Hardy Plants and Flowers... need advice

[NotDesperate]

Hi

I just bought a house in Delaware and it needs landscaping.

I would like to plant some bushes and shrubs (are bushes and shrubs the same thing?) that will fill up some space but not overtake the front. They also have to be hardy so they last a long time.

And I also would like to plant some flowers that are hardy. What are some flowers that come back every year?

Thanks for your help.

[Kristen78]

You need to look for perennials. Those are the types of plants & flowers that come back every year. Go to your local nursery and they generally only sell plants that are hardy for whatever zone you live in. Bulbs will come back every year - tulips, lilies, daffodils, etc...

You could do some lilacs, or hydrangea for schrubs.

[Nigellas]

The hardiest perennials/trees/shrubs are those that are native to your area. Here's a few list of plants that are native to Delaware:

http://ag.udel.edu/extension/horticulture/pdf/NativePlants.pdf

http://www.delawarenativeplants.org/

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/rdsduse/de.htm

[wine_o_girlie]

I would try to plant evergreen shrubs so that you always have some green-ness in the front of your house. I like boxwoods because they are extremely low maintenance and are easy to trim.

Definitely look for perinnials to stretch your landscaping flower budget. Hostas and liriope are great plants that require virtually no maintenance and last all summer. They are green so they don't provide much color but they are a good base. French Lavender is a wonderful perennial which gets bigger and spreads every year. PLus, the smell is wonderful. I love black-eyed Susans, daisies, and lillies also because they are very low-maintenance and last for a long time.