Good websites?

LilyB2521

I'm new to this whole gardening thing - know of any good websites so I can educate myself on things like what to plant based on sun/shade, when to plant, when things bloom, etc.?

kastle

the sun v. shade thing should be listed on the tag of the plant and when things bloom tends to really depend on your location (ex: snap dragons are starting to bloom here, but in FL where my mom lives, they bloom in like Jan or Feb)

The general rule of thumb for planting big ornamental plants (shrubs/trees) is that spring & fall is best b/c the weather isn't too hot/cold and usually those are rainy months.  You can really plant whenever (well, in places with harsh winters...that's not a good time), but you just need to make sure you're giving your newly planted things enough water.

This site can help give you an idea: http://www.garden.org/plantfinder/

you'll want to know your zone.  You can find that by googling USDA Hardiness Zones (assuming you're in the US).

 

 

TarHeels&Rebels

I haven't found good gardening websites.  So many websites are cluttery and amateurish.  I'd head to your library and check out a stack of books.  Flip through them in the evenings.

This was a gift to me and it's a good primer on landscaping issues.  (How do I use shrubs in the landscape, how do I choose the right tree?)

There's also a book like this for every state.  It gives a page on each plant that grows well in the home landscape in the state.  Very helpful.  Divided into chapters on annuals, bulbs, perennials, trees, shrubs, vines, groundcovers, grasses.

sly9377

I am a newbie at it as well here are the ones I check out

http://www.finegardening.com

http://www.homedepotgardenclub.com

http://www.gardenguides.com/

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/

http://www.garden.org/home

 

dirtyred

www.gardenhelp.org

It's the Missouri Botanical Garden.  If you click on "PF Search" it will bring up a page where you can input your requirements--zone, amount of sun, how tall, what color flowers, etc, and it will give you plants that match your wants.

There's a pest section and a section on problems that gives timelines for when certain issues occur.

living_insanity

I usually search the Gurneys website.  It has plants listed for sun or shade. 

I think they also wont send certain plants until its time for them to actually be planted.  I was going to buy some vegetables and I remember they said for zone X we'll send the plants during a certain week.  

 

Bulb wise I plant these things in the fall

 daffodil, tulip, hyacinth, crocus, lilly,

 

Bulbs I planted in the spring

Gladiolas, Dahlias, caladium,  begonias (but mine didnt bloom last year I might try again sometime)