Whether you are an experienced gardener or just beginning to explore your outdoor surroundings, Oak Park can help you achieve the garden you want! You'll love our commitment to plant quality! You'll love our variety! Our plants are grown in a Midwest climate, instead of "force grown" from a warmer area. We do this for a reason. We know the plant was raised in a climate as cold or colder than ours, so it has a tendency to last longer and endure the winter weather better.
For the experienced gardener, you'll love Oak Park's hard to find perennial selection. Those perennials you don't find at just any garden store. And, let your garden stand out from your neighbors by exploring our garden accent department. Beautiful fountains, designer garden art, unusual accents. ~your garden can have it all!
For beginning gardeners and everyone in between, Oak Park offers you something the others don't. Knowledge. Knowledge in a language you can understand. A visit to Oak Park is kind of like going home. Friendly people. Friendly environment ~ in a beautiful setting. And you won't feel like you don't know what to buy or where it should be planted, because you can ask the experts and get the right answers you need.
Stroll our gardens. You'll get all kinds of ideas for gardens and container gardens. Our container gardens are different too. We like to do the usual mix of annuals and greens, but a lot of our container gardens mix annuals with perennials. We do this so you can take out the perennial at the end of the season for years of growing.
10 Best Garden Plants I am often asked which perennials and other garden plants are best to grow. I need more information before answering, such as: How much sun will the plant receive? What type of soil do you have? What size would you like the plant to reach at maturity?
There is a short list of plants that I use to recommend to new gardeners, or those wishing to simplify their gardening efforts. The criteria I use to come up with my 10 best plants:
Easy to Grow ~ no special soil or fertility requirements. Long-Lived ~ all perennial ~ so no need to plant every year. Low Maintenance ~ Little clean-up or dividing to keep the plant looking good. Looks Good for a Long Period of Time ~ either it blooms for a long period of time, or when not in bloom, the foliage has ornamental value.
Here is My Top 10
Siberian Iris ~ These beauties bloom mid to late spring. They look like ornamental grass when finished blooming. They grow well in all sorts of conditions, light levels, and soils. Daintier than their cousins the German Iris, and not as temperamental as the Japanese Iris, Siberian Iris bloom in shades of white, blue or purple. Mature height is approximately 3 feet.
Daylilies ~ These bloom in mid to late summer, and the foliage looks somewhat like ornamental grass when not in bloom. Daylilies perform well in all conditions like the Siberian Iris do. In fact they do well planted together for early and late season bloom. The variety "Stella D'Oro" and some of the other re-blooming daylilies can give season long color. Daylilies can live for many years without much care. Colors range from everything except true blue. Sizes from 8" to 4 feet.
Hosta ~ Once thought to be just for shade, new varieties tolerate, and in some cases prefer full sun. Lasting decades, getting bigger and better each year! Grown mostly for their foliage, which comes in a huge variety of shapes, color variations, and sizes. Teeny tiny hostas can be only a few inches or less to 5 feet tall and wide. A favorite plant for collectors!
Sedum ~ Succulent plant that takes hot and dry conditions, but will thrive in a variety of situations. One of the first plants to emerge in spring - Sedum, "Autumn Joy", blooms late summer and fall and is called Rose-Live-Forever because it does! Many sedums are ground hugging types, others grow to two foot in height. Flower colors are yellow, white, pink and red.
Coral Bells ~ The new varieties with purple foliage keep their leaf color through winter. Some have ruffled leaves, some have a silver cast to the leaf. I am really not impressed with the flowers, so I cut them off. This is an exciting new entry into the garden scene that will add interest to many garden situations and conditions.
Yarrow ~ Available in many colors, drought tolerant and long-blooming. Once the first blooms are spent, cut back and it will bloom again. "Moonshine" has a great, clear yellow, long lasting bloom with silver foliage. Plant in full to part sun. Size ranges from 12" to 3 feet tall.
Coreopsis ~ One of the longest blooming perennials! Blooms all summer long in full to part sun - daisy-like blooms in pinks and yellows. Foliage varies with a variety from grassy to fern-like. The height varies, too, with variety, from 8" to 2 feet.
Lamb's Ears ~ Silver-gray fuzzy foliage that is great for edging, and softening hard edges of walkways. Lamb's ears like dry, lean soil and need little water. It does need a little yearly clean up, but it is worth the effort. A new variety "Big Ears" has larger leaves and is less likely to produce what some think are less-than-attractive flowers. Height is under 12" - not counting the flower, which can get up to 2 feet above the foliage.
Roses ~ I'm not referring to the hybrid teas that require lots of work, but to Landscape Roses, that are disease and insect resistant. These roses bloom all summer in a sunny location. Landscape Roses come in many colors and plant shapes. Sizes range from less than a foot for Miniature Roses and low-growing Groundcover Roses to over 6 feet for some Hedge Roses and more than 10 feet for Climbing Roses.
Ornamental Grasses ~ Dramtic in appearance, in varying sizes, sun tolerances, colors, and textures. Grasses are the mainstay of the low-maintenance type of landscape design termed "New American Landscape". Most ornamental grasses do best in full sun, but there are some low-light varieties. Varieties can range from 3" tall to as large as 12 feet!
