So many types of plants to choose from...

Getting excited about gardening comes easy, once you’ve started. It’s taking that first step that’s always the most intimidating. But after your first or second season you’ll soon realize that watching plants grow is way more fun than it sounds…

Let's discuss the elements of a garden, beginning with types of plants.
You can break plants down into certain groups to make it easier to understand where and how they should be placed in your garden. Groups of plants include:

Ornamental, shade, and fruiting trees
Any tree that blooms or otherwise makes a show at some point during the year can be considered an ornamental tree. Larger trees, growing over 40’ tall and almost as wide would be considered a shade tree, and fruiting trees would be those that bear edible fruit.

Conifers
Conifers are cone bearing, usually evergreen trees that will produce needles or scales instead of a true leaf. They come in all shapes and sizes and make excellent structural plantings in the garden.

Broadleaf evergreen and deciduous shrubs
A shrub is a smaller woody plant that usually grows no larger than 12-15’ tall. There are plenty of evergreen shrubs to choose from that grow well here in the Pacific Northwest. Deciduous shrubs are those that lose their leaves in the wintertime and often put on a spectacular show of leaf color in the fall.

Flowering perennials and ornamental grasses
Flowering perennials are smaller herbaceous plants that often die back to the ground in the winter and re-emerge the following spring, though there are a few varieties that are considered semi-evergreen. Ornamental grasses are also found in both semi-evergreen and true perennial forms. Grasses can be found in all shapes and sizes and work well to add texture to a garden bed.

Annual flowers and foliage
An annual plant is one that completes a life cycle in one year. Grown for both blooms and foliage, there are now hundreds of varieties available that will thrive in our climate.

Herbs and vegetables
Most varieties of vegetables would be considered annuals from the gardener’s perspective and will be planted accordingly. Herbs come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. A lot of cultivars are perennial and can be grown as such.

Groundcovers
Just as the name suggests, a groundcover is a plant that covers the ground, some more rampantly than other. Some prefer sun while others thrive in the shade. If you’re looking to hold the hillside together you may be looking for one of these.

This is a summarized list and though not detailed, it will help you to navigate our garden center. Usually you’ll find most of the trees grouped together. Shade plants will be in a different section than the plants that prefer sun. Annual flowers will be separate from the perennial varieties. Herbs and vegetables are increasingly popular and you will find an incredible selection in our garden center. If you do have any questions, the staff at our nursery will be able to point you in the right direction…