Guide To Garden Plants: The Intermediate Guide For Garden Plants

Four Seasons of Garden Plants

Choose vegetables and herbs your family likes to eat. If you live in a shaded area, look at cultivating vegetables that thrive in shade such as kale, broccoli and spinach.

Learn about the differences between plants belonging to the same family by knowing their botanical names. Knowing their life cycles can aid you in planning your garden and take care of it.

Small Ornamental Trees

Trees add a sense the size of a garden and provide visual interest throughout the year. They are a great source of colorful spring bloom, attractive autumn foliage and berries, or seeds. They can also provide shade and privacy for a patio or entryway. Ornamental trees can be used as a focal point. They can be planted in a small group to create small groves or as part of an ornamental shrub and flower border. You can purchase smaller ornamental trees pre-pruned into tree-like forms in nurseries, or buy them as bare-root. Many large trees can be cut back to a smaller ornamental tree form also such as viburnums and late lilacs and winged euonymus.

If you have a garden in an area that is hot and sunny that is well-drained the blossoming trees will attract butterflies and other pollinators. Crape myrtle, for example (Lagerstroemia Indica) is a favorite in the south because of its long blooming period of violets and pinks from the summer through to the fall. Its leaves change from red and yellow in the fall and it has attractive exfoliating bark in winter. It is resistant to cold temperatures from zones 5 to 9.

The heptacodium miconioides or seven-sons tree blooms with tiny white flowers from late summer to early fall. It is tolerant of full sun. Once established, it's a great way to add height along a deck that is too small. It is hardy from USDA zones 5 to 9.

In areas with shade, the golden Irish yew (Chamaecyparis tricarpa) can add a splash of color to shady corners of the  garden  thanks to its blue-green and green leaves. It is slow-growing, needs pruning properly and thrives in full sun or in partial shade. The narrow, fastigiate shape of this plant makes it an the ideal choice to plant in tight spaces.

Flowering Vines

The flowering vines are either annuals that bloom for a single season or perennials that bring an element of color to the landscape for many years. Some of these plants require an sturdy trellis that can be climbed. Others can just sprawl out on the ground. They are able to quickly fill the vertical spaces in the garden which adds the appearance and interest where there could otherwise be empty space. Vines are available in a diverse range of colors and bloom times, with plants for every USDA Hardiness Zone. There are also many different varieties of climbing vines, from clinging or woody varieties, like English Ivy, and non-woody or herbaceous varieties, like morning glory and nasturtium.

Certain types of flowers provide flowering vines with additional appeal. The black-eyed Susan vine produces masses of bright orange, yellow or white flowers with dark centers. This fast-growing annual works well as a trellis in sun and also in containers. It's also a favorite for hanging baskets where it can be twisted around supports.

If you're looking for a sturdier alternative to the black-eyed Susan, try clematis. This perennial is popular and comes in a variety shades that include shades of yellow, pink, white and apricot. Certain clematis like Duchess Edinburgh and Josephine have large, fragrant blooms that bloom in the early spring. Others, like Sweet Autumn, bloom all throughout the summer and fall.

Carolina jessamine is another evergreen flowering vine. This native to the southern United States makes a beautiful addition to a  garden  or container with its golden yellow trumpet-shaped blooms. It can reach heights of a hundred feet with the right support and isn't pruned. This makes it an ideal plant to screen views, or for an area of shade in a yard.

Container Plants

Container plants add instant color to your garden without the long-term commitment of planting in raised beds or ground. They also make a great focal point at the entrance to a house. They're also a great way to plant flowers, herbs or vegetables at eye-level to make it easy to pick and cook. Containers can be almost anything such as barrels (even half-barrels of wood) and baskets, buckets containers, window troughs, boxes and even bath tubs or Urns.

Knowing your plants and giving the proper amount of attention is crucial to the success of your container garden. Watering plants in containers more often is important because they dry out faster than those planted in the ground. Early morning watering is ideal because it provides them with enough moisture to last through the hotter midday hours.  garden plants  prevents dampness on leaves at night that promotes diseases.

Find trailing plants with bright blooms or lively foliage to fill a container garden. Coleus thrives in pots, and comes in a broad range of colors as well in dark green and variegated leaf shapes. Geraniums with ivy flowers are another appealing option. It's a popular plant for sunny containers and it will self-clean so you don't need to deadhead.

If you're looking to grow taller outdoor potted plant, try Japanese pieris (Pieris japonica and cvs. Zones 6-8). It blooms in spring or summer with stunning pink, salmon-pink, white, or red flowers.  raised garden beds  of this deer-resistant plant can transform a space in the sun or shade. Papyrus is also a fantastic filler for large containers, and its tufts with vibrantly colored leaves look stunning hanging over the sides. Golden creeping Jenny is another option (Lysimachia numularia 'Aurea', Zones 4-8). It's a fantastic trailing plant that's perfect for containers with sunnier conditions and its yellow coins-shaped leaves are beautiful with most other colors.

Mid-Sized Trees

There is space in the garden for flowers that don't have to be awe-inspiring heights. These beauties add visual texture and form, and are a source of all year round interest. They also help bring a garden to life with their colors, flowers, and scents. These tiny trees are ideal to fill in a small garden, or in the front yard, or as an accent.

Crape myrtles are a classic illustration of this type of flowering tree. Breeders have created many colors, from lilac-purple blooms like Muskogee crape myrtle to the stunning hot pinks of Strawberry Dazzle crape myrtle to the rich reds of Dynamite and the elegant white of Natchez crape myrtles. These trees grow quickly and flower all summer. They can last for 40 years with proper care.

Serviceberry (Melancholiaxlucida) is another beautiful deciduous tree that has flowers. This native tree has stunning white flowers in spring followed by tasty dark blue berries and finely toothed leaves. It also has a red and yellow autumn colour, and a light brown winter bark. Serviceberry can be grown in full sun, average soil that is well drained and drought-resistant once established.

If you need a small tree that is evergreen, look into swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor). This fast-growing, disease-free tree can be found in wetlands, where other trees aren't as adaptable. It will even tolerate some flooding and is a great option for wet areas in which other trees may drown. It can reach 50-60 feet with a rounded shape and is an excellent choice for clay and wet soils. It is also drought-resistant after it is established and able to withstand air pollution.

Light Requirements

When looking at plant tags, there are numerous references to "full sun,"" "partial sun" and even "part shade." The majority of the time the terms aren't clearly defined. Plants that need full sun require a minimum of 6 hours of direct sun per day. The sun's rays can be the most intense between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Therefore, the spot of a garden that is full sun needs to be protected from the harsh, dry afternoon sun.

The majority of vegetables and fruiting fruits need full sun, but a few will tolerate light shade. The same is true of leafy green vegetables, however it could take longer for these crops to mature and produce when they are growing in shaded areas.

Partial sun refers to garden areas that get three to six hours of direct sunlight per day, but the rest of the time these areas are moderately shaded or receive diffused sunlight from shadows of trees and leaves. The ideal partial sun or partial shade spot is on the east side of your home. This will provide cool morning sunlight and early afternoon shade for the majority of sun-loving plants such as rhododendrons, azaleas and macrophylla hydrangeas.

Full shade is the term used to describe extremely dark areas that are not exposed to direct sunlight. These areas could be covered by high evergreens or structures that hang over, or they could just be enclosed passageways and  gardens  between houses. These areas are difficult to establish a garden in because of the competition for moisture with tree roots and the lack of sunlight. If you find a flower or plant that doesn't thrive in this type of shade, move it to another spot and add water as needed. Shade-loving plants include astilbes, golden Hakone Grass, goatsbeard and a variety ferns.