting flowers. However, early planting could lead to slow growth or frost damage of warm-season annuals if planted too early, making it essential to understand your average last frost date as a guideline for planting new annuals in your region.
All flowers (and plants) belong to the Angiospermae clade of flowering plants. Although their shapes and colors may seem disparate, all flowering plants share certain similarities, such as the vegetative phase, which produces more stems and leaves, and the reproductive stage, which produces flowering organs for sexual reproduction. Annuals go through an initial cycle that leads to their germination until their eventual demise; perennials repeat year after year, with flowering occurring when conditions allow.
Flowering plants are relatively straightforward to care for if you follow simple guidelines. First, read over the plant tag or description and ensure it can withstand winter in your USDA Hardiness zone (you can find yours here). Second, choose an area where full sun to partial shade sunlight is abundant; at least six hours should reach it each day, which is ideal; otherwise, your flowering shrub could become leggy with few blooms producing blooms.
One key to flowering plant success is maintaining optimal soil temperatures. Cool-season annuals and perennials tend to thrive at daytime temperatures between 60 degrees and 70 degrees Fahrenheit; night temperatures should stay around 65 degrees or warmer. Warm-season annuals and perennials usually thrive best with soil temperatures slightly above the freezing mark, especially within the top few inches.
An easy way to monitor soil temperature is by inserting a four-inch soil thermometer into the ground. A soil thermometer can help you identify an optimal range for flowering plants’ optimal development throughout the year.
Flowers add beauty and satisfaction to any garden, drawing in pollinators and wildlife alike. Perennials like bee balm are beloved favorites among butterflies and hummingbirds while low-growing phlox makes an excellent filler. You might also try planting varieties of yarrow for fall color and asters, which provide late-blooming perennials with sweet nectar prized by migrating Monarch butterflies on their journey northward.
Foliage
Foliage plants add dimension and structure to a garden, complementing or contrasting with flowers. Foliage can also be the focal point of plantings: hostas with their variegated foliage or dusty miller’s silver sheen can bring light into dark corners. In contrast, others, like vibrant hues of crotons or coleus’ patterned foliage, can make an eye-catching statement in their own right.
Plant leaves are the prominent appendages of their vascular stem, typically held limply aboveground for photosynthesis. The leaves stems, flowers and fruit comprise the shoot system; “foliage” refers to decorative depictions of these architectural elements, such as capitals, friezes, or pediments.
Foliage plants add beauty and are also essential sources of nutrition for animals and insects. Crotons, begonias, and caladiums are popularly cultivated for their foliage. In contrast, others, such as tropical philodendrons, are prized for their flowers – mainly tropical philodendrons, which last several weeks in bouquets yet thrive even in cold climates! Philodendrons are some of the most prized cut flowers due to their hardiness – many people even use them in cut flower arrangements!
Most foliage plants prefer regular waterings, while soil mixes should be allowed to dry slightly between waterings. Overwatering can damage roots by drowning them completely – therefore, testing soil moisture with your fingertip and watering only when necessary should be your strategy.
Many perennials and annuals produce attractive seedheads or fruits that add character and flair to the foliage color, while Ninebark is prized for its multi-seasonal appeal. Proven Winners Ginger Wine Ninebark produces lobed round or oval foliage in shades of green, purple, burgundy, gold, orange, or multi-hues – an ideal addition for mixed borders or as a screening barrier.
Indoor houseplants are:
- Natural air filters.
- Filtering out airborne pollutants from modern buildings and houses before discharging clean air through their leaves.
- Making them an excellent addition to any home or office.
Some easy-to-grow foliage plants that could benefit include variegated pelargoniums, ivy, or fiber-optic grass (named due to its arching leaves resembling threadlike fiber optic wire).
Fruit
Growing fruit plants is one of the most rewarding experiences a gardener can enjoy. While fruits require more space than flowers and vegetables, many varieties can still be planted in landscape beds or containers to maximize harvest year after year. You will increase harvest yield each time by selecting fruit plants suitable for your growing conditions.
Finding the ideal fruit tree or shrub for your yard begins by understanding which varieties thrive best in your USDA hardiness zone, including soil type, sun or shade, and other environmental considerations such as insect pests and cold temperatures. Once you know which varieties will work, visit your local nursery and compare various species side-by-side; look for healthy, densely-rooted, grafted plants with pruned stems which have been pruned into shape as this will significantly shorten the time needed before fruit production starts occurring.
When choosing fruit varieties, look for words such as “vigorous” and “precocious.” These indicate a tree will develop rapidly so you can harvest sooner than one that grows slowly.
If planting from a container, soak the roots with water before transplanting to help reduce and ease the transplanting shock. When setting out the tree, ensure its graft union lies above ground level – planting too deeply may result in it rotting away unproductively and losing all productivity.
Trees and shrubs that produce fruits may be self-fruitful, but for optimal production, they often need cross-pollination from nearby cultivars. Fruit trees like apples, pears, peaches, and nectarines all require nearby cultivars as pollination sources.
To maximize fruit plant success, plant them in areas where they will receive full sunlight for six or more hours each day. If possible, choose a site that can withstand winters in your region. Make sure to read planting instructions for every species and prepare to provide proper care, such as fertilizing during the growing season, regular pruning, and pest control measures.
Harvest
Many crops must be harvested at precisely the right time and stage, and harvesting at an ideal moment also dramatically impacts quality, storage capacity, and plant productivity.
One way of telling when a plant is ready for harvesting is to look at its pistils (reproductive organs in female plants). At first white, these buds gradually change as flowers fade and ripen before becoming browner as time goes on – once all brown buds appear, it’s time for harvest!
Harvesting fresh, delicious produce while simultaneously maintaining a healthy plant requires ongoing effort. When selecting vegetables for harvesting, ensure they feel firm to the touch without being complicated.
Vegetables harvested at the right time will have an exquisite, full-flavored experience, especially leafy greens like spinach, kale, and chard. Furthermore, harvesting fruits and vegetables before winter weather is also crucial, as many won’t survive frost or other freeze damage.
Some vegetables and fruits can be grown for extended periods if planted successively and fertilized regularly with compost between harvests. This technique allows slow-maturing crops to be harvested before faster-maturing ones outcompete them, using up space that would otherwise go unused. Succession planting can significantly benefit those limited in land or labor as it helps extend their growing season while increasing yield.