How-to: Navigating a Nursery

How does your garden grow?

Five Tips to Help Navigate a Nursery

1. Make a plan and have an idea of what you are hoping to plant. Herbs, flowers or vegetables?
2. What is an annual? Annuals are plants that perform their entire life cycle (from seed to flower) in a single growing season.
3. What is a perennial? Perennials are plants that persist for many growing seasons. The top portion of the plant dies each winter and regrows from a bulb or root system the next spring.
4. Most plants need ~6 hours of sunlight each day. Does your garden allow for this? If not, stick with herbs, flowers and vegetables that do well in shade.
5. Need help? Get to know the nursery staff. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, no matter how silly they may seem. In the end, it’s better to know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.

Easy to grow plants:

Basil, Lavender, Sage, Chives, Dill and Mint (herbs)
Marigolds, Geraniums, Calendula, Sunflowers and Zinnias (annuals)
Black-eyed Susans, Purple Coneflowers, Pansies and Day Lilies (perennials)
Lettuce, Peppers, Tomatoes and Cucumbers (vegetables)