Lawns & Ornamentals

Find links to resources on annuals, perennials, native plants, trees and shrubs, to help you have a more beautiful lawn and home landscape.

Help Choosing Annuals

Find Cornell and other resources that will help you to choose annuals for your soil, climate and shade conditions.

Trees & Shrubs

Ornamental trees and shrubs can enhance the beauty of your home landscaping. Find some suggested varieties here.

coneflowers and black eyed susans (echinacea & rudbeckia)

Easy Care Perennials

Perennials offer year after year of blooms for your garden, and are a smart investment in your garden. Visit our resources to learn more.

Cool Season grasses and broadleaf weeds in a closeup of a lawn

Sustainable Lawns

Find out how to grow a dense, vigorous lawn that will provide many environmental benefits, in these links, videos and resources from Cornell!

Last updated January 3, 2024

Lawns & Ornamentals

Soil Testing

Learn why you should test your soil and how to take a soil sample, on our Soil & Climate pages.

Find Your Zone!

The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map helps gardeners and growers determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. For the first time, the map is available as an interactive GIS-based map, for which a broadband Internet connection is recommended. Users may also simply type in a ZIP Code and find the hardiness zone for that area.