Selecting Plants for Annual Gardens and Perennial Gardens...

Every year when selecting plants for the gardening season I stand inside each greenhouse and contemplate. My eyes slowly glaze over. It's the same every year. I am overwhelmed at the beautiful, breathtaking mass of plant color and texture. So many plants, so many decisions.

It seems that all of the plants call out to me. What to buy? Well, for starters I must keep my garden design in mind and since I had three rather large garden beds to fill and a few smaller ones, I try to approach the process one flowerbed garden at a time.

As I aimlessly wander, I touch and sniff my way through the vast rows of perennials and annuals. I also think back to my successful (and not so successful) plantings from previous years.

When reading My Garden Designing Page and discovering how easy it is to draw your flowerbed layout and then read my My Flowerbed Design Page, and discover my 10 Basic Elements, I hope I gave the impression that overall garden and flowerbed design requires at least a little forethought.

So, once the actual garden design layout is completed and you have decided on your flowerbed style (to match your home) and your garden soil preparation done, the plantings come next. But before you ring up the cash register, please consider the points below:

do I want to plant only annuals? (last for one season)
do I want to plant only perennials? (return each season)
do I want trees and shrubs?
or maybe all of the above

Even incorporating a variety of shrubs and trees into the process takes time and research. So, take it easy. Gardening is an ever learning, never stopping process.

What about color schemes in Selecting Plants?

What color scheme do I want? For example: If using shades of only one color (and depending on which color chosen), plant selection could be limited.

Here's a great link for a color wheel chart and additional information on Color Wheels.

What about flowerbed schemes in Selecting Plants?

Whether annuals, perennials, shrubs or trees are chosen and the color scheme is thought out, also consider the following before the plants are purchased:

will your flowerbed have a formal scheme? Meaning that all plants are symmetrically placed

will your flowerbed have a standard scheme? Meaning that 3 sizes of plants are used; taller in the center (like the Cleome ), medium (like the Salvia ) and shorter for the edging (like the Ageratum). This scheme is usually found in parks or areas where large island flowerbeds are created.

will your flowerbed have an informal scheme? Meaning that the plants are not symmetrically placed, but rather planted in groups and the sizes can be intermixed. This is my favorite scheme

will your flowerbed be a mass planting scheme? Meaning that the planting is made up of only one kind of plant. For example: beside the length of a walkway many gardeners plant narrow strips of Impatiens or Begonias.

There is no such thing as a black thumb. Only 'green thumbs' on this website! Right?

When You Are Selecting Plants

Consider the following...

if you have a water feature, why not create a pond landscape that offers a solitude place of reflection, which I did with Hydrangeas, Purple Spreading Veronica, Marigolds, Grasses, Coreopsis, Nelia, Russian Sage and Red Potunias. Notice the colors I chose? A contrasting scheme. I chose colors directly across from each other on the color wheel; yellow, red, purple and dark pink.

create a patchwork of colors (using all colors from the color wheel) like I did for my island garden, south garden and middle garden or a polychromatic scheme. Some say there is a danger with this kind of color scheme. Too bright, too busy. This is true. However, with careful consideration on the 'hue of colors', repeat planting and throwing in some silver and white repeatedly, I believe it works and looks great!

turn your containers into an overflow of greenery, texture and color using fillers and spillers. I use container planting within my flowerbeds

give scent to some parts of the garden. Plant close the the flowerbed edge. I planted plenty of Lavender, Lemon Balm, Pavement Roses, Bee Balm, Catmint

add contrast with textures such as Lambs Ear, Ladys Mantle, Ligularia, Sedum, Coral Bells

add a little drama with specimen plants, like the Siberian Larch Tree, Arctic Blue Willow Shrub

And speaking of color...do you lean towards buying certain colors? Does color influence mood in the garden?

I believe so. Maybe that's why I choose such vibrant colors so I can stay stimulated and full of energy.

For example:

Red- Acts as an energizer. Gives an urgency. The color keeps a person alert. Red Potunia, Salvias, Nicotiana, Roses, Petunias, Celosia, Lantana, Verbena

Oranges - Warms and welcomes people to your garden. Stimulates. Gazania, Calendula, Celosia, Marigold, Ligularia Othello

Yellows - Offers optimism for all plants to grow and flourish. Cheerful and lively. Marigold, Calendula, Gazania, Celosia, Roses, Goldenrod, Lantana, Ligularia Rocket, Loosestrife Yellow, Coreopsis

Blues - Leads to a sense of calm. A person become less nervous in the garden and supposedly reduces blood pressure. Spiderwort, Salvia Black and Blue, Salvia Blue Night, Globe Thistle, Felicia Daisy, Forget-Me-Not

Purples - Another color to calm the nerves and brings a feeling of self worth. Also denotes power, royalty. Liatris, Bellflower, Bee Balm, Catmint, Lavender, Russian Sage, Coneflower, Scabiosa

Pinks - Makes people congenial and relaxed. Pastel pinks are romatic, deeper tones are sophisticated while bright pinks leans towards uplifting and exuberant. Double Pink Coneflower, Dianthus Arctic Fire, Roses, Cosmos

White - Invigorates, energizes and provides a tranquility. I have heard it said in a garden magazine that white acts as a peacekeeper in the garden. David Phlox, Becky Daisy, Alyssum, JP Connel Rose, Endless Love Lily

Green - Offers a quiet, modest, calming sense. It represents a renewal in the garden. Euonymus Emerald Gold, Ladys Mantle, Coleus, coral Bells, Hosta

Links to all of the above plants are listed on my Site Index Page. Also, all of my plants mentioned above can be found in the links below.

Check out the related links below for my perennials and annuals for 2008, 2009 and 2010:

My Annuals from the 2008 Makeover Season

My Perennials from the 2008 Makeover Season

My Annuals for 2009 Makeover Season

My 2010 Plant List

My Perennials from the 2009 Makeover Season

My Garden Shrubs

GREAT GARDENING TIPS... for beginner gardeners and seasoned:

Plants for Sun

Plants for Shade

Red Flowering Plants

During any gardening season, I continue checking each flowerbed for 'bare' spots. In most cases I will plant annuals to fill in these spots. After all, perennials do take a few years (at least 3) to get their growth established.

Why not view my Flowerbed Pictures Page and get a view of some of my flowerbeds for the 2009 year and some of my images for the 2010 Gardening Season.

Related pages:

Go back from Selecting Plants Page to Gardening and Landscaping Makeover Home Page

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