Wife grows some herbs indoors in the kitchen window.
The yard and outside garden areas, I don't plant
anything that only grows one year. Low maintenance and hardiness are the key. So I mostly do flowers that re-seed themselves (marigolds, etc), bulbs (aliums, daffodils, tulips), shrubs (Russian Sage, lilacs, peonies...), ground covers (ivy, ajuga, winter creeper, periwinkle), perennials (daisies, lilies, iris, yarrow, bleeding heart).
We're at an odd growing environment. Because of the elevation, we're in the same hardiness zone as places like Michigan and Oregon. But it can be extremely dry, with weeks, or a month or longer, between rains. The blasting spring winds and direct nonstop sun beating on the lawn make everything dry out even faster.
And my yard has been a yard for well over a hundred years, so we are fortunate to have good black soil that's two feet thick or more.
Hey, this little guy looks like my hummingbird hawk moth ... a large pollinator and very bold and interesting to watch. Let me know if you understand otherwise, please.
Looks like garlic in bloom - deep blue above
Of great interest to see continentally shared specimens ...
I relish the thriving of the many perennials here, and add to their number as possible. I think that the Canadian lean to annuals comes from the long, white, snowy, winter giving rise to lust for 'SPRING TO FROST' brilliant colour that comes from annuals. Indeed, you can plant a perennial garden to bloom in succession .... in experience, the colour blast does seem to be the purview of annuals. Open to ideas on this ....
Susan
