Garden Goals for 2024 at Whispering Hills Garden Center

Get ready to conquer 2024 with a fresh set of garden goals! Stay tuned this week as we challenge you to try five new things to make this gardening season one for the record books. 

Goal #1: The best way to expand your knowledge of plants is to try at least a few new varieties you’ve never grown every year. Even seasoned pros who have been gardening for decades do this! The 5 top pick annuals pictured here will get you started. Stay tuned for many more new plant profiles of annuals, perennials, shrubs and houseplants to come in the days and weeks ahead. 

• 1- Supertunia® Saffron Finch™ petunia – The very best yellow petunia we’ve ever trialed, this newcomer meets our strict standards for Supertunia. Its full, rounded habit is covered in blooms non-stop from spring to fall without deadheading. Grows 4-12″ tall x 18-24″ wide in full sun to part sun in containers and landscapes.
• 2- Supertunia® Hoopla™ Vivid Orchid™ petunia – Once you try it, you’ll see what all the hoopla is about! Patterned petunias don’t always live up to the hype, but this stellar performer is consistently fabulous all season. Grows 4-12″ tall x 18-24″ wide in full sun to part sun in containers and landscapes.
• 3- Superbells® Double Redstone™ calibrachoa – With blooms like tiny roses, there is nothing else like this vermillion red and gold bicolor, double-flowered calibrachoa. It blooms all season without deadheading on robust, mounded plants that make great fillers and spillers in containers. Grows 6-12″ tall x 12-24″ wide in full sun to part sun.
• 4- Superbena® Pink Cashmere™ verbena – This incredibly vigorous, mounded spreading verbena boasts huge flower umbels in delicate shades of pink. Like all Superbena, it is highly resistant to powdery mildew and blooms all season without deadheading. Grows 6-12″ tall x 18-30″ wide in full sun to part sun in containers and landscapes. 
• 5- Heart to Heart® ‘Rain or Shine’ caladium – A favorite among our growers, this is one of the most vigorous and unique caladiums we’ve ever seen. It thrives in heat and full sun to part sun which draws out the best coloration. Grows 15-20″ tall x 10-14″ wide in full sun to part sun in containers and landscapes.

Garden goal #2 for 2024: Conserve water. Whether or not your area is faced with watering restrictions or drought, everyone can play a role in conserving this most precious resource. Here are 6 ways you can achieve this garden goal:

• Grow drought tolerant plants like succulents, native plants with low water needs, plants with deep tap roots, and those with fuzzy or silver foliage (since most of those types tend to need less water.) 
• Group your most drought tolerant plants together so that when you do need to water, you can do so more efficiently. That way, you won’t end up overwatering plants that don’t need the extra moisture. 
• Grow more thirsty plants in self-watering AquaPots®. They use far less water and use it more efficiently. AquaPots are now offered in Ceramic and Lite forms and our new AquaPots Insert can turn most 16-20″ or larger containers into self-watering ones.
• Use WaterWise® drip irrigation for your containers, baskets and window boxes that aren’t self-watering. By setting the drippers exactly where the water is needed, far less is wasted and your plants will flourish as a result. 
• Water your plants early in the morning so your plants can absorb the moisture before the heat of the day sets in. This helps your plants tolerate the heat and prevents some water being wasted to evaporation.
• Collect rainwater in a rain barrel that can be used to water your indoor and outdoor plants. 

Garden goal #3 for 2024: Support more pollinators. It’s never too late to work towards fostering a healthier environment for pollinators. Here are 6 tips to help you pick the right plants, plant them in the right places, and grow them with maximum benefit to insects – as well as to you and your community.

• Pick a sunny spot to grow your pollinator-friendly plants. Insects need the warmth of the sun to become active, so you won’t find as many hanging out in cold, shady places.
• Plant a wide variety of flowers so something is always in bloom. Pollinators need to collect pollen and nectar all season, so if there’s a lull, they’ll go elsewhere to find food.
• Grow larger groups of plants to provide plenty of food for pollinators. They are less likely to visit if you are growing just a single plant or two with flowers they like. Make your garden an all you can eat buffet for pollinators! 
• Include some native plants in your landscape, including both host plants and nectar plants, so pollinators will have a place to reproduce and feed. 
• Drastically limit or eliminate your use of pesticides and increase your tolerance for chewed leaves. The last thing you want to do is spray your pollinator plants with pesticides and harm the insects you are trying to help.
• Learn more about the pollinators you are striving to support. You’ll find a whole host of articles on our website to get you started. Winter is a perfect time to study up! 

Flowers for pollinators including gomphrena, salvia, sedum, diervilla, bee balm, clematis, penstemon, lantana and rose of Sharon. 

Thank you for doing your part to support your local pollinator populations!

Garden goal #4 for 2024: Plan a bird-friendly backyard. Birds are fun to watch, but they also provide us with free pest control services. They help to balance the food chain by taking care of mice, moles, voles and insects that multiply rapidly. You’ll need fewer pesticides when birds do that important work for you. 

• Bird-friendly yards offer these four vital elements for survival:
• Food – Grow plants that offer berries and seeds like winterberry, sunflowers, coneflowers, false indigo, canna, juniper, chokeberry and beautyberry. Supplement with bird feeders in the off season.
• Water – Provide a consistent, clean source of water for birds to drink, bathe and cool off.
• Shelter – Grow plants that offer birds a place to hide and find shelter like dense evergreens and large deciduous shrubs, grasses, tall ferns and trees.
• Nesting – In addition to nesting in trees and shrubs, birdhouses can also provide a safe place for birds to rear their young.

Garden goal #5 for 2024: Learn from local gardening resources who know exactly what kinds of climate and gardening challenges you face where you live. 

Seek out these local resources:

• Botanical gardens and arboretums
• State University Extension offices
• Independent garden centers
• Master gardener groups
• Garden and conservation clubs
• Garden columnists, bloggers and content creators