Talk to me about building a perennial garden from the ground up. I'm a fairly new gardener, and have recently bought a number of plants online. This worked well, because we have a small but complicated garden layout (in terms of sun/shade/water) and I can figure out specifics without getting overwhelmed. I also enjoy being present in a nursery to see the plants in person, but the good places are a fairly long drive away and weekend crowds can drive me insane. Given a list of desired plants, how do you go about buying them? What is the most cost effective way of doing this? [more inside]
posted by barnone on May 22, 2012 - 18 answers

What plants are suitable for putting on our deck in Seattle? There's no yard/soil, so they must live in containers. The deck is quite large so I was thinking about large decorative plants like small trees or some form of bamboo. Climate-wise, we have the typical PNW weather of moist winters that only fall below freezing a few days out of the year. Also, we are completely ignorant of gardening and would rather have something that can survive with a minimum of attention.
posted by matildaben on Nov 18, 2008 - 11 answers

What should I plant on my balcony? [more inside]
posted by barrakuda on Oct 17, 2008 - 5 answers

Growing a few green chile plants in the hot desert. Any tips or tricks? [more inside]
posted by azpenguin on May 20, 2008 - 10 answers

I am looking for ideas for planting around grave sites. [more inside]
posted by terrapin on May 1, 2007 - 8 answers