Favorite Perennials for Sun and Shade

Hello and welcome to Favorite Perennials!Learn about growing your favorite perennials and Hostas in a zone 4 cold weather climate. Find out which perennials and hosta grow best in this area, planting techniques, winter hardiness, prepping soil and more.

I’m Judi and I developed this site (with the help from my daughter, Laura) as a resource for growing perennials and Hostas in a zone 4 cold weather climate.

Blue Wonder Nepeta

Blue Wonder Nepeta

The Zone 4 Climate

As someone who has lived in West Central Wisconsin all of my life, I try to understand the growing season here and have, through trial and error, over the last 35 years or so, found which plants thrive in this area, and my growing sites.  However, after the summer of 2012, with the high temperatures and low rainfall, and the summer of 2013 following, with  the very late cold spring, way too much rain, I don’t know if anyone can understand the growing season in this part of the world!

If you have any experience at all in growing flowers in a Northern climate, you may have come to realize that many plants do not do as well here as the seed and flower catalogs would like you to believe. Mainly because of the wide changes from week to week in the temperatures.

On this site, I try to explain which plants work in this area and why many others do not.

Hosta Garden

Hosta Garden

Master Gardener

I have been a Master Gardener for 21 years and have been a member of my local garden club since 1975. I have developed extensive flower beds surrounding my home, yard, and dairy farm.  I sure don’t know everything about gardening, but keep learning all the time.  I hope to make this site something fun for all that view it, as well as maybe some usable information.

Perennial Bed

Perennial Bed

A Love For Hostas

My love for Hostas started a long time ago before I knew anything much about plants. I now have about 150 varieties of Hosta growing in these beds along with a great variety of perennials.

I am frequently developing new flower beds and changing plants around so that the plants grow better and can show off their beautiful blooms.

The main topics this site covers are:

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