What type of flowers should beginners avoid?

Hi guys! I'm new to the site too, but felt compeled to add my 2 cents on the original question.

I'd look around my area for things that are growing well. Here in north Alabama, it would be azaleas, forsythia, liriope, etc.

Rhododendron, honeysuckle, Cherokee rose and dogwood trees grow wild, so it would be hard to kill them unless you gave them too much attention.

Also ask around, especially neighbors who have established yards. They may give you clipings.

Home Depot guarantees their plants for a season, and they only sell things that are right for your area. Don't expect the employees to be horticultrists, but they may be able to steer you in the right direction.

Maybe your Home Depots are different than the ones in the rest of the country, but in general Home Depot does NOT sell only things that are right for your area and you'll be lucky if the employees know anything beyond where in the store the garden center is. They do have that guarantee though so if you end up getting steered in the wrong direction at least you can get it replaced when it dies. You'd be better off looking for advice at a local nursery, they may not be perfect on only selling things that'll do well in your area and they may not always have as much knowledge as you'd like, but you're much more likely to get decent advice there. Some of them have guarantees on their plants too but some don't, so if that's something that's important to you make sure you ask about their policy before you buy.

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!

Hello, Zeoplum!

I'm also a new gardener, and new to Mobile. I just posted that I highly recommend buying the Southern Living Garden Book to avoid frustration and wasted money - there are a lot of things that won't grow here that I was surprised about.

So far I've been having success with lantana, bougainvillea (especially since their care is essentially "benign neglect"), asclepias, cordyline/spike plant, asparagus fern, and star jasmine/confederate jasmine (which I think can grow invasively, so plant wisely).

I've been having a lot of struggles keeping these healthy, which has been great for learning, but frustrating: morning glories, sweet potato vines, brugmansia, verbena (supposed to be easy - I think I dead-headed flowers when I wasn't supposed to and it has stopped growing)...and still exploring!

Good luck! :)
Wyfe of Ent

Wyfe_of_Ent,

Hi neighbor! Where did you move here from? I'm just curious to know how much of a climate change you'e endured by moving here? A lot of the plants you mentioned....well I've never even heard of them....which goes to show you how much of a newbie I am. Sounds like our levels of "newness" are a little different.

I've really gotten hooked on Daylilies lately. They seem to be easy to grow and I think the variety of bloom colors is so exciting! In fact, I spend way too much time looking at pictures and creating wish lists. Have you ever given them a try?

Stephanie

Just wanted to throw in my $0.02, hope no one minds...
Sweet Potato Vines (SPVs) and Brugs take a LOT of water, especially if in containers. Brugs are one of the heaviest feeders you'll find, so fertilize, fertilize, fertilize! Brugs are so gorgeous and the scent is spectacular, but they are so darn picky.

Lantana is a great plant, and the butterflies adore it. Up here it's an annual, probably perennial in your zone. (I'm jealous!) Lantana is another plant that I just can't go a year without having.

Oh, and the Morning Glories, don't fertilize them, that will cause foliage and no blooms. Plant them in poor soil and they will do incredible!

Wow! Lots of great advice here!

My 2 cents is to avoid plants that "spread easily" -- my neighbour has spearmint, lily of the valley and some kind of orange lily thing, so, like it or not, I do too. In my grass, as well as in my garden bed.

If you don't want to have to be diligent about deadheading, I'd also be careful with plants that "readily self-seed". I have a hot, sunny garden out front, with fairly heavy soil so, liking the cottage garden style, I've filled it with echinachea, rudbeckia, bergamot, coreopsis and butterfly weed. They are so pretty and easy to grow, but last year I was away when the butterfly weed went to seed... It's not a disaster, as it doesn't spread underground, but I'll be pulling butterfly weed from my lawn for awhile, I think..

Roses: both the easiest and difficult for beginners. It's like baking a cake: easy if you follow the directions carefully!

Roses that get blackspot have China rose in them, like Hybrid Teas, which is most of the ones in commerce. If you aim for an Old-Fashioned rose there's very little chance you'll get blackspot. Encourage the canes to grow horizontally, like, tie them to a cute rail fence, and they'll bloom like gangbusters. Prune back old, damaged, or weak canes and they'll go for years.

I agree with carrie....
Roses can be very easy if you have the right location, soil, and use mulch. I've been growing roses since I was 15 years old and hadn't a clue. they can be tough to kill!

