I need a garden buddy

[bluebell]

Help me. 

I love flowers, and I want beautiful flower beds. I have no idea what I'm doing though!  I get overwhelmed really easily when there are a lot of options so I need someone to just tell me what to plant and where. 

It's not a big flower bed (I can give dimensions if needed) and it is in partial light in the spring and full sunlight in the summer. 

I live in Utah so someone who knows flowers for that zone would be great. 

Who wants to be my garden buddy??

[Robert F. Smith]

53 minutes ago, bluebell said:

Help me. 

I love flowers, and I want beautiful flower beds. I have no idea what I'm doing though!  I get overwhelmed really easily when there are a lot of options so I need someone to just tell me what to plant and where. 

It's not a big flower bed (I can give dimensions if needed) and it is in partial light in the spring and full sunlight in the summer. 

I live in Utah so someone who knows flowers for that zone would be great. 

Who wants to be my garden buddy??

With bluebells and cockle shells all in a row . . .

[Katzpur]

Just now, bluebell said:

Help me. 

I love flowers, and I want beautiful flower beds. I have no idea what I'm doing though!  I get overwhelmed really easily when there are a lot of options so I need someone to just tell me what to plant and where. 

It's not a big flower bed (I can give dimensions if needed) and it is in partial light in the spring and full sunlight in the summer. 

I live in Utah so someone who knows flowers for that zone would be great. 

Who wants to be my garden buddy??

Honestly, I don't know how much help I can be, but I also live in Utah (Cottonwood Heights) and love gardening.  My garden is almost exclusively flowers, so even though I don't have any professional credentials whatsoever, I may be better than nothing!  Do you want both annuals and perennials?  Is your yard mostly sunny or mostly shady?  I'd have to have something to go on to even make any suggestions.  I wish you could see our yard in the summer.  It's beautiful!  And I can't wait to get out and start working in it right now!

[bluebell]

It's mostly sunny and I guess both P and A. But nothing that takes too much work.

I've got four kids, 2 under the age of 3, and I can't handle worrying that much about keeping something else alive right now. 

[bluebell]

No garden lovers out there other than Katzpur (who's wisdom i look forward to!)?

[BlueDreams]

Well there is gardengirl. I'm growing a garden as well, but it's mostly veggies and herbs with a mix of flowers. My favorite garden flowers are alysum, marigolds, zinnias, nasatorium (which are also edible), african daisies, sunflowers, and anything that will be nice to me and sprout! Last year I took a pre-mixed seed bag of flowers and they grew really well in a roughly tilled full sun area. African daisies only bloom for a short period. Sunflowers can blossom for a while, particularly if you deadhead them, and they come in varying sizes from 12" to 6-8'...but they grow quick and they don't take too much space. and other things can be growing near them without much problem. All of these grew well last year in UT. 

[Calm]

Lavendar is a nice plant for back and evenyually covering a large area as it gets big, doesn't spread, just grows.  You can keep it smaller by pruning every couple of years.  Perennial and very drought resistant.  Purple of course.  See it a lot in professional landscape areas by roads etc.  If you want a vine, the easiest one that we have come across is the trumpet vine, great red orange color, massive pods.  But I love our grape vines, those do best with pruning if you want fruit.  Both need a good anchor.  Perennials....day lilies, annuals that reseed themselves forever...snap dragons.  Come in different heights and look great in massing.  Easy flower to start out with and then remove add other stuff in later years when have time.

Painted daisies do well but sprall (sp?), I like them on the edge so they spill onto the cement walks, but my husband finds that annoying for mowing.  Salvia looks nice, but then ours always ends up looking like a cat sits in the middle, so needs a good supportive frame.

Ground covers...the thymes are my favourite, but not a lot of flowers.  Snow in summer is very hardy and beautiful.  White flowers with a lovely gary green leaf.  It covers the ditch's walls next to us and no one does anything but cut it back to keep it from clogging it up.  Vinca is a good ground over for partially shaded spots as well as sun.  Nice green foliage, flowers more tricky to get a lot of.   For filling in while waiting for Llong term growth sweet alyssum is pretty care free outside of watering, petunias need watering and deadheading but grow nicely as annuals and a variety of colours.  Marigolds are easier but don't fill out as much.  Needs mass planting to look good imo.

[bluebell]

Thank you!  I really want to do some snap dragons but i'm unsure how many and whether to plant them in the back, against the house or in the middle.  I think they are too tall for the front of a planter.

I'm just trying to get our own flowerbed looking nice this year.  It's right below our front window and next to the door.  It's probably only about 5 foot long and 2-3 foot wide.  Plus it's a raised flower bed and is about a foot off of the ground.

