Best Garden Plants For First-Time Gardeners
Planting a garden for the first time can be a daunting task, but with a few virtually certain plants, your first garden can look as beautiful as any long-established garden.
Garden plants are divided into categories, whether they prefer sun or shade to grow in and whether they are annuals (one time for blooms) or perennials (blooms year after year). Once you have decided on the type of plants that work best in your garden, it is time to begin planting.
Plants for Sun:
The daylily is a favorite plant in any garden. When growing in full sun, these bright and cheery bulbs add a splash of color to any garden. Since these lilies bloom in the mid-summer, they are easy to grow and care for, with each year bringing more and more colorful flowers. Some of the more popular color choices include orange, pink, and a fall-inspired russet red.
Other natural garden plants for full sun include a wide variety of annuals. Snapdragons and petunias are just a couple of examples of them. While these plants only bloom for one season, they do put on a show—continual bloomers throughout the warm months. With regular watering, you can have a beautiful first garden.
Plants for Shade:
One of the easiest plants to grow in areas with a bit of sun is elephant ears. Extremely hardy and a quick multiplier, these large-leafed plants make a statement in any garden.
Every garden has an area where almost nothing will grow, and often these areas are given up as a lost cause. These areas are usually in the shade, under trees, or in the back corners. Ground covers such as English ivy or minor vinca work exceptionally well in these hard-to-grow areas.
With its light purple blooms, Vinca minor provides striking coverage for the hard-to-growth areas, and English ivy provides dense, in-depth coverage for both walls and the ground. These plants are hardy and easy to grow, requiring minimal care and medium watering.
These are just an example of a few plants that anyone starting a garden for the first time will genuinely enjoy. Comfortable to grow and great looking, it is possible to have a great-looking garden from the start.