Flowers that you intend to plant in your garden are separated into two varieties of plants. Perennials are plants that once established will return year after year and each year will usually produce healthier and stronger plants. Annuals on the other hand, usually die off once winter hits, and require the gardener to replace them year after year. Either group provides gorgeous blooms that require some maintenance to ensure the beauty and longevity of your garden.

Many gardeners choose annuals so that each year they can plan their yard’s colour-scheme and incorporate a little change each year. Also, annuals aren’t usually as pricey as perennials, due to their shorter life-span. A gardening specialist at Rona Home and Garden Store says that the best time to plant your annuals is in the early spring, as this ensures good root growth and a healthier plant. “After the May long weekend is usually the best, when the chance of frost is gone. Most annuals can handle temperatures as low as -5, but not much lower than that,” she says.

Apparently Geraniums are one of the more popular annuals that are sold in the gardening centre. Their popularity is probably due to the fact that they will flower all summer long as long as you dead-head them regularly.

(What this entails is just removing the dead blooms to allow more flowering to occur.) As well as staying beautiful all year long, the smell of the leaves is known to keep certain pests and bugs away. Another flower that many gardeners choose for this reason is the Marigold. Many people like to plant these bright flowers around the borders of their gardens to help protect other more insect-prone plants, while adding a splash of gold to the colour-scheme.

Another annual that is fairly popular is the Sweet Pea. This fragrant plant can be trained to crawl or climb over fences, trellises, or pretty much anything, and offers an entire rainbow of colours. These beautiful climbers can be planted from seeds at the beginning of May, as long as the ground is workable, or even started earlier from seed inside your home. If this sounds like too much work, or you aren’t sure how green your thumb is, you can buy the started Sweet Peas and put them in when you plant your other annuals. They do well in many situations, and are a great backdrop to gardens or boring fences.

For a longer season of blooming annuals, choose more of the frost-resistant varieties so that a late or early Calgary frost won’t kill them. Some of the more resilient species are Snapdragons, Asters, Dusty Miller, Pansies, Violas and Petunias. Sometimes Pansies and Violas will even survive the winter and give you a head-start in the spring. Of course different flowers like different amounts of sun, so what you plant will also be dependant upon where your garden is situated. But don’t worry, seeds and potted plants say what is required to keep them healthy, either on the packets or on little tags. For example, Snapdragons like full sun so will do best in the front of your garden, or in an area that receives a lot of direct sunlight. Other plants require a certain amount of shade to do well. All these considerations must be taken into account when planning your garden.

Perennials require another type of planning altogether. Many people choose to plant perennials due to the fact that each year they return without having to go out and purchase more. Sometimes if you just want the added beauty and colour that flowers offer, these types of plants are advantageous. Of course this doesn’t mean that there isn’t a certain amount of care involved in ensuring that you have healthy plants year after year. Most perennials can thrive in our northern climate if protected from the harsh freeze and thaw cycles that Calgary is known for. This protection is achieved through mulch or some type of insulation through the winter months.

Even a good covering of snow can give protection to your perennials. Another important thing to remember when wintering your plants is that they should be dormant by the time the first real freeze hits. This ensures that they won’t be killed off from the shock. In order to facilitate this dormancy, it is important to discontinue fertilization by mid-summer, and to reduce watering by late summer. This will help your plants make the transition from summer to winter.

Probably one of the most tried and true perennials are Tulips. Once they begin to poke their heads up through the dirt, (and sometimes even snow) you know that spring has arrived. Tulips come in several varieties, providing a garden with a colourful array of blooms beginning as early as the beginning of April all the way through to the end of that month.

The difference when planting perennials is that the bulbs are planted in the fall, as opposed to the spring. Some plants like Irises and Bleeding Hearts prefer to be planted +early August, but again, the packages or tags will say when it’s the best time to plant different species. Lilies are another gorgeous perennial, and can be planted anytime from spring to fall, but tending to do best when planted in September. These striking flowers can grow quite tall, and fill in large spaces, creating a perfect backdrop to smaller flowers. The range of  perennials available to you is virtually endless, whether you like the more traditional roses, or the large, vibrant blooms of  Clamatis, you can enjoy the bursts of colour and fragrance that all these blooms offer, even when living in a northern climate.

Whatever your choice, annuals, perennials or a combination of both, it’s best to decide what you would like your garden to look like through the warmer months. Colour, blooming period, sun-placement and personal preference all play an important role in the development of your garden. Fortunately there are an abundance of books and magazines  available to help you, and who knows? If you haven’t already, you may discover the hidden gardener within yourself. For more information you can visit your nearest gardening centre, or log onto the Calgary Horticultural Society’s website at http://www.calhort.org .