1. roses
2. lilies
3. phlox
4. cupid's dart (catananche)
5. catmint (nepeta) (my substitute for lavendar which I fail to keep alive in zone 3)

1. Phlox
2. Rudbeckia - not by choice, the stuff reseeds everywhere and I hate to kill a happy plant
3. Daylilies
4. Echinacea
5. Roses

It's funny you should post this LavenderLass, I started a document last year called 'Five on Five'. It was a list of my favorite mainstay plants in each of five growing months. It was very useful in seeing where my gaps were and making a shopping list for more varieties of my favorites. Hard to list just five, isn't it? [g]

Well, despite the fact that I only have three and they are not always the stars of the garden, I do love roses and hope that they will at some point be more 'star' worthy. [g] So if I could have my dream garden, roses would be number one.

And actually Sunflowers are a plant that I just love, but I have had no success in growing them, so they would have to be in my dream garden too.

But here is my list from my actual garden.....

1. Roses
2. Lilies
3. Hydrangea
3. Hellebores & Daffodils were tied [g]
4. Chrysanthemums

And now I am feeling bad for all the rest of the wonderful plants in my garden who suddenly feel unappreciated...lol.

Wow, this is a fun thread, here is the list from my garden:

1. Lilies
2. Echinacea
3. Daffodils
4. Hostas (too many varieties)
5. Salvias

Honorable mention to my annual cutting garden that supplies me with a beautiful array of flowers and colors throughout the summer.

I agree with prariemoon2, I hope the rest of the plants don't feel left out. Can't wait for spring, I planted 100 daffodils in a variety of pinks.

These are not necessarily my favorite perennials, but they are the ones that seem to perform well and come back year after year.

1. Columbine
2. Echinacea
3. Toad Lily
4. Daylily
5. Shasta Daisy

My favorite annuals are:

1. Angelonia
2. Pentas
3. Melampodium
4. Narrow-leaf Zinnias
5. Impatiens

1. bearded iris
2. fuchsias
3. begonias
4. peonies
5. giant fleeseflower.

Fun thread LL ;-)

This is so hard. There are two ways to make this list (both would turn out entirely different). I could make a list with specific favorites, like saying I like Rose 'Knock Out', or be general and just say 'roses'.

I think I will list my general favorite groups. Most of the ones I have listed I collect, so if I were only allowed these kind of plants that would be okay (since there are so many in these groups I could collect forever, lol!)

Corydalis
Geranium (perennial)
Geum
Hyssopus
Polygonatum
Thalictrum
Scrophularia
Trollius
Astrantia
And maybe Peonies

That was sure a difficult list to make. I imagine it would be as hard as a parent picking their favorite child...lol.
CMK

Oh I LOVE the five on five idea. I'm going to have to do that this year.

1. peonies
2. roses
3. tie between larkspur & hollyhock
4. hyacinths
5. lilacs (ok, so a flowering shrub! but it's right up there in my list of absolute favs!)

1) Roses
2) Hardy Geraniums
3) Viburnums (fragrant ones)
4) Clematis
5) Spring wildflowers such as Mertensia (Virginia Bluebells), Bloodroot, Woodland Blue Phlox, columbine, etc.

mmm...this is a ever changing list..but as of TODAY...

Hydrangea
Daylilies
Coneflowers
rudebeckia
cosmos
caladium
calendula
Black eyed susans
Shastas
Beckys
Iris of all kinds and colors
Clemetis
Knock out roses
Hosta of most kinds
Pampas grass

mm.. I better stop..I could keep going...

Great post, it gives me spring fever when everything is sooo blah and snow covered.

I like PM2's five on five idea. I tend to think in terms of/plan for what makes the biggest impact at various times of the growing season and in the sun garden vs. the shady, woodland garden. And things often make more of an impact as a combination of things vs. the individual plants on their own. I'll confine myself to five of the things I most look forward to in spring:
- the Chinese wisteria tree(s) - will it do a spectacular bloom this year or will a late frost do in the flowerbuds?; will the Japanese wisteria tree be old enough to bloom this year?
- the white redbud trees with brunnera, forget-me-nots and other blue things under them.
- lilacs and clematis - will the C. montana flowerbuds survive the winter or will the lilacs and Nelly Moser(?) have to carry the show on their own? (There's a picture of this combo on the 'New Dawn Climbing Rose on a Fence' thread...
- the trilliums in the woodland garden in early May - will they ever match the carpet of them in the nearby 'trillium wood'?
- the white flowers of the young Serviceberry tree blooming with the intense pink of the young magnolias, with a few matching pink tulips nearby (darn! I forgot to plant more of the tulips this past fall...)

I'm starting to count the days until spring! We're currently in the midst of the January thaw - although we've not had any significant snow yet so there's not much to thaw...

