Annuals, Perennials, and Bulbs E-Book

Editors of Creative Homeowner

• Herausgeber: Creative Homeowner
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Seitenzahl: 400

Beschreibung

A stunning flower garden that blooms throughout the seasons depends on the artful combination of annuals, perennials, and bulbs. This lavishly illustrated book shows how to grow plants from the "great garden triumvirate" and provides foolproof design techniques for any garden or landscape. An extensive section on using color in the garden provides guidance for the tricky process of plant placement and selection. Practical techniques are emphasized, too. Readers will learn how to care for soil, start plants from seeds, grow and care for plants in containers, and maintain plants and gardens. Sections on dividing plants, lifting bulbs, and saving seeds are also included.

Leseprobe

Copyright © 2018 Creative Homeowner

Annuals, Perennials, and Bulbs (ISBN 978-1-58011-815-6, 2018) is a revised edition of Annuals, Perennials & Bulbs for Your Home (ISBN 978-1-58011-562-9, 2013), published by Creative Homeowner. This book may not be reproduced, either in part or in its entirety, in any form, by any means, without written permission from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts for purposes of radio, television, or published review. All rights, including the right of translation, are reserved. Note: Be sure to familiarize yourself with manufacturer’s instructions for tools, equipment, and materials before beginning a project. Although all possible measures have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the material presented, neither the author nor the publisher is liable in case of misinterpretation of directions, misapplication, or typographical error.

Creative Homeowner® is a registered trademark of New Design Originals Corporation.

ANNUALS, PERENNIALS, AND BULBS

Vice President-Content: Christopher Reggio

Design: David Fisk

Index: Elizabeth Walker

Principal Illustrator: Mavis Torke

Supplemental Illustration: Vincent Alessi (see here)

Front and Back Cover Photographs: VICUSCHKA/Shutterstock

Print ISBN 978-1-58011-815-6eISBN 978-1-60765-529-9

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Creative Homeowner Press, issuing body.

Title: Annuals, perennials, and bulbs / Creative Homeowner.

Other titles: Annuals, perennials, and bulbs (Mount Joy, Lancaster County, Pa.)

Description: Mount Joy, PA : Creative Homeowner, [2018] | Includes index. | Previous title: Annuals, perennials & bulbs for your home.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018008853 (print) | LCCN 2018011497 (ebook) | ISBN 9781607655299 (e-book) | ISBN 9781580118156 (pbk.)

Subjects: LCSH: Flowers. | Flower gardening.

Classification: LCC SB405 (ebook) | LCC SB405 .A64 2018 (print) | DDC 635.9--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018008853

We are always looking for talented authors. To submit an idea, please send a brief inquiry to [email protected].

Creative Homeowner®, www.creativehomeowner.com, is an imprint of New Design Originals Corporation and distributed exclusively in North America by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 800-457-9112, 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552, and in the United Kingdom by Grantham Book Service, Trent Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 7XQ.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Zone Maps

PART 1: ANNUALS

About Annuals

Planting Annuals

Caring for Annuals

Collecting and Saving Seeds

Portraits of Favorite Annuals

PART 2: PERENNIALS

About Perennials

Seasonal Stars

Growing Perennials

Dividing Perennials

Portraits of Favorite Perennials

PART 3: BULBS

About Bulbs

What Bulbs Do in the Garden

Planting Bulbs

Caring for Bulbs

End-of-Season Activities

Forcing Bulbs, Corms, and Tubers for Winter Flowers Indoors

Portraits of Favorite Bulbs

APPENDIX

Garden Design

Making Good Use of Containers

Working with Color

Working the Soil

Starting Plants from Seed

Maintaining the Garden

Glossary

Photo Credits

INTRODUCTION

Introducing Annuals, Perennials & Bulbs

Flowers are like nature’s jewelry, with their gemlike colors adorning the landscape at various times during the growing season. Although the length of the growing season varies depending upon climate, gardeners everywhere can design beds and borders to show off their flowery finery from the time winter eases its grip in the early months of the year until it closes in again after the autumn leaves have fallen.

While it’s possible to design a garden that’s colorful throughout much of the season by growing only perennials, annuals, or bulbs, it’s easier to do so by growing all three together. Annuals, perennials, and bulbs naturally work in concert to fill your garden with flowers from earliest spring until well into autumn.

This book will show you how to plant and care for all three types of flowering plants, and it profiles the particular needs of over 126 individual ones. To begin, think about where to put your garden (if you don’t already have one) and how to lay it out. Design is always the first step in making a flower garden.

In late spring, these elegant pale blue Dutch irises (above) bloom amid a froth of annual white sweet alyssum.