I also love dahlias.  Petunias are pretty but they are a lot of work since you have to dead head them to keep them blooming.  I have a soft place in my heart for columbine flowers but i'm afraid they'll get to big for that small space.

And whenever i go to the flower store (nursery?) I find about 50 different flowers that i love, get completely overwhelmed, and leave with nothing.

[Jeanne]

17 hours ago, bluebell said:

Help me. 

I love flowers, and I want beautiful flower beds. I have no idea what I'm doing though!  I get overwhelmed really easily when there are a lot of options so I need someone to just tell me what to plant and where. 

It's not a big flower bed (I can give dimensions if needed) and it is in partial light in the spring and full sunlight in the summer. 

I live in Utah so someone who knows flowers for that zone would be great. 

Who wants to be my garden buddy??

Oh my...I sure do not have a green thumb.  Good luck with this!!  Sounds like there are plenty here who have some specialty in the area.  I remember wanting to grow pumpkins..up and until I couldn't see out of my kitchen window and my bike spokes were entwined with the vines..

Edited April 5, 2016 by Jeanne

[Calm]

I think there are dwarf snapdragons that don't get too tall though I am not sure you can find them all over.

I love columbine but haven't had a lot of success with them in the sense of looking right...get tall but don't fill in and I probably need to find something else to mix it up with to balance or need to not plant them so far apart or something.

[Calm]

You may have a local government garden that has good examples of low watering and local fauna.  We have one here in Orem, but that is too far for you, plus I thin.k it gets quite a bit colder where you are.  The local university might have a help center.

[Calm]

This is the Orem place's website:

http://www.centralutahgardens.org/

It has information that would apply to your spot as well.

[Calm]

Specific zone by zipcode:

http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-utah-usda-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php

[Calm]

There may be a gardeing book specifically for locals that you can find at the gardening centers or local greenhouses.  USU has a gardening app for kind and timing apparently:

http://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/

[Garden Girl]

Hello bluebell...

I suggest that you go down to your local garden shop (or big supermarket that has a gardening section) and look for the gardening books put out by Sunset, Ortho, Better Homes & Gardens, etc.  These are colorful, packed with info books that give the Climate Zones.. and the type of plants for each zone, as well as growing seasons, temp info, etc and they show suggested color combinations, plant parings and garden plans.  I loved the snap dragons because they bloom from spring to early summer... dwarf grow 6 to 12 in; intermediate types 1 to 2 feet...  Tall growing snaps (to 3 ft) include Rocket and double-flowered Double Supremes... 

Along the fence I used Lavatera, a perennial grown in all zones, full sun, regular water... or the profusely blooming Cosmos (full sun, moderate water).. my flower beds were English style with tiers of flowers starting with low in front, then tier 2 with medium high, and tier 3 with tall, featuring Campanula (bellflower), the beautiful delphiniums, fox glove, and Shasta daisies...  another perennial I loved was Bleeding Heart, light shade, regular water, a nice plant-style growth with arching stems featuring dangling heart-shaped pink blooms...  

You really do need to get one of the type of books I mentioned, which will give you plenty of ideas and information.

GG

edit to add... I do use Miracle Gro plant food... it really does work... and... don't forget to talk to your plants.  That really does work too... 

Edited April 5, 2016 by Garden Girl

[Storm Rider]

In the Northwest we always grew our bleeding heart next to our Hostas - the white flower of our Hostas amongst the pick/white blooms of the Bleeding Hearts was always a good mix and helped to brighten up shady parts of the gardens around the home.

Iris is a wonderful flower that grows well in Utah.  

I am partial to climbing roses.  We prefer fragrant ones like:  Alchymist, Abraham Darby, Royal Pageant, and my favorite, Gertrude Jekyll.  These are all climbers.  I put them near our windows and the patio so that when there is a light breeze in the summer time the fragrance is appreciated by everyone.  Check out David Austin Roses or Heirloom roses.  Both sites will help you pick out plants that are good for your growing zone.  

Spend some time with the books mentioned above.  They are very useful and will give you the confidence to begin.  Also, remember that a garden does not happen all at once.  Be patient, if a flower does not work for you, then find another for next year to try.  Annuals make an instant splash with not a lot of effort.  Maybe start there and spread out.  

[Garden Girl]

Another thing to remember, bluebell, for the best results is that flowers take not only different levels of sun/shade, they also have different watering needs... so that you don't want to plant flowers requiring little or regular watering next to those that require more... some varieties have quite different needs.

GG