Double Duty Gardening

Spring is upon us and green thumbs are itching to get back into the soil. Many flowering plants can do more than just create a beautiful landscape around your home. Choosing varieties carefully will add to the success of your gardening endeavors!

Attract Butterflies and Hummingbirds. Grow nectar-rich flowers to draw flocks of butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden. Choose from the following plants to attract these graceful creatures: ageratum, asclepia (butterfly weed), asters, black-eyed Susans, columbines, coreopsis, cornflowers, cosmos, foxgloves, impatiens, marigolds, monarda, nasturtiums, nicotiana, pentas, petunias, phlox, purple coneflowers, snapdragons, salvia, and zinnias. Remember to also put out a source of water for your flighty friends!

Repel Wildlife. We know how much damage a hungry rabbit or foraging deer and do to our vegetable gardens and lawn plantings! Certain varieties of plants have scents that will discourage unwanted visitors when placed around the edges of your garden or yard.

To keep bunnies at bay, try calendula, chrysanthemums, columbines, four o’clocks, foxgloves, gladiolus, hollyhocks, impatiens, irises, larkspur, morning glories, nicotiana, snapdragons, sweet peas, or verbena.

To deter deer, plant ageratum, begonias, black-eyes Susans, chrysanthemums, columbines, coreopsis, cosmos, foxglove, irises, lavender, monarda, purple coneflowers, salvia, Shasta daisies, verbena, vinca, yarrow, or zinnias. Some useful herbs have an aroma that is pleasant to humans but obnoxious to deer. Catnip, thyme, and sweet woodruff will convince deer that there is nothing good to eat here!

Fill In Trouble Spots. Every yard has a spot where plants just don’t want to grow well. For moist or wet spots, first increase the drainage by working sand, peat moss, compost, or shredded leaves into the soil. Then try these plants: astilbe, coleus, columbines, forget-me-nots, foxgloves, Gerbera daisies, irises, lobelia, monarda, or torenias.

Plants that will thrive in poor soil include coneflowers, cosmos, four o’clocks, nasturtium, portulaca, and yarrow. These varieties won’t tolerate much fertilizer so use about half the amount recommended on the package.

Drought-resistant varieties will thrive in ground that is dry if they are set close together and mulched. Add some extra fertilizer at planting time. Try varieties such as asclepia, black-eyed Susans, cleome, coreopsis, gaillardia, gomphrena, lavender, marigolds, portulaca, salvia, strawflowers, sunflowers, verbena, and yarrow.

Shady spots can be brightened with astilbe, Bells of Ireland, columbines, coral bells, foxgloves, forget-me-nots, heliotrope, salvia, and torenia. In areas with deep shade (under evergreen trees, where no light filters through), plant coleus, impatiens, lobelia, torenia, or wax begonias. Plants that receive little sunlight tend to grow leggy, so pinch their growing tips back often to encourage bushy growth and more blossoms. Off-white or pastel flower beds are especially attractive in shady areas.

In areas of your yard where the lawn mower won’t reach, consider groundcover plants. In dry, shady spots bergenia, bishop’s weed, blue fescue, heartleaf, lily-of-the-valley, lilyturf, periwinkle, or wintercreeper can be used Fill in wet areas with creeping Jenny, lady’s mantle, hostas, meadow anemone, primrose, strawberry geranium, primrose, or sweet woodruff. Deep-rooted varieties will stabilize a steep slope. Bracken, cotoneasters, creeping junipers, crownvetch, daylilies, lady’s mantle, sedums, verbena, wintercreeper, and verbena are good choices.

Add Fragrance To Your Garden. Old-fashioned varieties of flowers are more fragrant and will add a sweet aroma. Choose alyssum, dianthus, heliotrope, nicotiana, petunias, or sweet peas.

Interior Decorating. Bring some of your beautiful flowers inside to enjoy! Roses and lisianthus should be cut when the first two petals begin to uncurl. Black-eyed Susans, daisies, sunflowers, and zinnias should be cut when the outsides are open and the centers are still firm. Gladiolus, larkspur, snapdragons, and stocks should be cut when the first four flowers on the stem have unfurled. Asters, cosmos, marigolds, and yarrow should be cut when all the petals are fully open. Celosia, statice, and strawflowers should be cut when blooms are fully developed. There is a special skill involved in cutting flowers to keep them fresh. Always cut flowers in the morning, while their stems are still plump with water and before the blossoms become wilted from the heat of the day. Cut the stem at an angle to increase the surface area the stem can use to draw in water. Remove the lower leaves and soak the stems in lukewarm water for two hours before arranging cut flowers. Be sure to use a clean vase, and change the water every day.

Good Flowers For Beginning Gardeners. If your green thumb hasn’t fully developed yet, these varieties will grow easy-care blooms with lots of color. Choose cosmos, impatiens, petunias, marigold, or zinnias. Start small and add new varieties each year as your gardening skill grows.

A carefully considered choice of plantings will enhance the natural beauty of your outside environment while solving many gardening problems. Check web resources or talk to the owner of your local nursery to learn which varieties are best suited for your planting zone and the particular care required.