GardenersCardiff answers:

Daylilies. Start with daylilies. They come in a gazillion colors, bloom for weeks, come back year after year. Buy a one gallon size for impact, dig a hole, plop it in, fill in the hole, push the dirt down and water it. No muss no fuss no bother.

Coreopsis. Great workhorse plant. Pot or in the ground, same scenario. They’ll literally bloom til the tops freeze.

Iris. Unless you water them to death they’re pretty bulletproof. Buy them potted, this time of year. Do not put dirt past the level they’re planted in the pot. Bearded iris are my favorites, but there are other varieties…ask at your nursery.

Peonies. Another bulletproof selection. Again, buy them potted this time of year.

Sedum. Gotta love a good succulent.

All these like full sun. The daylily will grow and bloom in part sun, but not as well as they do in open ground. Also, all of these will grow just about anywhere in the country. Halfway decent soil that’s not real wet will give you results.

For shade, try bleeding hearts, columbine, dead nettle, sweet woodruff, hosta, ferns, cordyline, monkshood, and lily-of-the-valley. Same basics, dig a hole and drop it in. If you can grow fairly impressive weeds, your soil should support these.

Get yourself a Western Garden Book if you’re really serious. It’ll answer most of your questions. Good luck!

GardenersCardiff answers:

Prune them & stick them in plastic soil & they’ll do just fine!