Hello all,
I am new to gardening, but decided I wanted to give it a try this year. I have a large layered rock garden, with lots of open space at the base (which receives a great deal of sun), and at the top of the rock garden is a large level area with good soil and partial shade.
I started all of my flowers indoors in March (I live in northern Wisconsin, so it'll be awhile before I can put anything outside). Since I'm new to this, I decided to start a lot of different varieties so I could see what works and what doesn't. I wasn't expecting them all to thrive, but all my seeds sprouted and they appear to be doing quite well. Here is what I have:
Cosmos (Bright Lights collection and chocolate)
Daylilly
Stargazer Lilly
Toad Lilly
Tricolor Daisies
Sweet Pea
Forget-Me-Not
Rock Cress
Foxglove
Delphinium
Snapdragons
Asylum (Pink and White varieties)
Morning Glory
Moonflower
Bachelors Buttons (2 varities, 1 mixed and 1 blue)
Columbine
Aster
Gaillardia
Sweet William
Coleus
Hostas
Monarda
Black Eyed Susan
Liatrus
Oriental Poppy
Portulaca
Zinnia
Impatiens
It really seems like a lot, but I do have a big space and plan to give what I can't fit to my neighbors. I have areas of full sun, partial shade, and full shade available for planting. Does anyone have advice as to which of these I should pair together in my garden? Any advice would be HUGELY appreciated. Also, I know some flowers don't bloom their first year...if anyone knows which I can hope to get to bloom this year, I'd love a heads up! (: Thanks in advance!
-
lorax
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1316
- Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2010 5:48 pm
- Location: Ecuador, USDA Zone 13, at 10,000' of altitude
The Coleus and Hostas should go in the shadiest spot you've got, near the front of that level (they're relatively low-growing). These generally are not grown for their flowers, but for their foliage; the Hostas may bloom this year (possibly next).
Liatris, Cosmos, Delphinium, Foxglove, are all very tall flowers and should be in back rows; they'll tolerate anything from full sun to part shade. Delphinium and Foxglove are early summer bloomers; Cosmos will start in midsummer and bloom until the frost kills it, and Liatris will start in late summer and last past the first frost.
The Sweet Peas and Morning Glory are vines, and you need to give them something to climb (plus Morning Glories can go invasive on you and try to strangle everything around them - keep an eye on them and you'll be OK.) Both are relatively early bloomers (they'll begin late spring and keep going all season); Sweet Peas are highly fragrant and excellent cut flowers.
Portulaca is a groundcover, as are Rock Cress and Sweet Alyssum. They'll do best in the partly sunny areas. You may see flowers on the Portulaca in late summer, if not this year than next. Assuming that you've got Aubretia spp for the cress, that's a midsummer to frost bloomer. The Alyssum will start in late spring and carry on until the snow kills it.
The remainder are mid-height flowers, mostly summer to fall bloomers, that will do well all across the garden area as they're quite tolerant of a range of conditions. Personally, I'd group them by colours (mostly pinks in one area; mostly blues/purples in another and so on), but there's also something to be said for random colour placement, which gives the sense of a cottage garden filled with wildflowers.
Oh, and one more hint - the Moonflowers, if they're Datura of any sort, are night-blooming and fragrant. You might want to plant them in an area where they're accessible for snorfling at twilight. You'll also want ot keep their seedpods in check to prevent them from spreading too much.
Liatris, Cosmos, Delphinium, Foxglove, are all very tall flowers and should be in back rows; they'll tolerate anything from full sun to part shade. Delphinium and Foxglove are early summer bloomers; Cosmos will start in midsummer and bloom until the frost kills it, and Liatris will start in late summer and last past the first frost.
The Sweet Peas and Morning Glory are vines, and you need to give them something to climb (plus Morning Glories can go invasive on you and try to strangle everything around them - keep an eye on them and you'll be OK.) Both are relatively early bloomers (they'll begin late spring and keep going all season); Sweet Peas are highly fragrant and excellent cut flowers.
Portulaca is a groundcover, as are Rock Cress and Sweet Alyssum. They'll do best in the partly sunny areas. You may see flowers on the Portulaca in late summer, if not this year than next. Assuming that you've got Aubretia spp for the cress, that's a midsummer to frost bloomer. The Alyssum will start in late spring and carry on until the snow kills it.
The remainder are mid-height flowers, mostly summer to fall bloomers, that will do well all across the garden area as they're quite tolerant of a range of conditions. Personally, I'd group them by colours (mostly pinks in one area; mostly blues/purples in another and so on), but there's also something to be said for random colour placement, which gives the sense of a cottage garden filled with wildflowers.
Oh, and one more hint - the Moonflowers, if they're Datura of any sort, are night-blooming and fragrant. You might want to plant them in an area where they're accessible for snorfling at twilight. You'll also want ot keep their seedpods in check to prevent them from spreading too much.