Get the Thompson Morgan seed catalog. For each plant listed they show a code which indicates how difficult the plant is to propagate and care for. Look at all the plants listed as EE. E for easy to propagate and easy to care for. Browse through the EE plants to see what you might like to try.

I'm assuming you do wont to propagate and grow your own plants. If so, make your first year a learning year. You should play around with plants that bloom all summer (with deadheading) and mostly day-neutral plants. It is discouraging to a new gardener to grow a plant and then discover that you will have to wait until next year to see any blooms. Plant a few of the day neutral plants (partial list to follow) about every 2 weeks to gain experience propagating. Most of these plants will bloom within about 60 days of sowing and with proper care (more experience to be gained by you) will show color throughout your growing season. By succession planting, planting new seed about every two weeks, you will have a continuous flow of color throughout your garden and gain lots of valuable experience.

For your first year, stay away from plants that only bloom for short periods of time or only bloom in the spring or only bloom in the autumn.

Some plants that are easy and rewarding to try are ageratum (floss flower), Agrostemma, bachelor's button, cosmo's, globe amaranth, sunflower, strawflower, statice, nigella, scabiosa, and zinnia. You can propagate these flowers anytime during your growing season and expect to see blooms in approximately 60 to 70 days. They will bloom whether the amount of daylight is long or short. That is what is meant by "day neutral." Stick with the day neutrals to begin with and gain lots of experience in general plant propagation and aftercare and get to see the results of your efforts in a reasonable amount of time.

Zinnia's and sunflowers are bullet proof. You cant hardly kill them with a stick. :-) So is ageratum. Most of the plants I have listed are tough critters. It is probably better to start with the smaller version of plants like the smaller zinnias and sunflowers. Sunflowers are fun because they are quick to grow and bloom.

Don't drive yourself nuts worrying about deadheading. I'm not saying not to do it, it's just that you cannot prevent some seeds from falling to the ground and reseeding. Do stay away from some of the more rampant and aggressive spreaders but learn to live with some re-seeding.

The T&M seed catalog is a great resource. Here is hoping you a great first year.

Oh gosh, I get the T&M catalog and never even noticed those codes...thanks Jay

Roses are more difficult up here where black spot and winter temps can be a problem. You have to know what you are doing to keep them healthy.

I don't recommend Lilies of the Valley. They are invasive, and they have a short bloom period. The foliage is late to appear, too, and yellows off in the fall. I think generally for shade i'd rather have a patch of pachysandra. I am currently in the process of digging out my huge patch of Lilies of the Valley. They sent roots below the submerged bricks, invaded into many other things which will now be ruined. The roots are the dickens to get out if they are comingled with other things. If you do plant them, be sure you don't let them go where they are not wanted.

I guess that's good advice for any kind of spreading plant. Keep it from going where it's not wanted -- act preventatively, to save yourself headaches and hard work and ruined plants later.

Delphiniums require a fair amount of knowledge and care. And the plants only live roughly 3 years. You might want to get some experience under your belt first.

Hi Zeo....I grew up in Mobile and now live in the Big Sleazy (er...Easy).

It all depends on what you want to do with your yard. The bamboo sounds sorta bad, even if you remove everything from you property if you share a fence line and they don't want to cut theirs down(and dig it up) you'll just have to make it a part of your daily battle.

Other invasives that I kinda think are cool but you should stay away from if you want the 'landscaped lawn' vs. 'au natural':

Lantana
Alligator plants
Morning glories
Oxalis
Gingers (possibly)
Mints
Spiderwort

Plants that are easy there:

Marigold
Zinnia
Dianthus
Begonia
Tomato
Cucumber
Basil
Cosmos
most Ferns
Elephant ears (lil' ones or big ones, I think most are in the calidium family)
Coleus

Keep in mind that you should know about how much sun each area of your yard is going to get, and plant accordingly.

Also think about if you want more flowers (ornamentals), herbs, veggies, shrubs....I have to state it for a fellow Mobilian...I do not like Azaleias- pretty for the month they bloom but a crap shrub after that. My gf and I are looking to move into a new house in the next month and I'm trying to figure out a way to convince her to let me dig them up and sell them or just give them away- I couldnt' just dig them up and throw them away mind you, that would be a waste because I know some people do like them.

Oh, I should tell you about bulbs also....I never tried them in Mobile, been in N.O. for about 7 years now and this last winter was the first time I tried them. Had good luck with muscari and freesia, okay with iris, and not so good with some others. But bulb time for down here is plant between Oct. and Jan. generally.

Peace out and happy planting.