Help with what to plant in new garden?

I'm new to the whole gardening thing; I have an area outside I'd like to plant in...it's a raised area next to the house surrounded by rocks. It gets lots of sunlight throughout the day. Any suggestions what to plant there? I want a variety of height and color. Can I go to a garden store and just buy a bunch of flowers?

Help with what to plant in new garden?
Welcome to gardening!





Since you are new, you will want things that are easy to care for. I chose a bunch of culinary stuff for my bed: Tomatoes, green peppers, basil, oregano, sage, and lemon balm. You may want to actually put the lemon balm and oregano in containers, because these two plants are related to mints. Which can spread aggressively. I also got marigold seed.





Check at your local nursery: There should be someone who can advise you there. And take a look at the Arbor Day foundation site for planting zones: There has been some change in climate since the zones were first established.





Good luck!
Reply:Why not plant what you eat and some flowers I would choose perennials though so they come back year after year. And if you want color fast well get you some of those flowers from the store-friends with perennials could also help you out!
Reply:Sure I can, I'm a landscape designer. Unfortunately you cant just go to the nursery and get the plants you like unless you have someone at the nursery to assist you. It's essential to know how certain plants perform in your area. Plus, you've got to make sure the garden bed has some great soil in it. That's the real secret to success in gardening. Don't plant in plain old dirt and expect plants to thrive.





Okay, since I have no way of knowing what part of the country you are in --that is essential information-- I will suggest some plants that like a lot of light.:


Rudbeckia 'Goldstrum'; Vinca/Perriwinkles; Lantana, Wave (type) Petunias, Rosemary, Sedum, Sidalcea (miniature hollyhock);million bells, geranium, marigolds, zinnias, red leaf begonias; 'Margarita' Sweet Potato vine.





For a no-fail, colorful bed of annuals I'd go with a double row border of bright yellow marigolds (the common kind; don't get the fancy African kind)





Then, a double row of bright colored perriwinkles





Next add some 'Wave' petunias (you won't need many they spread and get HUGE.





Then add some lantana behind those. These get huge too, by late summer; mix them in with some rudbeckia (black eyed Susans) for height.





Fertilize with Osmocote. Upon planting use root stimulator to water them in as you go. You get that at the nursery, too. If you follow these steps you will not be disapponinted and are sure to have a successful --and colorful --summer garden.





--All these plants are commonly available at your local nursery.
Reply:There is no mention of actual size of the raised bed. So, it is hard to respond to. Flowers are mentioned ... so I will start from there. Two types of plants... Perennial and Annual. Perennial plants do not have to be replanted each year. They come back year after year. Annuals do not come back.





See the sites below for more information and selections...that you like the descriptions of. Remember to soil test and treat with crushed lime, if possible, before planting. Some plants do better with a specific pH. Hydrangeas change color according to the soil pH. If you have a local Farmer's Co-op, they often have the kits and may offer free service in exchange for agreement to purchase the treatment (lime) from them.





Perennials:





Achillea


Asters


Bleeding Heart


Campanula


Collections


Coneflower


Daisies


Delphinium


Eupatorium


Foxglove


Geraniums


Helenium


Hibiscus


Hosta


Kniphofia


Lavender


Linum


Lupine


Other Perennials


Plants


Rudbeckia


Scabiosa


Verbascum


Viola Agastache


Baby's Breath


Butterfly Bush


Chrysanthemum


Columbines


Coreopsis


Daylilies


Dianthus


Ferns


Gaillardia


Grass


Heuchera


Hollyhocks


Hydrangea


Lady's Mantle


Lilies


Lobelia


Monarda


Phlox


Poppies


Salvia


Sedum


Verbena





Annuals:





