by Susan Klatz Beal

Created on: November 24, 2008

Gardening is one of the most rewarding aspects of my life. From the very beginnings of my garden when I start to think about what I want to plant, to the act of planting it and tending it, I enjoy it all. To imply that gardening is easy is just plain wrong. It takes work to create the garden, but you must nurture it so that it can develop. As with any life form, it cannot survive without attention.

If you are new to gardening, the first thing to consider is your space. How much space do you have? Is your space located in a sunny location or a shady location? That will have a direct impact on what you can or cannot grow. What is your growing zone? The USDA and other organizations have divided the country into various zones that are determined by the coldest winter temperatures. This method is universally used to determine the hardiness of plants.

If you have full sun and haven't done much gardening before, I would recommend some easy to grow flowers that will be very showy and that will not require too much attention. No matter where you live, wildflowers are always a welcome site. Many varieties are easy to grow no matter where you live, and some are hardy enough to with stand very cold temperatures, very hot temperatures and drought. I think I would put all of the varieties of coreopsis at the top of this list. There is lance leaf coreopsis, plains coreopsis, moonbeam coreopsis, tickseed and a host of other varieties, all of which will easily adapt to most conditions. Moonbeam coreopsis never grows very tall. It would be ideal for the front of your garden. Other varieties grow to two or three feet. Placing those further back would be a wise idea. Plains coreopsis is a great flower to plant in poor soil. It will survive in soil that doesn't drain well or in soil that isn't rich and fertile.

Another easy to grow and very adaptable wildflower is yarrow. My favorite varieties are Parker's Gold or Coronation Gold. They both have large flower heads that have very compact and small flowers. They are very resilient and will thrive in most conditions. Like coreopsis, yarrow is a perennial, so you will not have to plant it again year after year.

Monarda or bee balm is also easy to grow. You will generally find this is a magenta or reddish color. It too is a perennial and a wildflower. It is known to attract hummingbirds. It will grow to about 3 or 4 feet, so placing this further back would be advisable. Another flower that is about the same height as Monarda is the coneflower.

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