Discussions

Hi. I have a cheap vacation home. There is a small (not so small and not so big) flower bed (outside back yard) in the vacation home. I go to the vacation home only on weekends (Friday evening to Sunday). I want to plant some flowers or plants in the flower bed. Please recommend some flowers or plants that can survive by watering them only on weekends (preferably perennials). Also, please tell me where I can buy them (Walmart/Superstore/Home Depot/etc).

Hi Brian  
If ur interested u can come and dig some for free. Trying to downsize my perenial garden, and there are some that need very little water as chicks and hens and more (succulents)  
Some irises, hostas, lillies.  
You can view them to see if ur interested.  
204-725-0409

It depends on how much sun the area gets. Any plants you plant will likely need regular watering until they are established. Often after the first year, you can cut back on water needed.  
 
I’d recommend a local greenhouse like Alternative or the Greenspot over a big box store. They have staff that know what they’re doing and plants are taken care of better and in better condition. There is also a lady near Kemnay who sells hostas, peonies, lillies. Lindenberg’s is also a great place to check out.  
 
You could go to any local greenhouse (is there one in the town you spend weekends in?) and receive great advice.  
 
There are also plant sales this time of year. Brandon and Neepawa’s is this weekend.  
 
Take longer to establish but if you can, you should choose native plants. They may take a bit more care up front but they are made to survive in our area and once they are established they are good to go. The Greenspot sells Prairie Originals which is a Manitoban native plant company.  
 
If it is a shadier area, bleeding hearts are great. They fill in an area nicely, have pretty pink flowers and foliage looks pretty when they are done blooming. Ferns are great in shadier areas.  
 
Hostas are great. They are very hardy. Many different varieties.  
 
Day lilies are a bushier plant that flower. Pretty hardy.  
 
Irises are very hardy.  
 
Peonies are pretty. Love blanketflower. Yarrow is pretty and spread nicely. Milkweed is important for butterflies. Joe Pye, bergamot, coneflower, false sunflower, black eyed Susan are all good choices.  
 
Some flowers reseed themselves easily. Like cosmos, pansies, dianthus, poppies. Zinnias are popular and grow quickly.  
 
If cost is an issue, you can buy packets of perennial seeds and fill in your bed with them. Of course, it’s a bit slower to see results than if you’d bought plants.  
 
You want to stay away from plants that are invasive like creeping bellflower, bishop goutweed, lily of the valley. Can find others by looking at the invasive species list.

have you ever used a ollas for watering flowers when it:s dry hot conditions ? just wondering if it would work when you can not water all the time .

I have not used an ollas. But there are different things like that that probably could only help during hot conditions. A less pretty but inexpensive alternative is filling a 2l pop bottle too. You could also rig up a shade system or even shade plants by sticking umbrellas in the dirt.  
 
Mulch is really great for helping retain moisture and keeping weeds down. It would be beneficial to use wood chips, straw, or similar organic matter for mulch.  
 
There is a saying too of "right plant in the right place". If there is a place you struggle to water sufficiently, maybe find plants that thrive in dry, hot conditions.

I am the lady near Kemnay that has all kinds of perennials! Planting the perennials into your flowerbed, then mulching around them will keep the weeds away, moisture in and finish off the look of your flowerbed. Watering the perennials each weekend will be often enough for the perennials if mulched. Be careful of where you get the perennials. You do NOT want to be given perennials from someone who already has portulaca or chickweed in their flowerbeds as those perennial seeds are viable for up to 20 years and you will be battling those weeds forever. I will not give you either portulaca or chickweed in my perennials! I have potted up about 50 varieties of hosta here, about 20 different peonies, numerous lilies, daylilies, sedums, veronica, bleeding hearts, miniature irises, etc. Many of my perennials are not available in nurseries (for example, the daylilies are my own hybridized varieties not available commercially). Come on out, for shopping or simply to talk and get ideas for your own flowerbed. Look at the beds here and see how I have planted them up. Would love to meet you!