May 08, 2019
Now that the weather is finally warming up, we can start thinking about gardening and getting our hands in the dirt! My mom always says it’s safe to start buying plants after Mother’s Day, which is this weekend! While I constantly strive to keep plants alive, I always enjoy a colorful and well-groomed yard. I think it’s a skill that some people are fortunate to have, while many of us need some nudges and advice and a helping hand whenever possible 🙂
Something to consider when you head out to the nursery, or if you order plants online (yes, I just ordered a plant online from Amazon the other day!) — what hardiness zone are you in? You may be asking yourself, what even is a hardiness zone? It’s a category the USDA utilizes to divide sections of the country based on weather patterns. If you select a plant that doesn’t fall into your planting zone, be prepared to have struggles keeping it alive from one year to the next. Keep the planting zones in mind with trees, shrubs, and perennials as the cold can negatively affect them if they’re planted in a different zone.
Aside from considering hardiness zones when looking at plants, also think about the amount of sun that will hit the plant, wind, typical rainfall, humidity, and urban heat.
A great link that I found about hardiness zones can be found HERE. Dive into their website, and you can order plants there, too …. click on Shop from their main page, enter your zip code, and it will pull up plants that fall within your hardiness zone. BAM!
Alternately, find your location on this USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. You may even find that zones in your area may vary within the same county! Once you know your hardiness zone, you can purchase plants based on this rating, as they consider how cold each region gets in the winter.
So, why don’t you get out this weekend and purchase your Mother a plant for Mother’s Day!? See some local nurseries below :
Landscaping is one thing to consider when you build your new home. Did you know that Summerset is a Patio Home Community here in Greenfield? The great thing about Summerset is the sidewalks throughout the community, and we handle mowing and fertilizing your lawn, as well as snow removal in the winter. This will allow for you more time to plant your annuals and perennials, and then get away from the cold in the winter time!