Beginner Gardening: What type of flowers should beginners avoid?, 1 by darlindeb

darlindeb wrote:
If someone tells you a plant is INVASIVE, say, "NO THANK YOU" at this time of your gardening development.

There was mint in my garden before I got here and there will probably be mint here after I die. I use it from time to time. I give it away, but it is invasive if it has a spot it likes.

I know people who wish they hadn't had obediant plant, jersualem artichoke, mint, monkey grass, bambo, honey suckle and even four o'clocks. If you are considering a flower/plant go to the plant files at Dave's Garden and read the positive and negative comments left by other gardeners before you put it in the ground.

Perennials are great because they come back and you don't have to pay for them again.
However, I can't imagine spring without tulips and violas.

If I had to do it over again, I'd invest first in the trees I wanted. Then I'd buy, beg and swap for peonies. I don't know if they will grow in your 8b climate? We have peonies that have been in the family for over 50 years. I'd drive around in the spring and look at yards and ask the owner's questions. If you aren't that forward, I'd take pictures and ask a local nursery about the plant/tree. My grandmother had a stunning crabtree that was magnificent when it bloomed but very messy when the fruit started falling. Take a landscape class.

Photo of tulips with violas. Good luck!