This lovely garden (left) combines annuals and perennials, including petunias, campanulas, delphiniums, and salvia, with white baby’s breath, silver-leaved artemisia, and dashes of yellow and white.

This cool-colored border (below) mixes bulbous alliums (front) and irises with a variety of perennials.

Hardiness Zone Map

The Hardiness-Zone Map developed by the Agricultural Research Service of the USDA divides the country into 13 zones according to average minimum winter temperatures. Hardiness zones are used to identify regions to which plants are suited based on their cold tolerance, which is what “hardiness” means. Many factors, such as elevation and moisture level, come into play when determining whether a plant is suitable for your region. Local climates may vary from what is shown on this map. Contact your local Cooperative Extension Service for recommendations for your area. Or go to www.planthardiness.ars.usda.gov to find your hardiness zone based on your zip code. Mapping by the PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University.

AHS Heat-Zone Map

The American Horticultural Society Heat-Zone Map divides the United States into 12 zones based on the average annual number of days a region’s temperatures climb above 86°F (30°C), the temperature at which the cellular proteins of plants begin to experience injury. Introduced in 1998, the AHS Heat-Zone Map holds significance, especially for gardeners in southern and transitional zones. Nurseries, growers, and other plant sources will gradually begin listing both cold hardiness and heat tolerance zones for plants, including grass plants. Using the USDA Plant Hardiness map, which can help determine a plant’s cold tolerance, and the AHS Heat-Zone ap, gardeners will be able to safely choose plants that tolerate their region’s lowest and highest temperatures.

Canada’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Canada’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map outlines the different zones in Canada where various types of trees, shrubs, and flowers will most likely survive. It is based on the average climatic conditions of each area. The hardiness map is divided into nine major zones: the harshest is 0 and the mildest is 8. Relatively few plants are suited to zone 0. Subzones (e.g., 4a or 4b, 5a or 5b) are also noted in the map legend. These subzones are most familiar to Canadian gardeners. Some significant local factors, such as micro-topography, amount of shelter, and subtle local variations in snow cover, are too small to be captured on the map. Year-to-year variations in weather and gardening techniques can also have a significant impact on plant survival in any particular location.

Cheerful pansies grow readily as edging, in beds and borders, as companions to spring bulbs, and in pots and window boxes.

PART 1 | ANNUALS

About Annuals

Annuals are wonderfully versatile plants. While some gardeners don’t consider annuals “serious” garden plants, most think they are indispensable. A far greater variety of annuals is available in garden centers and seed catalogs than ever before—every year, you find a wider choice of colors, forms, cultivars, and even species.

Annuals are indispensable for filling the garden with color. Perennial flowers come and go, but many annuals bloom all summer long.

What Is an Annual?

To botanists, an annual is a plant that completes its entire life cycle in a single growing season. But to gardeners, the category may also include biennial plants that will bloom from seed in one season if given an early start indoors as well as tender perennials that are killed by frost and thus treated as annuals in all but frost-free climates.

When used intelligently, annuals can serve a host of functions. No longer the poor relations in a flower garden, they are planted in beds and borders, either by themselves or mixed with perennials. They burst into lavish bloom early and continue to provide color as perennials come and go throughout the season. Annuals make excellent companions to spring bulbs, and their leaves and flowers eventually hide the yellowing bulb foliage. They can be used to fill gaps between shrubs and foundation plantings or can be grown around tree trunks, where their massed colors can brighten the shade.

Many annuals are classic container and window box plants; they bring instant color to patios, decks, porches, and rooftops. They can intermingle with vegetables and herbs to dress up the food garden or soften the harsh look of a front sidewalk and extend a welcome to your visitors.

Annuals are a convenient and easy way to grow flowers in a whole spectrum of colors; you can find an annual to fit into any color scheme. Many make excellent cut flowers, providing armloads of blossoms for lavish and inexpensive bouquets. Some can be potted up in autumn and brought indoors to continue flowering well into winter.

Fill a corner with color by combining hanging baskets and pots of annuals with plants below. Here, sweet alyssum and lobelia freshen a warm mix of petunias and nasturtiums.

The annual palette contains all the colors of the rainbow. This garden contrasts golden marguerites and perennial tansy with purple heliotrope and verbena.

Durable Annuals

Annuals growing near driveways, streets, and sidewalks are subjected to stress from dust, fumes, and traffic. Choose tough plants like those listed below for these difficult locations.