Abutilon


Ageratum


Alyssum


Asarina


Asters


Balsam


Bells of Ireland


Calendula


Celosia


Cleome


Collections


Cornflower


Dahlias


Dolichos


Flower Fairies Collection


Gardens


Geraniums


Heirloom Annuals


Ice Plant


Ipomopsis


Kale


Lavatera


Lobelia


Moonflower


Nasturtium


Other Annuals


Pentas


Phlox


Poppy


Rudbeckia


Scabiosa


Spilanthes


Stock


Sunflowers


Tithonia


Verbena


Zinnias Agastache


Alternanthera


Amaranthus


Asclepias


Baby's Breath


Begonias


Browalia


Cardinal Climber


Clarkia/Godetia


Coleus


Convolvulus/Dwarf


Cosmos


Daisies


Dusty Miller


Four O Clocks


Gazania


Gomphrena


Heliotrope


Impatiens


Iresine


Laurentia


Lisianthus


Marigolds


Morning Glory


Nicotiana


Pansies


Petunias


Plants


Portulaca


Salvia


Snapdragons


Statice


Strawflower


Sweet Peas


Torenia


Vinca
Reply:plants, maybe...........
Reply:That would b easy but u need 2 b with ur garden plant things such as sunflowers,hisbiscus ( of all different colors),roses ( all different colours), and other lovely plants.
Reply:if i was u i just plant anything my mind tells me to do. it dont matter how old or young you get.
Reply:A garden store has the healthiest of plants. I would chose a rose bush, lilies, tulips, daffodils, Mint, crocus, and bleeding hearts. They provide a variety of color at different times of the season %26amp; work extremely well in the soil. Peonies are pretty but they draw ants - mean ones.
Reply:In my Openion,Best thing to plant in your garden in something usefull to you.If you plant aflowering plant,only you can do is just enjoy waching it.But if you plant some vegetable or greenary plant one day it will much help for you than a flowering plant.These days you cant find a fresh vegetable or fresh greenary,which is healthy for you.So better plant some vegetables in your garden.
Reply:I have an area like what you are describing on one side of my house.It's a raised bed about 8 by 12 foot.First I refreshed the soil with 2 large bags of miracle grow potting soil,I find the ones labeled garden soil are mostly made up of sand.I dug all the dirt down about a foot deep and added the new soil and mixed it around.I dont know where you live or what zone you are in but I planted lemon grass against the house,it grows tall,is fragrant and has really nice purplish plumes in late summer and fall,{It grows pretty much anywhere}.In front of that I planted three heirloom tomato plants,they have bright yellow flowers and end up bearing colorful striped tomatoes.Those will need to be staked in a few weeks. In front of that I plant a variety of sage{purple flowers},rosemary{tiny pink flowers},and low growing marigolds{assorted colors}.My garden smells wonderful,looks great and I can use most of the plants for cooking and eating.Plus the marigolds and rosemary help keep the bugs away!
Reply:tomatoes cucumbers onions celery radishes





corn


sueellen92934@yahoo.com
Reply:you can, but that would be expensive. It depends on what you want to plant. As for me, I love to plant vegetable gardens. Saves you on money. But most of all the enjoyment of eating fresh veges from your own garden. There's nothing like it. But if you prefer flowers, I would try some of those plant catalogs or walmart. Try looking around to see what appeals to your senses. good luck with your garden, no matter what you choose.
Reply:YES YOU CAN GO TO A GARDEN STORE OR A NURSERY WOULD DO TOO. I THINK WHAT REALLY WOULD LOOK AND GROW GOOD IS ROSES. LOTS OF DIFFERENT COLORS AND ALSO ADD A FEW CARNATIONS THEY WILL GROW GREAT THERE TOO.
Reply:first, each plant or flower requires a different amount of light.


So, check your yard throughout the day to determine how much light it gets.





A great no brain er flower is petunias, they will grow in full sun and all summer long.


A great shaded flower is impatiens, they will also grow all summer long in the shade.





Just play around, you can go to the store and buy whatever you'd like. Just keep in mind the amount of light each requires. Also, don't over water it's easy to do.





