Ordinary Primrose-Perennial

Do not confuse this plant with the Evening version. This plant grows very low to the ground and needs to be placed in the very front of all gardens. The leaf looks like lettuce of some kind or even spinach. The flowers come in a huge variety of colors. At season end, just leave what is remaining there. It will regrow and spread by itself. I have these growing under my Japenese Maple as a bottom filler.

Good: comes back by itself each year, grows close to ground so it wont fall over, comes in a huge variety of flower colors, transplants well

Bad: doesn't spread quickly, leaves tend to burn in full fun, hard to seperate, no fragrance

Season: Mid June- Mid August

Lilly of the Valley-Perennial

These plants stay short in growth and like morning sun to full shade. The small white bells that form have a small fragrance. They multiply quickly and are very hardy. They will sprout up in between any thickness of plants. They do well in flower pots, around tree bases, and even under deck steps. They are a nice filler for a front garden. You can buy the plants themselves at any garden center. I have never seen a seed form. My MIL gave me a few plants for my garden, more then 20 yrs. ago. When we would move, I would dig a few up and take them with me. Over the years, they have spread nicely. I still have them growing in my front garden.

Good: comes back on its own, flower has fragrance, spreads fast, stays short in growth, nice garden filler, makes nice vase clippings

Bad: can get lost in a huge garden, roots need to remain in garden, doesnt grow from seed, can not take full sun

Season: early June - Mid August

Morning Glory-Annual

This vine needs to run! It is beautiful and grows very quickly. The flowers open during the day and close at night. One vine produces tons of seeds. Thinning is needed each year. At year end, pull out entire plant. Spread seeds in fall. Looks great growing up covered porches. Seeds are available at any garden center. My youngest son gave me a pack of seeds for a thank you room mom gift. I poured the entire packet in my front garden (which was a mistake). Less then 6 weeks later, my entire porch was taken over with this vine. It was beautiful but alittle too much for the entire pack. Spread seeds sparringly.

Good: comes back every year, grow from seed, very hardy plant, grows very quickly, at season end entire plant can be removed, comes in a variety of flower colors

Bad: needs to run so a trellis or stakes will be needed, will take over a garden if not watched, no fragrance

Season: late June - October

Pink Mullein-Perennial

This plant has foliage that feels like velvet. Flower stalks grow from the base and are then. Several blooms open from different spots on the stalk. The flowers are purplish pink and seem to last for quite a while. This flower base grows almost on the soil surface. It spreads very quickly thru seeds -which I have not ever been able to find. (I simply seperate and replant) They transplant very well. I found these plants at a swamp near where we live. I assume some years ago, a house was built there. I took some plants and brought them home because the flowers were soo pretty. In one year, they multiplied at least 8 times the amount I had. Now its been 3 years and I have soo many I put tons of them lining my fence out back. I found out what these plants were off the internet.

Good: comes back by itself, speads quickly thru seeds, transplants well, fills in space when needed, grows tall specific to spot planted, disease resistant

Bad: grows quickly so it needs to be thinned out, isnt a thick garden filler, no fragrance

Season: mid May - late August

Bleeding Hearts-Perennial

This plant is a nice addition when small, to front yard gardens. After several years, it will grow to large and will take up too much room in a front garden. The blooms only last a few weeks then the plant will remain green for another 4 weeks. After its season, the stems will turn to mush and pratically melt. The roots need to stay in the soil. I did not buy my original plant. I bought another plant and I noticed a very small different plant growing in the pot so I planted it. The first year it didnt amount to anything-I almost forgot about it. The next year, it grew to a nice size and flowered. It kept growing and within 4 years I had to replant it out back. I now have a cutting that was left, out front. That will soon need to go out back also. This plant does produce a small amount of seeds. It is a very fragile plant so it needs to be placed where nothing can interfer with it.

Good: comes back every year, grows larger every year, has very unique flowers, will give off seeds

Bad: 'very fragile' stems, only flowers for about 4 weeks, green foliage stays around after flowering for about 4 weeks then it turns to mush, no fragrance, does not transplant well

Season: mid May - mid July

Lillies- Easter and Calla-Annual

Calla lillies -not to be confused with other lillies. Calla lillies have a flower which looks like a horn, as it is rolled up somewhat. The leaves a big, thick at the base, and speckled. These lillies come in a huge variety of colors. These types of lillies are best known at Easter time and need to be purchased at Easter time or shortly after then planted. This plant grows from a bulb and can be bought from garden centers in bulb form or plant form. I like yellow and pink flowers. The most popular seem to be off while flowers-Im not sure why.....

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Easter lillies- not to be confused with Day lillies. Day lillies grow up from grass like stalks and these lillies grow up from one huge thick stalk. The leaves drow from the one thick stalk and are small compared to other lillies. These types of lillies are best known as Easter Lillies and need to be purchased at Easter time or shortly after then planted. The flower is much larger then a day lilly and much brighter and the stalk is very thick. This plant grows from a bulb and can be bought from garden centers in bulb form or plant form. My mother bought me my first lilly for Easter some years ago. I still have that one and many more. I like yellow and pink flowers. The most popular are the off while flowers.