• Cosmos (Cosmos species)

• Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

• Blackfoot daisy (Leucanthemum paludosum)

• Zonal geranium (Pelargonium × hortorum)

• Petunia (Petunia × hybrida)

• Rose moss (Portulaca grandiflora)

• Marigold (Tagetes species)

Annual Hardiness

Annuals are categorized as hardy, tender, or half-hardy according to their tolerance to cool temperatures.

Hardy annuals such as bachelor’s button, calendula, and larkspur grow best in cool temperatures and can withstand some frost and freezing. They are often started from seeds sown directly in the garden. In Zones 7 and colder, gardeners can sow hardy annuals outdoors as soon as the soil can be worked in spring. Some annuals can even be sown the previous fall. In Zones 8 and warmer, gardeners more often sow hardy annuals in fall for flowers in winter or early spring.

Tender annuals such as impatiens, cockscomb, and zinnia are sensitive to cold. In most areas, they are started indoors and transplanted outdoors after the frost-free date, when the soil is warm. An indoor start is particularly important in areas with the coolest climates and a short frost-free growing season.

A third category of plants—half-hardy annuals—is accepted by some horticulturists but not by others. Half-hardy annuals are generally considered to be in between the other two types in terms of hardiness and include marguerite, lobelia, and petunia. Half-hardy plants like cool weather and tolerate a bit of light frost but are damaged by repeated exposure to frost and freezing. Gardeners in all but the warmest climates (Zones 8 to 11) tend to start them early indoors and plant them out when frost danger is past.

Annuals by Hardiness

Rocket larkspurs

Petunias

Zinnias

HARDY ANNUALS

Grow best in cool weather; tolerate a reasonable degree of frost

• Bachelor’s button (Centaurea cyanus)

• China pink (Dianthus chinensis)

• Flowering cabbage and kale (Brassica oleracea)

• Pansy (Viola × wittrockiana)

• Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis)

• Rocket larkspur (Consolida ambigua)

• Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)

• Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

• Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)

HALF-HARDY

Prefer cool weather but are damaged by repeated exposure to frost

• Blackfoot daisy, Melampodium (Leucanthemum paludosum, Melampodium leucanthum)

• Dahlberg daisy (Thymophylla tenuiloba)

• Dwarf morning-glory (Convolvulus tricolor)

• Edging lobelia (Lobelia erinus)

• Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana × sanderae)

• Licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare)

• Marguerite (Argyranthemum frutescens)

• Marigold (Tagetes species)

• Mealycup sage (Salvia farinacea)

• Petunia (Petunia × hybrida)

• Scarlet sage (Salvia splendens)

• Spider flower (Cleome hassleriana)

• Strawflower (Helichrysum bracteatum)

• Yellow sage (Lantana camara)

TENDER

Need warm weather; can’t tolerate any frost

• Cardinal climber, Cypress vine (Ipomoea × multifida, I. quamoclit)

• China aster (Callistephus chinensis)

• Cockscomb (Celosia argentea)

• Coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides)

• Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus, C. sulphureus)

• Dusty miller (Senecio cineraria)

• Fanflower (Scaevola aemula)

• Flossflower (Ageratum houstonianum)

• Fuchsia (Fuchsia hybrids)

• Globe amaranth (Gomphrena globosa)

• Heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens)

• Impatiens, New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens species)

• Love-lies-bleeding, Joseph’s coat (Amaranthus species)

• Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus)

• Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia)

• Morning glory, moonflower (Ipomoea species)

• Nasturtium (Tropaeolum species)

• Nemesia (Nemesia strumosa)

• Rose moss (Portulaca grandiflora)

• Sapphire flower (Browallia speciosa)

• Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas)

• Wax begonia (Begonia Semperflorens-Cultorum hybrids)

• Wishbone flower (Torenia fournieri)

• Zinnia (Zinnia species)

• Zonal geranium, ivy geranium (Pelargonium species)

Planting Annuals

Most gardeners buy at least some annuals from local garden centers and nurseries. They’re usually sold in plastic cell packs (sometimes called “six-packs”). It’s important to know how to handle seedlings when you bring them home and how to transplant them from cell packs—whether into the garden or a container.

Self Sowers

Some annuals plant themselves. If you don’t deadhead, or remove the faded flowers, their seeds drop on the ground and produce a new generation of plants the next year. If you like serendipity, let a few plants go to seed and allow the volunteer seedlings to grow where they will. If you want more control, transplant the volunteers in spring. And if you don’t want to have volunteers, deadhead before plants have a chance to form seeds.

Many self-sown seedlings don’t produce plants identical to the parents. The flowers are often smaller and the colors different. Petunias, for example, tend to revert to the magenta-purple color of the original species form of the plant. Such variation can wreak havoc with a carefully planned color scheme, but it can be fun to see what you get from one year to the next.

