Early spring is really when you want to start thinking about what you want to plant in your yard. What it really comes down to is what colors pallet or look you are you going for. I usually get excited because seeing flowers pop up because it feels like a fresh start and gives me excitement for what’s to come. While year to year I plant a lot of the same flowers they never seem to look the same.

The main reason is because I love a mixture of perennials and annuals because with perennials you know what’s coming and annuals give everything a different look. If you don’t know perennials tend to come back every year, while annuals, depending on your growing zone, do not come back.

My yard is a mixture of potted plants, flower beds and baskets. I have certain go to plants for each of these that I wanted to share with you guys for some inspiration on where to get started.

Flower Baskets

• Dusty Miller:
  • Easy to grow and keep year after year in Zone 7
  • Flower in the Summer
• Petunia’s:
  • Switch them out year after year for different colors
  • Cascade out of baskets
• Sweet Potato Vine:
  • Cascade out of your basket
  • Beautiful varieties of green and purple (awesome contrast against each other)
• Hyacinth Bean Vine:
  • These climb up the chain, disguising it
  • Flower all summer & turn into a seed to use for the next year

Potted Plants

• Begonia:
  • There are so many varieties, but these are annuals unless you bring them inside
• Sweet potato vine:
  • Awesome selection to have something cascading out of your pot
• Jade Plant:
  • These are beautiful and if you bring them inside every winter you can actually grow a pretty large tree
• Veronica Plant:
  • Can put this in a pot or yard
  • Adds height to the pot and a splash of color
• Mint:
  • Great to have for drinks and cooking
  • Easier to contain in a pot the plant can be very aggressive
  • Smells amazing
• Basil:
  • Easy to pick and eat if potted
  • Let it flower at the end of the season and pick the seed pods to plant for next year

Yard

• Roses:
  • Bloom all summer
  • Great for cutting and Flower Arrangements
  • Smell Amazing
• Gardenia
  • Bloom all summer
  • Smell Amazing
• Wax Leaf Privet
  • Fast Grower
  • Will make a great privacy wall
  • Flower and have berries
• Wax Myrtle
  • Super Fast Grower
  • Leaves are evergreen
  • Leaves Smell Amazing
  • Great for Arrangement Fillers
• Tea Olive
  • Fast Grower
  • Smells Amazing in Spring when blooming
• Clematis
  • Beautiful Flower for Trellis
• Cleome
  • Beautiful Flowers
• Hydrangea:
  • Easy to Cut for Arrangements
  • Beautiful in the garden
  • Comes in Bush, tree, or Climber
• Butterfly Bush
  • Attracts Beautiful Butterflies & has wonderful flowers all summer