Please help a novice out

[Tiya]

Hi guys. So I'm a complete novice when it comes to any of this, so I'd like some help. I moved into a place that used to sport a rose bush and trellis. I'm pretty sure it looked beautiful in its day, but unfortunately it's just a bunch of dead sticks now.

I live in Pennsylvania (zone 6 I believe).

I'm just thinking about a small scale gardening project. Something low maintenance. Maybe a small bush/tree as a center peice, with a couple things around it. And possibly make use of the trellis. (Mom loves morning glories so I might make use of those)
Sorry for posting the pics twice. Can't figure out how to take them out lol.

 

[ApidAdi]

First of all, welcome! I'm new here myself!

A lot of what you put there will depend on how many hours of sun it gets in a day. What side of the house is it on?

Morning glories love full sun (8+ hours per day, or south side of house) to light shade. They do well in poor soil, but do best in well draining moderately rich soil (by that I mean they benefit from the occasional dose of fertilizer, but they aren't heavy feeders).

You also want to think about whether you want to plant things every year. Some plants - annuals - live for a couple of seasons, produce flowers then die. Morning glories are annuals. There's nothing wrong with replanting your garden every year! Some people live for spring planting. But if you're not that kind of person go for perennials. These are the plants that keep coming back every year, like roses.

Once you know that basic stuff, it comes down to experimentation. Some plants just do not want to grow where you stick them, and you have to accept that you need something else. Many gardeners love to share their plants, and would be more than happy to break you off a piece of a plant that caught your eye. Just be sure they tell you how to get it to root! If you go to a hardware store like Lowe's or Home Depot, the tag on the plant will tell you just about everything you need to know to make your decisions.

Lastly, am I correct in guessing that that's snow on the ground? You're going to want to wait until after the average last frost date in your region to put anything in the ground. You can google it if you don't know that info offhand. It'll save you a lot of money and heartache over lost or damaged plants.

 

[Tiya]

First of all, welcome! I'm new here myself!

A lot of what you put there will depend on how many hours of sun it gets in a day. What side of the house is it on?

Morning glories love full sun (8+ hours per day, or south side of house) to light shade. They do well in poor soil, but do best in well draining moderately rich soil (by that I mean they benefit from the occasional dose of fertilizer, but they aren't heavy feeders).

You also want to think about whether you want to plant things every year. Some plants - annuals - live for a couple of seasons, produce flowers then die. Morning glories are annuals. There's nothing wrong with replanting your garden every year! Some people live for spring planting. But if you're not that kind of person go for perennials. These are the plants that keep coming back every year, like roses.

Once you know that basic stuff, it comes down to experimentation. Some plants just do not want to grow where you stick them, and you have to accept that you need something else. Many gardeners love to share their plants, and would be more than happy to break you off a piece of a plant that caught your eye. Just be sure they tell you how to get it to root! If you go to a hardware store like Lowe's or Home Depot, the tag on the plant will tell you just about everything you need to know to make your decisions.

Lastly, am I correct in guessing that that's snow on the ground? You're going to want to wait until after the average last frost date in your region to put anything in the ground. You can google it if you don't know that info offhand. It'll save you a lot of money and heartache over lost or damaged plants.

Thanks for the reply!

I'm definitely not the green thumb type but last year I planted morning glories in a pot (on the same side of the house) and had a bunch of luck with them. So I'm looking to try it again, but to actually plant them into the ground, using the trellis.

I'm definitely looking for some type of perennial as the center piece. Anything else around it doesn't have to be. I love projects and wouldn't mind planting every year. Unfortunately, there really isn't any nurserys near me so I have no choice but to buy from Lowe's/Home Depot. Or grow it myself (oh boy..).

Also, yes, you are seeing snow. I figured I'd get an idea for what I wanted to do ahead of time. Giving myself ample time for planning/budgeting. I believe the last frost is May 1st.

I'm really hoping to be successful with this, because I've been wanting to do it for about two years. Especially with this "bush" being the eye sore that it is. Only growing one rose and a couple leaves. The rest remaining sticks..

 

[Beth_B]

Hi!

I'm guessing if there were climbing roses there previously, there's sufficient sun. But as @ApidAdi says, the amount daily will be a determining factor.

If it gets at least six hours a day, check out Clematis (you can buy from online nurseries for a wider variety.) Hardy climbing vine, comes in a wide array of colors, flowers all season long. Then you can plant lower-growing perennials or annuals along the side of the house. I had Clematis at a previous house growing up around the mailbox. Too far for a garden hose to reach, so I don't believe I ever watered it.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I say this to just about everyone, but consider adding Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa). It's native to most of the US, attracts Monarchs, and they lay their eggs on it. The caterpillars eat the leaves until they're large enough to form a chrysalis. Here's a photo of it that I took at a nature sanctuary (the orange-flowered plants). I also grow quite a few myself. If you can't find it in a store (it's very common in garden centers, but not so much at Lowes or Home Depot), it's VERY easy to grow yourself! Just scatter the seeds where you want them in Winter and they'll pop up in Spring. You'd have to scatter the seeds immediately if you want the seedlings to grow this year. It takes about three seasons for them to really look fuller, but it's worth the wait.

 

[Tiya]

I say this to just about everyone, but consider adding Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa). It's native to most of the US, attracts Monarchs, and they lay their eggs on it. The caterpillars eat the leaves until they're large enough to form a chrysalis. Here's a photo of it that I took at a nature sanctuary (the orange-flowered plants). I also grow quite a few myself. If you can't find it in a store (it's very common in garden centers, but not so much at Lowes or Home Depot), it's VERY easy to grow yourself! Just scatter the seeds where you want them in Winter and they'll pop up in Spring. You'd have to scatter the seeds immediately if you want the seedlings to grow this year. It takes about three seasons for them to really look fuller, but it's worth the wait.

View attachment 16649

Thanks, I'll definitely look into that.

 

[Tiya]

Hi!

I'm guessing if there were climbing roses there previously, there's sufficient sun. But as @ApidAdi says, the amount daily will be a determining factor.

If it gets at least six hours a day, check out Clematis (you can buy from online nurseries for a wider variety.) Hardy climbing vine, comes in a wide array of colors, flowers all season long. Then you can plant lower-growing perennials or annuals along the side of the house. I had Clematis at a previous house growing up around the mailbox. Too far for a garden hose to reach, so I don't believe I ever watered it.

Thanks for the tip!

I honestly didn't know there were online nurseries. Can you give some recommended/trusted sites I can use?