Plants to get now

It's spring, and many a person's thoughts turn to buying plants!

If the rising temperatures and sunshine have you thinking about plant shopping, here are a few wonderful landscape ideas that will beautify your home and feed birds and bees as well.

TREES 

Serviceberry blooming in April

Need a small tree or shrub?  Consider the Serviceberry, Amenlanchier canadensis.  This North American native is a star in 3 seasons - beautiful white spring bloom, edible scarlet berries in summer and blazing fall color in October.  Add in its small stature - tops out at around 15 to 20 feet - its non-invasive roots and the fact that it performs in full sun AND part shade, this is one great plant for urban gardens.

Native Honeysuckle in full summer bloom

CLIMBERS

Got a wall or structure that wants a climber, or maybe just some camouflage?  But don't want to be fighting a vine gone wild every year? 

I love my native Honeysuckle vine, Lonicera sempervirens.  This red flowering climber, aside from being much better behaved (and much less intrusive) than the introduced yellow one of my childhood, stays evergreen in my sheltered location and is beloved by hummingbirds.

SUMMER FLOWERS

Tired of shelling out money every spring for flowering plants that only last one summer?  Try one of these pollinator friendly natives, either in seed or plant form, and they will return year and after year.

Hummingbird Mint growing happily in a container

Hummingbird Mint Agastache is another North American native that loves a sunny location and tolerates drought better than most.  Coming in a range of colors from lavender to yellow to fiery reds and oranges, as its name suggests, it attracts hummingbirds and other pollinators.  A perennial plant that comes back year after year, it thrives in average soil.

A fragrant variety of Flowering Tobacco

Flowering Tobacco Nicotiana is an annual that self seeds easily.  Coming in a range of heights and soft colors, it blooms best in full sun but will handle part sun and even dappled shade.  Some varieties also have a gorgeous scent and all are loved by bees, butterflies and moths.

Ferny, open foliage add to Cosmos' appeal

Cosmos flowers are native to Mexico but seem to love it here.  More readily available at nurseries and big box stores than many other pollinator friendly plants, they are also easy to grow from seed in a sunny spot.  Coming in a wide range of colors, they make great cut flowers and reseed readily to return the following year.