1.
Growth Habits
2.
Four Season Appeal
3.
Environmental Needs
4.
Special Desirable Features
5.
Problems
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Annual flowers
Perennial Flowers (herbaceous)
Bulbs (spring or summer)
Ornamental grasses
Evergreens (trees and shrubs)
Trees (deciduous)
Shrubs (deciduous)
Groundcovers and Vines
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Live only one year
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Replant each year
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Inexpensive
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Continuous mass of color (flowers or foliage)
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Special: some everlasting
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Problems: heat stall
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Live 3 or more years
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Parts above ground die in winter
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Overwinter as underground structures
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More expensive than annuals
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Burst of flower color for a few weeks
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Special: need to divide after a few years
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Problems: frost heaving
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Laminate bulbs: ie- tulip, daffodil, garlic, onion
◦ Layers of leaf tissue
◦ Outermost leaf is scaly tissue
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Scaly bulbs: ie- lily
◦ No outer covering (more likely to dry out)
◦ Roots are contractile
 Can expand and contract to pull the bulb deeper into soil
 Helps avoid freezing at the surface
 Look wrinkly, like a scrunchie
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Corms:
◦ bulk of the tissue is stem
◦ Hard scaly outer covering
◦ Solid, one layered
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Rhizomes: ie-mint, ferns
◦ Fleshy stem that often grows underground or at the soil
surface
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Tubers: ie-white potato
◦ Swollen stem tissue
◦ “eyes” = buds
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Tuberous Roots: ie-sweet potato
◦ Swollen root tissue
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Plant in fall
Require vernalization
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Response to low temperatures and moist
conditions to stimulate flowers
Bloom in spring
Not all true bulbs: includes corms, rhizomes,
tubers, tuberous roots
Special: May need to divide
Problems: foliage dies after bloom
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Plant in spring
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Bloom in summer
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Not all true bulbs (corms, rhizomes, tubers,
tuberous roots)
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Special: some are “tender”
◦ Need to be brought inside for winter
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Live numerous years
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Evergreen or deciduous
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Above ground parts survive winter
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More expensive than herbaceous perennials
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Consider speed of growth and length of life
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Special: flowers, fruits, shade, fall, winter bark
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Problems: pruning, can be messy
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Live numerous years
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Evergreen or deciduous
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Above ground parts survive winter
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Comparable in price to herbaceous perennials
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Special: climb and cover ground
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Problems: may need support, can be aggressive
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Spring
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Summer
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Fall
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Winter
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Shade vs. Sun
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Wet vs. Dry
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Temperature
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Soil