Hmmmmm.....only 5, eh? Here goes (but I'm cheating!):
Peonies w/salvia
Daylilies
Sedum
Goldenrod w/asers
Phlox (subulata and tall garden)

I can't help but give my 5 favorite shrubs since they make up so much interest in the garden over the months!
Crimson Pygmy Barberry
Fairy and Carpet roses
Viburnum-many varieties
Deutzia gracilis
Spirea-many varieties

PM2, I like your 'Five on Five' idea! Was your list mainly based around perennials? I think I may do a list in each month of the 5 top annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees. Then maybe even break it down to shade, sun, etc....By the time I'm done with all the possible categories I'm sure ALL my plants, shrubs and trees will be on the list and none will feel left out!! LOL!!

roses-hosta-hydrangeas-daylillies-iris
Jen F.

Great thread, LL!
My favorite 5 plants:

1) Iris - heralding in the spring, we even have woods that bloom full of iris where long ago there once was a home!

2) Evergreen shrubs - not very specific, and not a 'cottage' plant. But I could not garden without evergreens. They cheer me in the winter, bring structure to the garden, and are a great backdrop to flowers.

3) Roses - bloom for me spring to fall. They are the biggest class of flowers in my garden.

4) Spireas - I have a couple of types and they are reliable, beautiful, and bee magnets.

5) Hydrangeas - Can't pass this plant up, as it is not only beautiful, but also sentimental to me (my grandmother always had hydrangeas in her garden).

I'm getting a lot of great ideas from everyone's lists.

LavLass, I would like to grow more Stock, it grows in part sun doesn't it? I don't know why I don't use it more. I wonder if it can be winter sown. Can you tell me why it is your favorite?

I see Echinacea has made a number of lists. I do enjoy Echinacea but for some reason it is taking it's time getting established in my garden. Maybe because I move things around too much. [g] I keep waiting for the year they really make a statement.

I tried one Toad Lily, the variegated one and it didn't make it through the first winter.

CMK, you are in zone 5b in Washington State? I am used to seeing zone 8 for Washington State. You grow some perennials that I haven't tried yet. Corydalis for one. I didn't know there were enough varieties of that to collect. I do enjoy Geraniums, which is your favorite?

mayblooms, you love your fragrant plants. [g] Hyacinth is on my DH's list and lilacs were my Mom's #1. I just added more Hyacinth in the fall. For fragrance, I wouldn't be without honeysuckle and Viburnum carlesii too.

Woody, I like the 'pictures' of your spring that you paint. :-) Since we've been given permission to make it a list of ten, maybe you would like to paint pictures of your summer favorites? Looking at combinations is another great idea. I have been counting weekends until spring...lol. There are 8 more for me, until the middle of March when I am always out in the garden by then. If the snow is gone, I can plant peas and the crocus is coming up.

thyme2, my five on five list included everything but annuals, which I should add. Angelonia became a favorite for the first time last year. I gained a lot of insight from using that list and it really helped me plan. I'm still filling in the blanks in some months.

I could comment on everyone's list, but I'm already getting long... all great ideas!

HI, haven't been on here in ages. See a lot of new people! Thought I'd chime in this morning.

1) Roses and lots of them!
2) catmint nepta
3)hollyhocks
4) dianthus sp? the ones that look like mini carnations
5)cone flower & black eyed susans (I cheated here a bit)
~Meghan

Wow, so many great responses! Meghan, I'm glad you're back, and I'm probably one of the new people (started last summer).

Prairiemoon2- I really like stock because they goes so well with my tomatoes and they're so cheerful in the vegetable and flower garden. They also comes in all my favorite colors :)

I try to use mostly "safe" or non-toxic flowers, especially to horses and cats, so I don't have foxglove or delphinium in my garden. Stock is like a mini-delphinium and seems to like my clay soil. They take some shade (especially in the afternoon) and a lot of water. I'm going to try starting them from seed this year, but I'll probably buy some annuals too.

Evening stock is nice too! I started that from seed and planted them with the peas. They have small pink/lavender flowers and only bloom in the evening, but they have a nice fragrance, kind of floral and minty at the same time.

PM2- I live in Eastern Washington (as does Lavender Lass). We are having an amazingly mild winter this year, but generally our winters are cold with a fair amount of snow. It is considered semi-arid on this side of the state, so summers are hot and dry.

Oh! Don't even get me started on the Corydalis! There are a great many Cordalis, hundreds I think, not to mention the cultivars. Many are spring ephemerals, that bloom in spring and go dormant soon afterwards. One that is more longer-lasting is C. lutea, which will bloom almost constantly from spring until frost if given a bit of shade and moisture. I have seeds of that one if you are interested in trying it. Send me an e-mail if you are.

"When in doubt, plant a Geranium" that is my motto ;-) I have about seventeen so far (which is a very modest number in comparison to some collections). I think G. magnificum might be my favorite overall. Geranium sanguineum 'Vision Violet' is wonderful for dry-ish spots and will rebloom some if deadheaded. And G. cantabrigiense 'Biokovo' and 'Biokovo Karmina' are wonderful groundcovers. This year I bought G. procurrens 'Anne Folkard', a real stunner! If it makes it though the winter okay it might be competing for the title of favorite!

