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.

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!

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.

Multiflora Rose

Currently found in 41 states, this flowering shrub is classed among the top forest invasive plant species for the northeastern area by the US Forest Service.

Last updated December 13, 2021

Lawns & Ornamentals

Soil Testing

Master Gardener volunteer conducts a pH soil test on a soil sample

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

Find Your Zone!

2012 USDA Hardiness Zone Map

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.