How to Plant Year Round Flowers in Maryland
Knowing the right flowers and shrubs to plant can give Maryland gardeners a year-round tapestry of flowers to enjoy for their landscaping. Maryland falls in zones 2a to 7b in the United States Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Map. These zones differ in their average minimal temperature. For instance, zone 2a sees temperatures drop to -45 degrees Fahrenheit and zone 7b temperatures plummet to 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Check your region's zone to help you find out which plants will survive your cold temperatures. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Prepare your garden bed in the early spring after the last frost in order to provide nutrients to existing perennials and plant annuals. Because the climate of Maryland dips to extreme cold conditions, most annuals are not able to survive the freezing soil.
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Decide where to plant landscaping shrubs. Shrubs are a popular choice to reduce street sound and create privacy. Both spicebush and red chokeberry begin to flower after the last frost. Summer shrubs like sweet pepperbush not only bestow your yard with spiky white flowers, but they also attract hummingbirds. Late-summer flowering shrubs include swamp azalea and American elderberry. In addition, camellia, wintersweet and flowering quince contribute vivid flowers to your wintry landscape.
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Dig a hole that is twice the size as the shrubs' root ball and at the same depth as the shrub is planted in the container. Place the shrub inside the hole and pack the soil around its base.
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Spread 6-inches of mulch around shrubs and flowering plants to keep their roots warm in the winter temperatures. Also, keep them watered up until the late fall. Moist soil is warmer than dry soil.
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Choose ornamental plants to plant either in containers or in your gardening beds. Spring wildflowers such as spring beauty, dutchman’s breeches and smooth sweet cicely can be planted after the last frost and bloom in early spring. Summer plants, such as swamp milkweed, yellow violet and boneset, should be planted in the early spring,. Spruce up your fall and winter with ornamental plants such as winter heathers, Iceland poppies and snapdragons; these should be planted in the fall for late fall and wintry blooms.
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Till the garden bed prior to planting any ornamental plants. Work 6 inches of compost into the bed to increase the soil's nutrients. Dig holes at the same depth and twice the diameter of an ornamental plant's root ball. Place in hole and pack soil around the base.
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Plant in containers. By planting plants that can not handle the night cold, you can take them inside in the late afternoon and bring them out in the morning so that they can enjoy the sun. Use small containers in order to make moving them around easier. Place them on the patio or deck to remind you of spring in the cold winter months.
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Broadcast seeds into your gardening bed according to the spacing instructions on the seed package for early spring and summer flowers. Dig holes twice the size of the container-grown plant's root balls and at the same depth as the plant was planted in the container.
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Tips & Warnings
Plant flowering bulbs in the late winter for early spring flowers.
Avoid planting tropical plants in your yard, because most cannot stand freezing temperatures.
References
- Photo Credit hebiscus flower bud, Malaysia national flower image by Heng kong Chen from Fotolia.com