Have fun experiment. Hope this helps!
Reply:Lillies are really pretty and will keep coming up every year. Also tulips are pretty. Tulips come up in early spring, so you might want to mix it in with flowers that bloom in later summer so that you have a full garden all season. If you go to the nursery the people there are usually very passionate about gardening and will be happy to help you and give you a lot of tips.
Reply:Yes. you, you could just buy flowers, but you should buy more than one kind. Here's what I suggest you plat: Melons, squash, flowers (at least 3 kinds), herbs, beans, maybe


onions and/or corn.
Reply:Plant


1. Irises


2. Roses


3. Tulips


4. Sun Flowers


5. Daiseys





Also try planting tomatos, blueberrys, rassberrys, lemon tree.
Reply:Try pansies, daffodils and tulips. All relatively easy to plant and great bloomers. Also, try for foxglove or bluebells for differing heights.
Reply:Have it all in your garden space.... along the back plant a couple of tomato plants and put a stake next to them and trellis the tomatoes as the vine grows... the plant will grow up straight if you keep tying it up. recycle bread bag twist ties to tie plant loosely to the stake or trellis.........plant marigolds and garlic next to the tomatoes..... add bell peppers in front of the tomatoes or you can put in sweet potatoes.... sweet potatoes or yams have beautiful green foliage....and you don't harvest them till fall.... the foliage spills over the rocks and keeps the bed from getting too hot in the sunlight.... most people don't know this but Disney World uses sweet potatoes and yams in their green areas because they are soo cheap to plant and are so beautiful in color....also the draping qualities are lovely and the vines can be trimed and shaped.... best gardening tip ever...... plants don't commit suicde, so don't be afraid to trim leaves.... intersperse the sweet potatoes with petunias for more color all summer.
Reply:I shd ask the same question
Reply:A neat thing to combine with flowers is garlic. Garlic comes in all different types, some have plain flowers and some are very colorful. Also, they're resistant to disease and grow in frost. Roses are said to become more fragrant and hardy when planted with garlic.





It's a cool way to incorporate an easy to grow, decorative plant and get some food out of a the deal.
Reply:Buy vegetable seeds. Grow a vegetable garden. It beats going to the store and spending lots a money on a tomato.
Reply:Do we live in a democracy or a constitutional republic? Explain your answer.
Reply:Getting It Right from the Start


Whether you recently moved into a new home or you've just got the gardening itch, planning a new garden can be a great deal of fun. The opportunity to act as creator can be very appealing. But anyone who has gardened for long has learned the necessity of accommodating nature and has developed a sense of humility in the process.


The hardest thing to convince new gardeners of is the need for patience. With the first warm day of spring they are eager to begin planting and nothing can stop them. Many of these bursts of enthusiasm yield ill-conceived gardens doomed to failure. The plants wither and the would-be gardeners become convinced that they lack some secret knowledge or inherent skill. In most of these cases, however, a few hours of planning and preparation would have made all the difference. It is quite easy to dig up a plot and throw some plants in the ground. It is another thing entirely to create a healthy, living garden.





What Will Grow There?


The first thing to determine is what will grow in the spot available for your garden. This is where many gardeners make their first mistake. Too often plants are purchased before thought has been given to the conditions under which they will have to grow.


The three chief factors determining what will grow in a particular spot are sunlight, the composition of the soil and soil moisture. While you can have some influence on soil composition and moisture, as far as sunlight goes, you're stuck with what you have. It is important to have a good idea of what amount of sunlight will reach your garden throughout the year. Plants that require "full sun" will generally need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day. Patches under large deciduous shade trees receive only mottled sunlight. In this situation there can be large variations in the amount of light hitting nearby spots, so generally you will want to find plants that require "half sun," or a few hours of direct sun a day. Other sites, like the north side of a building, are going to remain in shade year-round. The shade garden requires the most careful planning, but there are many wonderful plants that will thrive in the darkest of shade.





The Lay of the Land


Next, you will need to determine what type of soil you'll be working with. The three main constituents of soil are sand, silt and clay. Sand has the largest particles and clay has the smallest, which is why it packs so tightly together. Silt particles are of intermediate size. An ideal garden soil, or loam, would be about 40% sand, 40% silt and 20% clay. The easiest way to see what type of soil you have is to dig a few holes and take some samples. There are a number of simple tests you can do to determine the composition of soil. One method is to take a fistful of soil and squeeze it into a ball. If it is unable to hold its shape, your soil is probably too loose, or sandy. Now try to break the ball apart by pressing on it with your thumb. A good soil will break apart readily; if not, you probably have too much clay in your soil. Another method is to take a couple of cups of soil and put them in a half-gallon jar half filled with water. Agitate the mixture until all the soil is in suspension and then let it settle overnight. The next day you will see that three distinct layers have formed: sand at the bottom, then the silt and at the top a layer of clay.


