New to gardening, need help with general care...

LilyB2521

I've posted here before and you've all been a big help.  We had a hugely overgrown, 1/2 dead landscaped area we got with our new home, we gutted it - took out the landscaping rock (or as much as we could anyway), pulled just about everything out of the area except for some hostas that were in good shape.  I laid new soil and compost and I'm now ready to plant.  I have lots of questions so please bear with me...

I'm doing a mixture of perennials and annuals, and then my hostas will be there as well.  I picked up my perennials last night, I chose a different variety of some Lilies, Day Lilies since I know they'll bloom longer, and some clematis.  I would like a couple more perennials but I'm not sure what to get?  I need something that will withstand our freezing winters (I'm in MN), I get 1/2 shade to full sun in this area, I prefer something that blooms longer than a day, and I like the idea of getting something that's kind of on the same level height wise as my Lily will be.  Any suggestions?  I'd love to maybe do some hibiscus, but I'm not sure if they'll withstand the winters here, aren't some annuals and some perennials?

As for my annuals I still need to shop, I'm doing my perennials first, but I know I want some pansy's and petunias - I love colorful flowers that will bloom all season, any suggestions there?

Also, my biggest question - how often should I water and fertilize?  Should I just use something like miracle grow?  I'm so new to this I'm clueless - thank you so much!

TarHeels&Rebels

Do you have any shrubs or ornamental trees?  Perennials and annuals are like accessories - they need a good outfit underneath (shrubs) to show to their best advantage.

Hibiscus doesn't stand a chance there.  My neighbor here grows them as annuals.  This past winter killed them deader than dead - and it was only below freezing for a couple days.

I don't know if pansies will do up there for the summer or not.  There are strictly a fall/winter flower here - they're cooked by April.  Your summers might only be as warm as our falls, though, so they might work.  I love geraniums - they're hardy and bloom constantly.

LilyB2521

TarHeels&Rebels:

Do you have any shrubs or ornamental trees?  Perennials and annuals are like accessories - they need a good outfit underneath (shrubs) to show to their best advantage.

Hibiscus doesn't stand a chance there.  My neighbor here grows them as annuals.  This past winter killed them deader than dead - and it was only below freezing for a couple days.

I don't know if pansies will do up there for the summer or not.  There are strictly a fall/winter flower here - they're cooked by April.  Your summers might only be as warm as our falls, though, so they might work.  I love geraniums - they're hardy and bloom constantly.

I don't really have any shrubs or ornamental trees, I honestly didn't even think of adding something like this.  Are there any you could suggest?  Are there any that flower, or have really pretty leaves? 

So I'm guessing I would want to do shrubs/trees as like a backdrop, and then add the annual/perennial flowers as filler to that backdrop?

nitaw

LilyB2521:

I don't really have any shrubs or ornamental trees, I honestly didn't even think of adding something like this.  Are there any you could suggest?  Are there any that flower, or have really pretty leaves? 

So I'm guessing I would want to do shrubs/trees as like a backdrop, and then add the annual/perennial flowers as filler to that backdrop?

 

My suggestion would be that you go to a local nursery (not Lowes or Home Depot) and ask them what shrubs and trees would work well for your climate/zone.

TarHeels&Rebels and my suggestions for shrubs would be quite different since we both live in the South. When picking out a shrub, I would suggest you pick an evergreen shrub. This way, you'll have some sort of winter interest. Perennial beds look quite bare in the winter without some sort of evergreen anchoring the bed.

And yes - the shrubs would be planted toward the back of the flower bed with your perennials in front. Unless of course, your perennials (like lily bulbs) are larger than the shrubs! I have some Asiatic lilies that are as tall as my 7 yr old, and those are planted behind my shrubs.  

another KT

As for watering, a fellow gardener once told me a general rule of thumb for transplants is water once a day for a week, once a week for a month, and once a month for a year.  This is of course if you put a plant in the appropriate light environment (shade plants will need more water if you put them in the sun), you have fairly decent soil (clayey soil will need less water and sandy soils will need more water), and you don't have a drought that year.  I don't bother with annuals so the ones you plant in the sun, if they are not drought tolerant, may need more water.

TarHeels&Rebels

nitaw:

LilyB2521:

I don't really have any shrubs or ornamental trees, I honestly didn't even think of adding something like this.  Are there any you could suggest?  Are there any that flower, or have really pretty leaves? 

So I'm guessing I would want to do shrubs/trees as like a backdrop, and then add the annual/perennial flowers as filler to that backdrop?

 

My suggestion would be that you go to a local nursery (not Lowes or Home Depot) and ask them what shrubs and trees would work well for your climate/zone.

TarHeels&Rebels and my suggestions for shrubs would be quite different since we both live in the South. When picking out a shrub, I would suggest you pick an evergreen shrub. This way, you'll have some sort of winter interest. Perennial beds look quite bare in the winter without some sort of evergreen anchoring the bed.

And yes - the shrubs would be planted toward the back of the flower bed with your perennials in front. Unless of course, your perennials (like lily bulbs) are larger than the shrubs! I have some Asiatic lilies that are as tall as my 7 yr old, and those are planted behind my shrubs.  

Ditto on choosing evergreens and putting them in the back in general.  For a general suggestion, choose only plants that get to the max height you want for the space.  If you only want a 4ft tall shrub, only buy shrubs that get 4ft - don't buy one that gets 10ft and then plan to trim it.  You'll come to resent it, and, oh yeah, yardwork sucks

I'd head to the library and pick up a few books on gardening.  Get a couple that are specific to your area and a couple on general design. 

I personally wouldn't head to a nursery, but only because I always feel obligated to buy after talking with a salesperson and nurseries are triple, quadruple the price of HD/Lowe's/online here, so I just avoid putting myself in that situation   If you don't feel obligated to buy after talking with folks, go pick their brains!  They're wonderful founts of knowledge.

northtamarack

Things that do well in MN

Early Summer

Irisis, need full sun! 

Bleeding heart  - oh so easy and pretty!

Peony

Columbine,

Wild Geranium - mine is light pink, not sure if they come in other colors.  Very easy to maintain, will spread

Early to Mid summer

Pearly everlastings (very pretty, white will spread, attracts butterflies)

Tansy (can be white or red)

Bee Balm - will attract butterflies, will also spread.  Comes in red and purple. These are taller.

Cone flowers - likes to put down a tap root Now you can find them in a variety of colors

Daisy's can give nice color as well

Late summer

Mums are a MUST!!!!  I have yellow mums that are very, very hardy,

 

As far as your annuals go, pansy's and petunias are a great start.  I also agree with a pp who said geraniums.  I winter them inside though.  Snap dragons can be fun, as well as alyssum for a borded. 

HTH! 

 

 

 

FoxinFiji

For evergreen shurbs people in the cold climates are pretty limited but there are some if you do your homework.  Are you a zone 4 or 3?  I'm a zone 4 and I'm working on creating some flower beds on the front of my house with evergreens.

Dwarf conifers grow slowly but you never have to prune them or worry they'll block your windows.  Once established they need little care and can grow in almost any soil.  I have all part shade conditions (not ideal for conifers) but I'm able to grow Canadian Hemlocks, Korean Firs, Japanese Yews, and Sawara Cypress.

Rhododendron.  The PJM varieties are really the only ones that do well and even those are not as dense as they would be in a warmer climate.

Boxwood.  The Chicagoland (aka Glencloe) and Green Velvet varieties stay nice and small.