Certain age!!?? Why you're just a young whipper snapper.

General rule: Annuals, plants that complete a growth cycle in one year and then die, offer lots of blooms and for longer periods. They grow to varying sizes & need replacing every year. Their advantage is in the profusity of their blooms. Perennials are plants that are able to live through three or more growing cycles. These plants come back every year (hopefully) and often have a shorter period of blooming, but that varies. Their advantage is in the fact that you don't need to plant them every year. Usually, occasionally dividing them is enough to keep them happy.

You can bet that plenty more tips will be forthcoming. Best of luck to you & welcome aboard.

Al

Hi, Karen. Perennials will come back year after year. Right now, black-eyed susans, purple coneflower, and coreopsis are in bloom here. These are summer perennials and are relatively easy to grow and the clumps get bigger each year. There are thousands of perennials that you can choose from. Look around and see what you like and go for it! It's hard to find just one perennial that will bloom from early spring through the fall so for continuous bloom, you'll have to get several different kinds. It's great fun!

Perennials are what you are after, they should be on sale at nursery centres right now. The fall bloomers are the asters.

Be aware that perennials spend their first two seasons growing roots and getting established, so you won't see a lot of bloom this year or next. The old saying about perennials is:
"First year they sleep, second year they creep, third year they leap"

Here is a link that might be useful: Perennial Tips

Thanks so much for all the advice ! I am sure glad to meet you all :) Happy Planting :) Karen

Check out local garden clubs, botanical gardens, arboretums, & specialized clubs such as iris, daylily, or rose clubs for their autumn sales.

Often you'll find great prices on plants that thrive in your area, plus good advice & recommendations from devoted, experienced gardeners.

(If you want to really save money, go to the sales on the afternoon of the last day; the selection isn't as broad, but the prices are really good.)

And check out gardenweb's exchanges forums:
Plant Exchange
Tennessee Gardening (look near the top of the main Tn Gardening page for the exchanges page).

Have fun!

Hi, Karen! I'm Gail and I live in Arkansas. I've been gardening a few years, and just like you, I started with no knowledge of plants or how to care for them. I like gardening books. My first rose was a wedding gift from my great-aunt, and in my local bookstore one day I noticed a book about roses on the sale rack so I bought it. I then started LOOKING for gardening books on the sale rack, visiting my local nurseries, reading the care tags on the ones I liked, and slowly learning what the different terms meant. As I bought or was given each new plant, I learned something new, and of course, this forum is a good place to get information.

As you start a new flower bed, you need to consider it's conditions... light (full sun,part sun/part shade,shade), and moisture (dry,average,moist) are key elements in a plant's chance of survival. You could also submit a soil sample to your county extension office for analysis (which is usually FREE) or buy a home test, however the extension office testing will be returned with recommendations about what your particular soil needs to be fertile. If you have good soil, it will come back with "no recommendations" and that would be a good thing! But digging a hole and putting a plant in it and watering it is acceptable and you will learn fairly quickly whether it likes where you planted it or not! LOL