Gardening does not have to be lots of work! The key to self sustaining gardening is research and planning. If you want to enjoy the beauty of plants but don't have the time or energy to slave away all day then all you need to do is find out which plants will grow best in your area.

Flowering bulbs and perennial plants are great for low maintenance gardening because they will return each year on their own. Perennial plants are ones that can live through the season, die back and return each year or they may simply live all the way through the winter. Bulbs bloom during their bloom season, they die back, go dormant and will also return year after year!

For me the easiest solution was bulbs because I am addicted to all the awesome flowers they produce! I live in northern Arizona so we get some freezing/ snowy winters but our summers are also pretty warm (sometimes in the 90's). We can grow bulbs that require some chilling and we can also grow bulbs that do not need chilling. We can also successfully grow many winter hardy perennial plants like Echinacea, lavender, poppies and much more.

The idea behind a self sustaining garden is choosing plants that will not require much from you, that will do well in the natural conditions present in your garden. Things like monitoring the amount of sunlight, looking up rain fall totals, learning about your average temperatures and testing your soil will get you going in the right direction. Then just find the plants that are best suited for your area that you like, plant them and your garden will be set.

A great website that can get you started is http://www.garden.org/zipzone/
There you can search your zip code to find your USDA hardiness zone, you can find your areas regional report, find plants that are recommended for your zone and get started today on your newly sustainable garden!

Learn more about this author, Talina Norris.
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