Ideas from Better Homes & Gardens Plant Encyclopedia
Spring is here, and what better way to welcome the new season than with a beautiful garden? But if you have a busy schedule (or not the best history with growing plants), try one that’s low maintenance or a perennial! A few hours of digging and watering today will reap your home many years of splendor.
Aster
Asters get their name from the Latin word for “star,” and their flowers are indeed the superstars of the fall garden. Some types of this native plant can reach up to 6 feet with flowers in white and pinks but also, perhaps most strikingly, in rich purples and showy lavenders.
Height: 1 to 8 feet
Pro: Drought Tolerant
Special Feature: Attracts Birds
Avens
Showy, brightly colored flowers are saucer-shape, sometimes semidouble, over loose mounds of handsome dark strawberry like leaves. Many of the best cultivars are hybrids between species. These plants do best in a well-drained, rich soil.
Height: 6 inches to 3 feet
Pro: Good for Containers
Bellflower
Romantic, usually bobbing, often blue bellflowers are classic cottage garden plants. Tall types look like something straight out of a fairy tale garden, while ground-hugging types are good in rock gardens, more formal gardens, and many other situations.
Height: 6 inches to 3 feet
Pro: Drought Tolerant
Bluestar
Amsonia is one of those plants that will make people stop in their tracks and ask what it is. At its peak in mid- to late spring, amsonia is adorned by stunning clusters of powder blue flowers. The show doesn’t stop there, however. Its mound of foliage remains attractive all summer long, and as fall approaches, it turns a lovely golden hue.
Height: 1 to 8 feet
Pro: Good for Privacy
Special Feature: Attracts Birds