The Milwaukee Post

Whether you are new to gardening, or experienced but limited on time, there are certain failproof plants that you must have in your landscape. My gardens don't get as much care as they should. Sometimes all we need is a plant that we can't kill. I rely on these plants myself. I have certain areas around my house that are basically survival of the fittest, and these hard-to-kill plants are thriving. Before choosing the actual plants, though, it is good to familiarize yourself with basic design factors such as height, flowering time, sun and shade needs, etc. After all, we don't want to put plants in the wrong spot because they will struggle, and that defeats the purpose we are trying to obtain. Don't be afraid to ask the experts at your local garden center for help. We love to talk gardening with anyone and everyone. Remember, we were beginners once our- selves. Let's start with the larger plants and work our way down. Native trees breed success When selecting trees for the landscape, stay native for success. The reason is because they establish better because they're accustomed to our environment and soil. Red or Freeman maples, lindens and bur oak are good choices for large landscape trees and flowering crab apples are a great ornamental short to mid- size choice. Stay away from fast-growing, weak-wooded trees like silver maples; they can be maintenance nightmares. Diehard shrubs Let's move on to shrubs. Some diehard sun- loving shrubs for the landscape would include spirea, barberries, ninebark, burning bushes, dogwoods, lilacs, mugo pines and forsythia. The toughest shade-loving shrubs would be old-fashioned hydrangeas like Annabelle, viburnums, sweetspire, chokeberries and ker- ria. Yews would be a good selection for either sun or shade, if you're looking for something evergreen. Sure-fire perennials What about perennials? A great place to start is the native section of your favorite greenhouse. Some hardy sun-loving perennials include baptisia, black-eyed Susan, coneflowers, thread-leaf coreopsis, daylilies, perennial sun- flowers, peonies, Russian sage, sedums, butter- fly weed and yarrow. Shade-loving varieties include bleeding heart, columbine, foam flower, lady's mantle, hosta and turtlehead. Can't-miss annuals As far as annuals go, some extremely tough sun-lovers are petunias, million bells, alyssum, cosmos and verbena. These are extremely tolerant of abuse and a good choice for containers as well as beds. I use these at my house because they require much less care and survive quite well on their own. Some good shade-loving varieties include pansies, violas, begonias and New Guinea impatiens. I love plants that basically take care of themselves besides a little watering and fertilizing. I didn't get into specifics on each plant here because there are lots of different varieties to choose from and everyone will pick their favorite. Just remember plants can die for many reasons, many of which are out of our control, but by planting the toughest of the tough, your successes will far outweigh your losses. (Michael Timm is a horticulturalist at Ebert's Greenhouse Village in Ixonia.) Submitted photo A hard-to-beat perennial for hardiness is the sun- flower, which range in varieties. Hardy survivors for every part of the yard MICHAEL TIMM 14 • Milwaukee County Post • May 25, 2018 We are now accepting Memorials, Obituaries and Death Notices. Now for only $85 (Includes up to 300 words.) For an extra $10 Add a Photo. Or a short notice for only $25 (Includes 150 words.) All notices prepaid. For more information call Dan Muckelbauer @ 262-513-2626 and leave a message or email dmuck@conleynet.com Let your friends and relatives know about the passing of a loved one. Place a memorial in the Milwaukee County Post newspaper. DEADLINES ARE TUESDAY (2pm) FOR THE UPCOMING WEEKEND PAPER. 260647037 FAMILY FAMILY CARNIVAL CARNIVAL FAMILY CARNIVAL FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO WWW.CENTENNIALWELS.ORG 3558 S. 24 Street-1 Block South of Morgan 414•281•8820 JUNE 9th JUNE 9th 10:00AM – 2:00PM 10:00AM – 2:00PM FREE FUN! JUNE 10TH OUTDOOR WORSHIP SERVICE "His Way" Band SUNDAY 11am-4pm FOOD: Freeze Pops Nachos Popcorn Hot Dogs Bottled Water Lemonade Everything is FREE! GIVEaWaYS: Raffle Items MORE FREE EVENTS TO FOLLOW KiDs GaMeS Bounce Houses Caricaturist "Jer the Bear" Nerd Balloon Animals Emergency Vehicles Face Painting SAT: Live Band 709 W. Oklahoma Ave. 481-8170 Accepting Blue Cross, Anthem, TRICARE, Express Scripts and more... Registered Pharmacist Bob Stresing and the Serv-U Team Preventing Foodborne Illness Proper handling of food, especially uncooked meat, plays a big part in preventing foodborne illnesses. Always wash your hands before and after preparing food. Wash fresh produce under running water. Separate raw meat, poultry and seafood from other foods in the shopping cart, bags and refrigerator. Have separate cutting boards for meat and produce, and wash these and utensils thoroughly after use. Cooking any food to 160 degrees F will kill any E. coli. Know safe cooking temps for meat and poultry; invest in a good meat thermometer. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, pack containers 2 inches deep for quick cooling and use within 4 days. HEALTH TIP WEEK of the 260335055 Paid Advertisement HOME

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