The word “hardy” in the garden world means that a plant can withstand a cold winter or adverse growing conditions. Hardiness zones help us to understand what is best suited to our climate and were established by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Most of Connecticut has climate zones 5a, 5b or a warmer zone 6 near the shoreline.

Annual, Perennial or Biennial?

A “perennial” is a plant that will grow for at least two years; however, we hope to get many more years from them. Most perennials only bloom for a few weeks of time during the growing season but come back every year. It can take two to three seasons for a perennial to mature and flower, so staying power is the key to growing a perennial garden. Initially perennials cost more, but you can save money by going to local plant swaps or organizing a Friendship Garden for a new homeowner by collecting divided perennials from friends and family. Most gardeners are eager to share what they can from their perennial borders so don’t be afraid to ask.

A “biennial” is a plant that takes two seasons to complete its life cycle and flower. Usually the first season is spent growing and the second season flowering or fruiting.  Foxgloves (Digitalis grandiflora), heirloom varieties of Hollyhock (Alcea) and the Silver Dollar (Lunaria annua) plants are biennial. I would suggest letting the heirloom varieties go to seed the first two years by not cutting off the spent flowers.  By the third year you will have enough plants growing to bloom for you each year and enough to share with others!

 An "annual" will complete its entire life cycle in one growing season.(germinate, grow, flower and set seed) These plants generally flower through the summer season and can be added to perennial borders.  The addition of annuals adds more color and fills in empty spaces. Annuals also need to be planted every year. Some heirloom varieties of annuals such as the Portulaca and Cosmos will re-seed themselves for another season if our winter is mild. 

Sunlight Requirements

  The next step to understanding what and where to plant is sun requirements. Each plant will have a need for a certain amount of sun or shade per day (which should be listed on the planting stick or label). Full sun is 4-6 hours of sunlight per day. Partial sun or partial shade is at least 4 hours per day of sunlight. Bright shade is an area where a plant will grow on the edge of a woody area that is bright from the sun but sunlight is not directly on it. Many flowering shade plants such as Fuchsia and begonias need this type of light to flower properly. Full shade is just that; no direct sun at any time of the day. If a plant is placed in the right amount of sunlight, it will flower well and thrive. 

Soil Improvement

  If you are starting a garden fresh or reviving an overgrown and neglected area, the soil is very important. Begin by adding as much composted material as you can to enrich the garden soil. I would not recommend adding any synthetic fertilizers without a soil test because it may cause an imbalance. Compost and aged manure can be purchased in bags at your local discount stores, garden centers or brought in by the truckload. Aged Cow manure is a great treat for the soil as well as rabbit and horse manure. Manure can often be collected for free or a small fee at many horse and dairy farms. 

  Soils are also improved in time by applying shredded bark mulch every year. The mulch will decompose and turn to compost. This will help the soil from drying out too quickly in the summer, keeps weeds down, and will add a nice finished look to the landscape. Both bark mulch and mulching with recycled grass clippings will get the job done. Good advise is not to mulch too deeply and to keep mulch away from the base of the trees at the trunk as this can cause problems for the tree. Also, understand what you are getting when purchasing mulch. Some hardwood mulch has bark and roots in it that is not healthy for the garden soil. Cedar mulch, Southern Pine bark mulch are a bit more expensive, but are better to use and last longer than the less expensive mulches.

Watering Practices

  Watering practices are another basic that many gardeners need to understand, especially for those of us who are limited in their water supply by having a well.  I have found that the toughest perennials in my garden have gone through a nasty two years of drought. Liatris “Kobold” and “Snow Queen”, Echinacea purpurea and “White Swan”, as well as annual Nasturtiums. All of these plants thrived in the hot, dry summer and saved my gardens from the dustbowl of a drought.

  Drought tolerant perennials and annuals are only “drought tolerant” once they have established themselves for at least a year and only if they are trained to be.  Perennials should be watered very well once a week, (a bit more for newly planted perennials) and soaked. If there has been 1" of rain a per week with a rain gauge, a perennial gardens do not need to be watered. This will make the roots grow deep into the ground, in search of moisture, which will save its life in a drought. If you water too often, the roots become very shallow and when the weather is dry, the plant is stressed and may die.

     Too much water can be deadly to plants because they cannot get enough oxygen from soggy soil, especially potted plants.  Annuals will need to be watered a bit more often as they have shallow root systems.

                                                                       Planting Times

  Planting in the spring should be completed before the very hot weather of summer arrives. In many cases, it is too warm for a plant to get started by the time summer is here. If you cannot plant before summer, early to mid autumn is best for most perennials. Roses are best planted in early spring as soon as the ground can be worked.  

  Annuals should be planted in spring. Many New England gardeners like to wait until after the first full moon in May, however, there is never a guarantee as we learned last year with cold temperatures late in May. It is a good idea to keep old blankets on hand to protect your annuals from late frost. The exceptions such as herbaceous Peonies and Tall Bearded Iris should be planted or divided in the early to mid fall as well as spring flowering bulbs like Tulips and Narcissus. This year with the cool temperatures and rainy conditions, many garden centers have gotten off to a slow start. 

  The passion for gardening reaches every walk of life. It may not be for everyone, but with all of the stress in our everyday life, walking out to the garden and digging in to the cool earth releases stress. Take some time out to plant the Roses.