BOTH Good: comes back on its own, spreads by producing more bulbs, transplants easily, Easter-has one stalk so it can fit almost anywhere

BOTH Bad: bulbs can be purchased year round but plants can only be bought at Easter time, no fragrance, once flowering is over plant will die back

BOTH Season: flowers from mid June - end of July

Four O'Clocks-Annual

These plants are not sold at garden centers. You must buy the seeds. I found mine on Ebay but neighors have told me they have seen seed packets at Walmart. I have not. Soak them in warm water a day ahead of time before planting. I dont know why but I have more success when I do that, then when I dont. They look best in the very back of a front yard garden or in a back yard garden. Each plants needs room to spead wide. The flowers open during the day and close at night. Hummingbirds love this plant. I got my first seeds from my MIL who had a varigated plant with yellow and pink striped leaves. Each year she would give me seeds but my plants were either plain yellow or pink. I have yet to get a varigated flower. I am still trying. My favorite at the yellow buds.

Good: comes back on its own, produces tons of seeds, flowers come in a huge variety of colors, fast growing, flowers open and close and last a good while, easy removal at season end

Bad: can overrun a garden if not thinned out, only sold by seed, hard to find at garden stores, will get leggy by late August so staking might be needed, does not transplant well, no fragrance

Season: blooms mid July - early October

Evening Primrose-Perennial

This plant fills in a garden nicely. The bunches look very nice. They grow in single stalks/stems but look best bunched together. There are no seeds or bulbs. They spread by the root system. Each stem has many buds. I started out with 4 stems. The next year I had 15, the next year I had at least 30. Garden centers will refer you to another type of ordinary primrose which has a spinach type leaf and grows close to the ground. These plants are somewhat hard to find at garden centers. A neighbor had them in her garden and I would always comment on them. She gave me a few at the end of the season. Now I have plenty!

Good: comes back on its own, likes to grow in bunches so it fills in nicely, blooms continuously, looks like a huge buttercup, at season end stems dry up and break off, transplants well, spreads quickly

Bad: speads quickly so it needs thinning, flower only comes in yellow, leaves tend to get spots from watering, grows to medium height so it should be placed in the middle to back of the garden, bottom stems need to remain in garden at season end, extremely hard to find this variety at garden centers

Season: blooms from early May - early July

Cleomatis-Perennial

These vines are great additions to any yard- back or front or even on a patio. They need a trellis of some kind to grow on. They come in a huge variety of colors and types. Funny thing though..........no matter what color I buy, after several years the flowers all turn out purple? My favorite is my 'Josephine' plant. It resembles a star. Isnt it beautiful! They do not have bulbs or seeds that I know of. They do not spread outward, only upward, unless you let them grow amuke! They must be pruned back each fall in order to stay bushy and look nice. These vines do not multiply into new plants. They can be bought at all garden centers, in many sizes. They go great in full sun to full shade. They also grow well in flower pots.

Good: comes back on its own, huge flower varieties, can be a corner filler for all gardens, each flower last about a week, can be cut back 'almost' completely at season end or it can be left as is and will start to grow from what is left.

Bad: is extremely fragile to plant or move, will attach to anything it comes in contact with, no flower fragrance, each variety of plant blooms at different times of the season.

Season: depends on variety: anywhere from early May - late September

Sentinial Blue (Platycodon Grandiflorus/balloon flower)-Perennial

This is a nice plant to put in a front garden. It is low growing and has very pretty bluish/purple flowers. I have never seen seeds on this plant and this plant does not have a blub at the base. It spreads by using its root system to branch out. It can be bought at various garden centers. It seems to be very slow growing and finally spreading. It is very hard to find at nurseries. I have been looking to buy more.

Good: comes back each year on its own, looks great in front gardens, spreads slowly, pretty bluish/purple flower, no end of year clean up-it tends to just disappear

Bad: is somewhat fragile, no flower fragrance, is hard to find at garden centers, bottom stems need to remain in garden

Season: blooms late June - August

Cleome-Annual

Cleome are great additions to a back yard garden. I do not suggest them for a front yard garden. They grow pretty tall so they need to be placed in the very back of any garden. They are a great fence border. The flower colors range from dark purple, white, light purple, hot pink, and light pink and continuously bloom. One plant will keep alternating flower colors! Initial plants can be bought at almost all garden centers. They spread from seeds gathered from the bean-like seed pods that hang from each plant. I've never seen the seed for sale. Dry seeds and spead before fall or let them spead on their own. They will over run your garden or yard so thinning must be done as they start to grow, each year. You can take vase cuttings and they will last forever. Watch out though.......the stems do have large thorns.

Good: comes back each year on its own, nice variety of flower colors, makes great vase clippings, at season end-pull up and dispose

Bad: has large thorns, can over run a yard if not thinned out, grows very tall, tends to fall over in hard rain, matures in late summer, no flower fragrance, does not transplant well

Season: blooms Mid July - end of October (sometimes later)