Test Garden Tip: Wait to cut down the faded flower stalks of tall sedums until spring. They’ll add interest to your winter garden by poking through the snow. Name: Sedum Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 2 feet tall and wide Zones: 4-8 Test Garden Tip: Trim dead peony foliage back to the ground in winter. That way, the new spring foliage won’t have to poke through the previous year’s dead leaves. Name: Paeonia Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall and wide Zones: 3-8 Test Garden Tip: Help coneflowers and other perennials weather winters better by covering them with a 1- to 2-inch layer of mulch after they go dormant in the fall. Uncover them in the early spring after the soil thaws. Name: Echinacea Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 5 feet tall and 2 feet wide Zones: 3-8 Buy It: Purple Coneflower (from $30, Etsy) Name: Monarda Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide Zones: 4-9 Buy It: Scarlet Beebalm Seeds ($2, Etsy) Name: Aquilegia canadensis Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 36 inches tall and 18 inches wide Zones: 3-8 Name: Heuchera Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 18 inches tall and 12 inches wide Zones: 3-8 Buy It: Dolce Spearmint Coral Bells ($16, The Home Depot) Name: Iris sibirica Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide Zones: 3-8 Test Garden Tip: To keep ‘Moonbeam’ in top form, dig and divide the plants every several years. Name: Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’ Growing Conditions: Full sun in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 2 feet tall and wide Zones: 3-9 Test Garden Tip: Baptisia can be a bit fussy when transplanted, so place it in your garden in the early spring. That way the plant will have plenty of time to develop a strong root system before summer’s heat kicks in. Name: Baptisia Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in dry to medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 4 feet tall and wide Zones: 3-9 Test Garden Tip: Catmint starts to bloom almost as soon as it breaks dormancy in the spring, so clip the plants back in the fall to make way for fresh growth the next year. This will also allow snow to accumulate over the crown of the plants, which helps insulate them in the winter. Name: Nepeta Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in dry to medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 30 inches tall and 36 inches wide Zones: 4-8 Name: Heliopsis helianthoides Growing Conditions: Full sun in dry to medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide Zones: 3-9 Test Garden Tip: After asters finish blooming, cut the tall stems back to the ground to prevent them from flopping over under the weight of the snow. This will keep the plant tidier and healthier in the spring. Name: Symphyotrichum novae-angliae Growing Conditions: Full sun in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide Zones: 4-8 Name: Hosta Growing Conditions: Part shade in evenly moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 18 inches tall and 30 inches wide Zones: 3-8 Buy It: Variegated Hosta Plant ($15, The Home Depot)