Amending Your Soil


The best way to amend a poor soil, whether sandy, clay or silty, is to add organic matter. If your soil is high in sand or silt, add a combination of topsoil and peat moss or compost. (Always moisten peat moss before adding it to your soil.) If the problem is too much clay, add peat moss or compost and some sand. Many gardeners advise never adding sand to soil as it can sometimes create a kind of concrete. I have found this to be the case when dealing with urban soils, which can be 80% silt. But when used in addition to organic matter, sand can help loosen clay soils and allow for proper drainage. If your soil is very heavy, i.e., high in clay, you may want to work with a raised bed. This will provide your plants with a little more drainage than they might have otherwise and won't entail replacing several tons of soil. Landscape timber or stones can be used to create a short wall several inches high, or the soil can be gently sloped to prevent erosion.


Keeping a Watch on Moisture


Soil moisture is obviously tied to the climate of the area where you live, but even in a small yard there can be wide variations. If your garden is at the bottom of a hill, the soil may remain wet for long periods of time. In this situation, you can try creating a raised bed as mentioned above, but it is best to stick to plants that enjoy having their feet wet. Alternatively, if your plot is very dry, don't asume you'll be able to compensate by frequent watering. Select plants that will be happy in a dry place and you'll be able to take that two-week vacation without worrying whether your neighbor has remembered to water every day for you.


Don't Fight Mother Nature


While some measures can be taken to make your garden a hospitable place for particular plants, your experience will be much more rewarding if you learn to work with nature. Yes, you may be able to plant your rose garden in that shady spot, but you'll need to feed the roses more fertilizer and spray more fungicide, and they still won't look as nice as if they were planted in full sun. And azaleas in bloom might look great at the front of your south-facing home, but if they were planted beneath some protection from the sun, they might not be constantly infested with lace bugs. Of course, you can spray them regularly with insecticide, but now your garden is becoming about as environmentally friendly as an oil refinery. Learn to work with nature and you will save yourself a lot of time, money and grief.
Reply:If you really want a garden that you can share and be proud of plant edible vegetables and flowers there is nothing more satisfieing than eating vegetables you grew your self not to mention they are better for you ( less chemical) and taste better than the junk you by from the store . and it helps your enviroment!!!
Reply:you can have primrose foxglove for a little height daisy'sIf you want a lot of height sunflowers.their easy to grow too.water of course pansy's viola's carnation's most super mkt's will have some type of flower,already started that you can plant.gladiolus are nice of course tulip's daffidil's crocus coleus'marigold's of course geranium's zinnia's,petunia's there's a lot but like mine those are good choises.happy planting!
Reply:You can get a variety of outside plant mixed together to form that beautiful garden. well, a garden is consist of many green eating food. but what you want to do is have nice flowers in this area. start with flowers that will last the hold summer and bloom to make this area nice. yes, yu can go to Lowes, have a nice plants for this project. less expensive.
Reply:i think you should plant water melonz kuz i love watermelonz lolz
Reply:veggies are the most satisfying
Reply:So easy. For veggies, make sure the garden gets a lot of mid day and afternoon sun.





Dig up the old plants. Till the ground if you can by shovel or tiller. Turn it over and over, pull out all old roots and grass and anything that is not soil.





Now mix in a general fertalizer that is good for gardening. No reason to get expensive, anything. The 'TONE' products are good, like Root Tone and Plant Tone...just anything safe for VEGGIES.





Now, plant the plants. I highly recomment NOT getting seeds, but the litte plants they have at walmart. Plant tomatoes about 3 feet apart, rows the same, 3 feet apart. Plant vining plants where you don't have to worry about mowing...cukes, etc. Zuchinni, tomatoes, peppers of any kind, cukes, all super easy to grow. Just keep them watered. If you see a problem, ask here.





Skip corn for now, it can be a real mess with pests.





DO believe the directions, for example that little zuchinni plant really WILL get to 3 to 5 feet across!





Good luck and happy gardening!
Reply:rocks hold in moisture look on tags of the flowers you want about sunlight some like the shade;butterfly palnts and snap dragons anre good plants and spread as long as you prune them