Friday's Gardening's

I’m going to start today with some basic horticulture knowledge.

Do you know which zone you are in?

The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) has published a hardiness zones list. Basically, this tells you what you can, and can’t, grow in your backyard. It is based on the average cold temperatures in an area. It starts at Zone 1 being the coldest (like Alaska) and zone 11 being the hottest. Rexburg ID is a Zone 4, Salt Lake area is a 5, Washington is a 6-7. Anyway, go here:

http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html

scroll down past the map and click on your state. A larger version of the area you live in will come up. It’s kind of hard to tell from the pictures, but make your best guess. You can also ask at a local nursery as well.

When someone emails me a question, I will just post their first names and the zone they live in.

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Each and every plant is known by two names. Common and botanical. Botanical is good to know because there is only one botanical name for a specific plant. Some common names could be three or four different plants. So if at all possible, especially with trees, shrubs and perennials, try to get the botanical name. It’s latin-based, so write it down because they can be hard to remember. I will put the botanical name in parentheses; if there are none, then the common and botanical names are one in the same.

Annual plants die each year. They are great for bedding plants, to put in places where you have bulbs. So after your tulips and daffodils die, you can still have color. They typically bloom for a while and have lots of color. Pansies, Primroses and Violas are great in the early spring when there is still a chance of freezing. They are very hardy to cold and will bloom until it gets really warm in late spring/early summer.

Perennials come back each spring/summer. They are so much more cost effective, but still, most only have a 3-5 year lifespan.

My favorites:
Lavender (Lavandula): smells good, looks pretty and goes great in bouqets. Cut it back in the spring, or whenever it gets unruly. Don’t mind hot and dry. Full sun. Zones 5-9.
Try: Goodwin Creek Gray, Woolly Lavender, and Hidcote. There are Spanish, French and English Varieties.

French Lavender

Blanket Flower (Gaillardia): I love the brightness of these daisy-like flowers. They are just so happy! Full sun. Regular water. Zones 3-10.

'Goblin' Variety

Conflower (Echinacea): These are also daisy-like. Purple, Pink, and White. Drought Tolerant. Zones 3-9.

Merlot Coneflower

Daylilies (Hemerocallis): There are many different varieties - but I like 'Stella de Oro Dwarf' daylily and 'Happy Returns' Dwarf daylily. They bloom all summer long. Very low maintenance, good for pots. Zones 3-9.

Happy Returns variety

Sedum: Good groundcovers, and also upright plants. Most have cute, petite flowers. They are succulents, which means they like it dry. Hard to kill! Most grow in zones 3-11.

Autumn Fire Stonecrop

Bronze Blanket Stonecrop

Foxglove (Digitalis): A moist, bog loving plant. Zones 4-9.

Foxy Foxglove

Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans): Bright colored (pink/yellow) climbing vine that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. This is more of a shrub than a perennial. Zones 4-9.

Trumpet Creeper

*All photos Monrovia.com*

There are so many more perennials that are great for the garden. If you need more ideas, let me know!

Have a question? email me at martnicole AT hotmail DOT com.