Sorry to hijack you thread LL ;-)
CMK

LL - stocks - the evening scented ones - are one of the few annuals I grow. I grow them for the scent and put them in the boxes at the foot of the front steps. It's nice to have scent for visitors arriving for dinner etc. The other annual I grow is Blue Wave petunnias - why do the catalogs not mention that it has a lovely spicy clove-like fragrance in warm mornings and evenings?!

PM2 - While spring is the season of flowering trees, shrubs and bulbs, summer has so much going on all over the place that it's hard to summarize things as easily. The woodland/shade garden is all about green and white cool serenity with lots of interesting foliage. The sun garden is a rapidly changing kaleidoscope of color from perennials, vines (mainly honeysuckle and clematis) and shrubs (mainly roses and potentilla). The iron arbour, the south gate arbour and rose swag and the various grassy and mulch paths provide the stable framework/stage for the various players to have their time in the spotlight. Blue, white and pink are the foundation colors - largely pastels but punctuated with regular hits of intense/saturated blues, purples and cool reds, mainly provided by the clematises. It's hard to name just a few things as stand-outs, but favorite shrubs would be bridalwreath spireas, 'Pink Beauty' potentillas and several different hydrandeas. The Heptacodium is an essential late summer shrub/tree. Stand-out clematises include The President, Vyvyann Pennell, Niobe, Nike, Jackmani superba and Polish Spirit. Stand-out perennials include Persicaria polymorpha (which happily grows in both the sun and shade gardens), deep red hardy hibicuses and a pale pink type with a dark eye (especially in combination with the blue wands of Russian sage and the white candelabras of Veronicastrum), columbines in various shade of white, blue->purple and pink->cool red are also important plants making appearances in, and linking, the sun and shade gardens.

Clematis - especially Betty Corning and Princess Diana
Siberian iris
Perovskia - Russian Sage
Baptisa autstralis
Nepeta - especially the dwarf white flowerng variety 'Snowflake

LavenderLass, Stock sounds like something I should grow more of. I have a lot of afternoon shade and clay soil.

CMK, I have 'Karmina' and 'Biokovo' and they are so carefree and make their contribution. I have always wanted to try 'Anne Folkard' and I'll look up the others. Thanks, I'll email you about Corydalis.

Great summary, Woody. I've admired your garden photos and I can see them as you describe. You've done a great job with your garden and I hope mine will look that good at some point. :-)

Sorry too, if I've sidetracked the thread.

1. iris - (I'm going to lump all the different types together)
2. heuchera - my absolute favorite!
3. geraniums
4. campanulas
5. penstemons

annuals:
1. salvias
2. pentas
3. poppies
4. begonia
5. S. African foxglove

Peonies, Lilacs, Lavender, Iris, Roses are probably my favorites, but I also love Lamb's ear, Butterfly bush, Salvia, Zinnias and Sunflowers. Year after year I plant Foxgloves, because I just can't help myself. Sometimes I'll get blooms, but they usually just can't take the heat.

I love seeing what everyone is growing.

hydrangea
roses
autumn sage (salvia greggii)
lavender
clematis

After alot of thinking, heres my list!

Roses, agastache, daylilys, phlox and salvias. Daisys , hydrangeas, caryopteris, butterfly bush and coreopsis.
I love sooo many plants, that was hard!

I'm so envious of all of the different cottage flowers you can grow! I would kill for a peony...

Here's my lurky list:

1. Tall bearded irises
2. Roses
3. Lilies
4. Pelargoniums
5. Santa Barbara Daisies

annuals
1. Paludosum daisies
2. Feverfew
3. Nasturtiums
4. Red Flax
4. Amaranth

Renee

My list is this, phlox,kiss me over garden gate,daylies,peonies, tall iris.

1. hydrangea

2. hosta
3. elephant ears
4. daylillies
5. ferns

Here's some cheating

The rose family- which includes roses of course, and also allows me to include apache plume and cliffrose.

The mint family- includes russian sage, salvia, lavender, agastache, thyme : )

Penstemons
Needled evergreens
ornamental grasses

Oops even cheating, still went over five
succulents

I think what is clear is that I can't make a list of five.

Well for starters :o)
Michaelmas Daisies
Shasta Daisies
Echinacea
Hellebore
Geraniums
Grasses
Astrantia
Daylilies
Euphorbia
Campanula

Then there's roses and vines, but that's two more lists LOL.

Annette

Lavender
Echinacea
Salvia cordona
Astrantia
Joe Pye Weed
Hydrangea (all kinds)
clematis
rhododendrons
phlox
lunaria

Annuals:
dill
poppies
rudbeckia

The ten plant groups I can't live without

Euphorbia
Stachys
Salvia
Penstemon
Geranium
Verbascum
Iris
Hydrangea
Nicotiana
Aster

If I had a garden with just those to work with, I would be very happy indeed.

At first I thought this would be easy, telling myself that there probably weren't five plants that even survive in my garden. But then I got to counting and low and behold things are actually growing and surviving. Here are my five favorites:

Clematis
Roses
Hollyhocks
Bearded Iris
Hydrangea

And my next five:
Lilacs
Daylilies
Daisys
Anchusa
Sedum