Spring is here, and it’s time to get into the garden.
Annuals, perennials, vines, groundcovers, shrubs, trees, fruits and veggies — oh my! With so many plants to choose from, where do we start? Well, just about every plant has potential in the garden, and springtime is a good time to get them in the ground.
When selecting plants for the landscape, you should consider not only the function the plant will serve but also the needs of the plant. This includes preferred temperatures, amount of sunlight, preferred soil type and pH and water needs.
Our plant selection options are narrowed down based on our local temperatures, annual rainfall and average light for our area. That puts Louisiana in USDA hardiness zones 8a to 10a.
What is a hardiness zone? This system was created by scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help categorize regions of the United States and Canada according to their climate conditions.
The zones supply information on the average minimum temperatures of a region during the winter months to help farmers and gardeners decide which plants will survive and thrive in each area. Today, there are 13 zones in total, ranging from 1 (coldest) to 13 (warmest). Each zone is separated by a 10-degree Fahrenheit difference in average annual minimum temperatures, and each zone is further divided into subzones (a and b) based on minor climatic variations.
This puts us in a nice place to live, with a year-round growing season for some plants. As we plant for the spring, let’s start with annuals. These types of plants can supply the best color in the landscape. They are called annuals because they complete their life cycle from seed to flower to seed in one growing season and then die.
Annuals provide an opportunity for inexpensive, instant color with long blooming periods. They are the go-to category of plant when wanting to make an impact with flower power and color in the landscape. They are effective but require a bit more maintenance than other landscape plants in that they typically require more frequent fertilizer applications and removal of spent flower blooms, or deadheading, to keep up their colorful show. Vegetables fall into the annual category of plants.
Leave a Reply