The fact that I am making these lists of flowers from my own experience means that these are flowers that I grow, and therefore like, or I wouldn't be growing them anymore. Ask around, especially in your neighborhood, for one because climates vary, and for another because everybody else has their favorites too.

ABOUT MY SOIL

If you are curious about what my soil is like: It's Acid. pH = 5! And the "soil" packs very, very hard. Like clay ("silted loam"). I add anything organic that I can find, except oak leaves and pine needles (both too acid.) I also add lots of lime every year. Most of my flower beds are probably up around 6.5 by now, or 7, and have fairly well-amended soil; some beds, however, are still acid and unforgiving, and that's where the really tough, agressive plants get put. Occasionally this proves too great and unfair an opression; the bed with Obedient plant will get some tender loving care next spring. It manages to bloom now, but it is not pretty.

After asking around about what I could do with *all* these oak leaves, I was told that, shredded, well mixed with grass, and with added lime, they would compost nicely. Time will tell! The expiriment is underway.

In the meantime, I am adding thick layers of compost (horse manure-- around here, it's free!) and, less cheaply, pine bark mulch. This winter is supposed to be mild (El Nino), and that means no snow cover, and wind-burnt plants if they are left exposed. The last "mild" winter we had, everything was fine until March, when the Lion came in during a cold snap, and that roaring wind cold-scorched everything in sight!

More About Acid Soil...

I've finally learned that having a garden underneath an oak tree means that the oak leaves drip a very strong acid onto the garden. (Withered brown oak leaves stay on the trees for most of the winter. We had a winter storm recently-- March 2001-- and the snow under the oak trees turned ORANGE from the dripping leaves. If it turns snow orange, no wonder the soil is never really happy!) So the plans are to cut down all the oak trees that hang over my gardens anywhere.

If that sounds draconian, remember I live in oak woods. There are plenty more oak trees in every direction. And besides, for the wood stove, oak is excellent heating fuel.

Which brings me to my second point: wood ashes. If you have very acid soil, wood ashes are just what you need. Take the ashes from your fireplace and spread them on your garden, or add them to your compost. Your lilacs will be grateful. Your tomatoes will grow tall.

Easy Care Flowers hopefully means Not Much Work, flowers that will take care of themselves. Ignoreable until you want to enjoy them. There's a great book about this topic, with the title "Easy Care Perennials", by Patricia Taylor.

Disease-free is a relative term. However, as far as I have seen, here is my list of flowers that nothing seems to bother:

Alyssum
Bachelor's buttons (annual)
Black-eyed susans
Bleeding Hearts
Coral bells
Coreopsis
Cosmos
Daylilies (the tawny ones especially)
Gooseneck Loosestrife
Grape Hyacinths
pansies
Rose Campion
siberian squill
violas

SOWERS, SPREADERS, AND CONQUERORS

Some people prefer their garden beds neat and orderly, and can't stand the untidiness of seedlings and stray plants. Other people like getting freebies, plants that spread by seedlings and offshoots. I can't seem to make up my mind which I prefer; it depends on my mood. So I have two types of garden areas, structured and rambling. When I find a flower that takes over and spreads like blazes, it goes out into the rambling, non-structured area and gets to fend for itself, and any left within the inner, structured area get rigorously deadheaded. At least, that's the theory. Here is my list of flowers that multiply easily, by self-sown seeds unless indicated:

Ajuga (runners)
alyssum
asiatic lilies (bulbs multiply)
asters
Bachelor's buttons (annual)
Bee Balm (spreads by roots)
Coreopsis, most kinds(root or seed depending on variety)
Cosmos
daisies, oxeye
echinacea (coneflowers)
feverfew
Gooseneck Loosestrife (spreads by roots)
iris, german (divisions)
iris, siberian (divisions-- in good soil only)
Jacob's ladder (seed, division, or "elbow" cutting)
Jill-Run-Over-The-Ground ( also known as "Jill-Take-Over-The-Ground")
Ladybells (root-spreading)
Maroon "Tinystar flowers", also nicknamed "red-eyed grass"
Obedient Plant
pinks, wild
Rose Campion
rudbeckias, all-yellow
rudbeckias, blackeyed susans
spiderwort
sundrops (spreads by roots)
Tawny daylily (divisions)
viola Johnny Jump Up and many viola types
Violets, wild
Yarrow, esp. white and purple (roots)

Fragrance becomes increasingly important to me as the years pass. So many flowers to sniff, so little time.

WINTER:

Snow Crocus: Snow Bunting-- sweet scent
Snow Crocus: many other types
Snowdrops (On a warm day-- sumptuous honey fragrance like Lily Of The Valley)
Witch hazel, winter blooming: warm, antiseptic scent

EARLY SPRING:

Crocuses, Dutch, Some types, light fragrance
daffodil Carlton: vanilla
Daffodil Ice Follies: anise
Daffodil Poet's Narcissus: heady perfume
Dutch Hyacinths: the standard, heady perfume
Grape hyacinths have a concord-grape scent... surprise...
grape hyacinths, white: sweet scent
Lilacs, of course
phlox, creeping: sweet
phlox, woodland: sweet
Squill, Siberian:sweet
squill, White Striped: sweet
tulip Red Appledoorn has a luscious lemon scent that I look forward to all winter and spring. Mmmmmm.
Violets, Wild
...apple and crabapple trees, and lots of other trees...

LATE SPRING/ SUMMER:

Butterfly Bush: blue, pink, or white... while called "summer lilacs" the scent is muskier.
butterfly flower, White, also known as milkweed, has a glorious vanilla fragrance.
chives-- a faint sweet smell, very pleasant.
Coreopsis: Did you know that yellow Coreopsis-- the blowsy, golden type-- has a faint sweet smell?
Daylilies: Hyperion has a light sweet fragrance. I have just purchased Ice Carnival and Catherine Woodbery, both declared scented by the catalog; next year will tell.
Four O'clocks are well worth growing: night blooming and sweet scented!
honeysuckle
hosta Royal Standard : not generally a hosta enthusiast, I bought this one for its scent alone. I hear that Plantaginia (sp?) is also excellent. (Warning: The dastardly and ravenous Bambi eats them.)
Lilies: Trumpet lilies are the best and strongest; oriental lilies are good too, and of course, easter lilies are marvellous. I have seen (but unfortunately do not own) an asiatic-type lily with a marvelous scent, so they are also worth sniff-testing. (Warning: The malifacent and insatiable Bambi eats them.)
Lily of the Valley
Petunias- sniff test before buying; some are, many aren't.
pinks: I LOVE PINKS!! ...old-fashioned "cottage pinks" are the very best, spicy and clove scented.
Roses-- I don't buy them unless they are scented.
Something that I call white swamp azalea because that's where I found it and it more or less looks like one...
Stocks: spicy, rich-- necessary!

AUTUMN:

Alyssum
Abyssinian Gladiolus, or Peacock Orchid: a white trumpet with a brown throat and a glorious fragrance. Hardy to zone 7, or 6 when planted deeply and protected in winter. (Warning: The wretched and horrible Bambi eats them.)
Crocus Speciosus
Snapdragons