Garden Plants
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Garden Plant Guide
Plants are usually grown in a garden for their ornamental value or for the
edible fruits, vegetables, and herbs they produce. As such, some
plants tend to be grown in flower gardens or water gardens while others
are more often grown in vegetable gardens or herb gardens. A garden journal can help gardeners plan their gardens
and track their plants' growth during the growing season.
The primary types of garden plants include annuals, perennials, bulbs, ground covers, vines, shrubs and trees. Annuals last one season or year, and generally die when a hard frost occurs. Perennials last for several years, dying back to a dormant condition with the advent of a hard frost and developing new growth when temperatures increase after a season of cold weather. Bulbs are a type of perennial which, in their dormant stage, consist of a short stem base with one or more buds enclosed in layers of fleshy leaves. Ground covers are plants that can spread to blanket an area of ground. Vines are climbing plants that require some type of support. Shrubs are plants with permanent woody stems from which new growth arises. Trees are large woody plants that generally have a single trunk. A woody stemmed plant that grows less than 12 feet high is usually classified as a shrub, whereas a single trunked plant that grows more than 10 feet high is usually considered a tree.
Click on the thumbnails to view enlarged sample images of the garden plant categories described below.
Annuals, biennials and perennials are some of the most popular and
well-loved garden plants, offering diverse flowers and forms as well
as nuanced textures and colors. Experienced home gardeners can use
the life cycle differences between these plant types to create gardens
that offer satisfying textures and colors year after year.
Pictured here are blue pansies.
Bulbs, tubers and corms produce some of the most interesting and fastest
growing plants in the garden. Their colorful blossoms range from
the curiously curving cyclamen to the large alliums and calla lilies,
and their crocus species flowers bloom at the first hint of spring.
Pictured here is a bed of red tulips.
Climber and creeper plants offer real versatility, whether used to
festoon an arbor with bright flowers and foliage or modestly covering
a bare patch of ground. These useful plants offer upward or
spreading growth habits that can lend a sense of height or dimension
to a garden. Pictured here is a climbing purple clematis.
Shrubs have a reputation as reliable, dense green plants that grow in
planting beds near houses, but they are actually a rather diverse group
of plants and have a wide range of forms, uses, and attributes.
Many flowering shrubs add fragrance to the air; others feature striking
growth habits and beautiful forms. Pictured here is a lovely pink
azalea.
Trees are the aesthetic structure of a landscape, lending dignity to the
places where they grow, providing shelter for people and wildlife, and
producing the oxygen needed to sustain life on our planet. Trees
are typically selected for their ornamental characteristics or their
fruit. Pictured here is a pink dogwood, often used as an understory
tree.
Many garden plants can be viewed in attractive settings at various
botanical gardens around the country. These gardens can provide
inspiration and ideas for home gardeners and commercial landscapers.
For instance, the United States Botanic
Garden, considered the Nation's Garden, is located in Washington,
DC. It features a wide array of plant exhibits and lectures for
visitors. Longwood
Gardens, located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, is one of the
premier botanical gardens in the United States. Longwood's beautiful
gardens feature carefully labeled plants; they also offer horticultural
internship programs for students.
GardenPlants.us features a convenient directory of online plant nurseries and gardening resources. The garden plant vendors listed herein offer a broad selection of garden plants and gardening accessories as well as plant information.
Garden Shops
- Gardener's Supply Company
Offers innovative gardening supplies, composters, greenhouses and garden carts.
www.Gardeners.com - Gardens Alive!
Shop for organic gardening supplies, fertilizers, and pest control products.
www.GardensAlive.com
Rose Nurseries
- Heirloom Roses
This retail mail order nursery specializes in old, new and unusual roses and features a wide selection of roses from various rose hybridizers.
www.HeirloomRoses.com - Star Roses
Founded in 1897, this rose nursery website features rose care information plus a searchable catalog of hybrid roses.
www.StarRoses.com
Gardening Resources
- GardenGuides
This gardening website features comprehensive guides to flowers, herbs, and vegetables.
www.GardenGuides.com - USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map
This map shows, in detail, the lowest temperatures that can be expected each year in the various climate zones of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Plant hardiness is generally specified by zone, as shown on this official map from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
www.USNA.USDA.gov/Hardzone/index.html - HortiPlex
Searchable plant database features information, images, and links on thousands of plants.
HortiPlex.GardenWeb.com - Plants Magazine
This magazine about new, rare, and unusual garden plants from around the world features perennial plants, shrubs, trees, grasses, half-hardy plants and climbing plants. This site caters to plant enthusiasts and professionals, as well as plant breeders.
www.Plants-Magazine.com - Organic Gardening
Features an introduction to organic gardening, plus garden products, recipes, and useful articles about all aspects of gardening.
www.OrganicGardening.com - US National Arboretum
Browse this site for a wealth of information on gardens and horticulture as well as floral and nursery plants research.
www.USNA.USDA.gov
Related Garden and Gardening Sites
- Pond Supplies - garden pond equipment and accessories.
- Seed Catalogs - flower, vegetable, and herb seeds.
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