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.

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.

Trees & Shrubs

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

Help Choosing Annuals

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

Last updated February 13, 2025

Lawns & Ornamentals

Fact Sheets

NYS IPM has created a set of 26 fact sheets that describe the diseases and insects for which resistant cultivars or varieties are available and list those that have resistance.
Link to all the IPM Ornamental Disease and Insect Resistant Factsheets

Bees, Bugs & Blooms-A Pollinator Trial from Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Entomology
Pollinator Gardens

Soil Testing

undefined 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 2023 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.