Photo courtesy of Linda Laine
Interested in gardening but don’t know where to begin? Are you a master gardener looking for a new challenge? We have a plant recommendation for you and everyone in between.
Photo courtesy of Linda Laine
For beginner gardeners: Begonia
Plant, water every now and then, and enjoy! Begonias are an easy way to keep your garden looking nice and can help develop good gardening habits.
- Annual
- Sun exposure: can be planted in the sun or shade, really anywhere you want
- Soil: can tolerate some dry soil and some lightly wet
- Water needs: every 3-4 days
- Great for hanging baskets
- Comes in many different colors and is in bloom from spring until fall
For intermediate gardeners: Annabelle Hydrangea
Photo courtesy of Linda Laine
Requiring just slightly more care than begonias, hydrangeas are the perfect plant for developing your gardening skills.
- Perennial
- Sun exposure: partial sun, can take shade and can withstand direct sunlight
- Soil: moist
- Water needs: every 3-4 days
- There are many different types of hydrangeas in a variety of colors that you can also plant such as the Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangea, Pinky Winky Hydrangea, Bobo Hydrangea, Little Lamb Hydrangea and more
For advanced gardeners: Dahlia
Photo courtesy of Linda Laine
A more difficult plant to grow, dahlias require a lot of care and upkeep; however, these stunning flowers are definitely worth the work.
- Sun: these flowers like a lot of sunlight so be sure to plant them where they will get between 6-8 hours per day
- Water: depending upon how sunny and hot it is, dahlias may need to be watered up to every other day
- Soil: dug up and loosened with compost
- When planting dahlias, the tubers should have an eye of green growth and be put into the ground when the soil is warm
- Pro tips: Want to enjoy dahlias but don’t want to wait for the weather to warm up the soil? Plant them indoors about six weeks ahead of Mother’s Day and then transfer them outdoors.
- As dahlias grow, you’ll want to tie them loosely to a stake every couple of inches.
- Sizes of dahlias can range from one inch to the size of a plate.
- Dahlias like to be pruned, so you are guaranteed to have fresh-cut flowers in your home until the first freeze.
Pro gardening tips from Linda Laine, a gardener in the WesterFlora Garden Committee, about winter plant survival
- When choosing a plant look at the growing zone or the down to degree on the tag. By aligning these to the climate and growing zone of central Ohio, your growing success can be greatly increased.
- Plant survival in the winter can also depend on if there is snow covering the plant during extremely low temperatures. So, if your local meteorologist calls for freezing temperatures and snow be sure to cover and protect your plants.
Sara Dowler is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
