Apr 26, 2008 7:35 pm US/Central
Flower Power: When To Plant What, And Where
(WCCO)
-
-
"Those will be the first things that are starting to pop up. They'll be flowering here in the next three to four weeks," said John Sather, talking about tulips.
CBS
We know you're itching to get your hands in the dirt and start planting your garden, but you really want to wait until at least Mother's Day to put most plants in the ground.
With a little planning, you can have color in your yard all year long.
The key to keeping your yard and garden blooming is to layer bulbs, annuals and perennials. In late April, you should be seeing your tulips peeking out.
"Those will be the first things that are starting to pop up. They'll be flowering here in the next three to four weeks," said John Sather, with the Minnehaha Falls Nursery.
Sather also suggests cannas, callas and dahlias. They'll give you a great show of color into July. Annuals will give you the best, immediate color burst.
"Long bloomer, this is a plant you can put out right now, and not have any worry about frost. Easy to take care of," said Sather.
Picking the right perennial is a simple way to extend your work and your wallet.
"There's a lot of perennials you can intermix in with your shrubs and annuals to get color," he added.
Plants hardy to Zone 4 will keep coming back. Dalvia and bleeding hearts are all good options. So is dianthus.
"They could start flowering as early as two weeks from now, and they'll go through frost," said Sather.
"Annabel Hydrangea, which is also referred to as a snowball plant, where you get the big white flowers on it, they're going to come in probably June through July, and into August. And there'll be the nice big white flowers that'll be hanging over. Nice simple clean plant," explained Sather. "Sedum are a late summer flower. They'll get some height, you'll get some decent color looking. That's the flower that kind of looks like broccoli or cauliflower."
Sather said not to worry if you have some shady spots.
"In the shade, obviously ferns will do well and give you some green color. Hostas will give you green color and then a late stock flower come late summer," said Sather.
You don't have to sacrifice color during the winter, either.
"Dwarf burning bush, this is the plant that is bright red, all fall long, and it also has a little winter interest. It's hard to tell now with all the foliage, but the bark almost looks square because it's just got ridges on it," he said.
You can also split many perennials and move them around your yard and garden if you want to add or take away some color.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
