Sometimes the simplest flowers make the best garden plants. Who hasn’t grown a marigold? They’re so common in garden centers we barely notice them. Yet they grow great everywhere and pretty much all season long. All they ask is some deadheading and they’ll carry you right through to the fall, when their golden colors are the perfect seasonal accent. They’re also great for attracting beneficial insects and for deterring rabbits. So to all those garden snobs who think plants like petunias, geraniums, salvia and marigolds are too pedestrian for their garden beds, think again. Many of us still love and grow marigolds.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti (2008) licensed to About.com, Inc.

Some questions don’t need a lot of explanation. I know snowball bush is a popular name for mophead hydrangeas. And even if I didn’t, the one plant that people complain about the most - for not flowering - is the ever popular hydrangea. It’s wonderful that they are breeding so many new hydrangea varieties that promise to bloom no matter what, but many of us inherit old fashioned hydrangea shrubs when we buy our homes and why shouldn’t we expect some blossoms from them? After all, they’ve bloomed for years.

There are several reasons why gardeners have trouble getting their hydrangeas to bloom. The first thing you have to ask yourself is, what type of hydrangea is it? Some hydrangeas bloom only on old wood, or branches that sprouted last season and will bloom this season. Some bloom only on the current years growth. Then there’s the question of when they set their flower buds. If it was last year or early in the current season, the problem could be that a late frost killed all the buds. Or maybe a late pruning. Here are the guidelines for when each type of hydrangea will set their flower buds and how to take care of them, so your snowball bush will flower again.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti (2008) licensed to About.com, Inc.