The following annuals are likely to self-sow in your garden:

• Bachelor’s button (Centaurea cyanus)

• Candytuft, annual (Iberis umbellata)

• Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus, C. sulphureus)

• French marigold (Tagetes patula)

• Impatiens, bedding (Impatiens walleriana)

• Nasturtium (Tropaeolum species)

• Petunia (Petunia × hybrida)

• Poppy, annual (Papaver species)

• Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis)

• Rocket larkspur (Consolida ambigua)

• Rose moss (Portulaca grandiflora)

• Sapphire flower (Browallia speciosa)

• Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)

• Spider flower (Cleome hassleriana)

• Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)

• Johnny-jump-up (Viola tricolor)

Calendula volunteers

Marigold volunteers

Resist the temptation to buy seedlings already in bloom, as are these celosias. Even though blooming plants provide an “instant” garden, younger seedlings not only transplant more easily but they are also healthier in the long run. Whenever possible, purchase seedlings that are still “green,” or not yet in full bud or bloom.

Smart Shopping

The following tips will help you choose the best plants from the sea of annuals available at your local garden center:

• Choose smaller rather than bigger plants. Plants already in bloom have a harder time making transitions, especially in hot, dry weather. Smaller plants adjust more readily and get growing more quickly.

• Avoid tiny, very young seedlings—they’re delicate and can be difficult to transplant without injury.

• Look for stocky, sturdy-looking plants with good green color, leaves spaced closely together on the stem, and healthy new growth.

• Check the plants carefully for signs of pests or diseases. Insects often collect in leaf axils (where leaves meet stems), on new growth, and on leaf undersides. Fine webs and cottony or foamy blobs also indicate pest insects. Pale, yellowed, or otherwise discolored leaves, soft rotting tissues, mold or mildew, leaf spots, and dry brown leaf edges may indicate disease.

• Avoid buying plants with roots coming from the drainage holes in their containers. These are pot-bound, and their growth may have been stunted by spending too much time at the nursery.

• Don’t buy plants with tall, lanky, or floppy stems and large gaps of bare stem between leaves. These plants haven’t gotten enough light, or they’ve been overfertilized and grew too quickly.

Planting from a Cell Pack

When planting annuals in beds and borders, mark out the planting area and dig the holes, either one at a time or several at once. If the soil is dry, fill each hole with water and let it drain before setting in the plants. Push gently on the bottom of the cell to dislodge a plant; slide the plant out of its compartment without touching the stem; and set it in the ground. If the plant is at all pot-bound, gently tease apart some of the roots, or encourage new root growth by cutting partway into the bottom of the root-ball and pulling it apart a bit. Touching only the root-ball and if necessary, the bottom leaves—not the stem—set the plant into the hole; firm the soil around it; and water well.

Planting a Hanging Basket

Begin by filling the basket with potting soil to 2 inches below the rim. Set one or more plants in the center of the basket. Then plant several more around the edges so they will cascade over the sides and disguise the pot.

For a fuller look, use a hanging basket made of wire. Line the inside of the basket with sheets of moistened sphagnum moss that you butt up against one another at their edges. Fill the basket one-third of the way with potting soil. Then insert some small plants around the sides, pulling aside or cutting through the moss so that the plant tops are outside the basket but their roots are planted in the soil. Add more soil mix to fill the basket two-thirds of the way, and add more plants. Then fill the basket the rest of the way, and plant the top as usual, with one plant in the center and three to five plants near the edge of the basket.

Potting Soils

When planting in containers, it’s best to use a light, porous potting mix. You can use a packaged preblended potting soil, as long as it contains a lightening agent such as perlite or vermiculite and is not 100 percent soil. Or you can mix 3 parts potting soil or topsoil with 2 parts crumbled compost or leaf mold and 1 part perlite or vermiculite. If you prefer a soilless potting mix, buy one or make it by mixing equal parts of peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite.

Hanging-Basket Plants

• Cascading petunia cultivars (Petunia × hybrida)

• Edging lobelia (Lobelia erinus)

• Fuchsia (Fuchsia hybrids)

• Impatiens (Impatiens hybrids)

• Ivy geranium (Pelargonium peltatum)

• Nasturtium, trailing cultivars (Tropaeolum majus)

• Rose moss (Portulaca grandiflora)

• Sapphire flower (Browallia speciosa)

• Variegated vinca (Vinca major ‘Variegata’)

• Wax begonia (Begonia Semperflorens-Cultorum hybrids)

• Wishbone flower (Torenia fournieri)

Baskets need to be watered daily in hot weather. To check whether a basket needs water without taking it down from its hanger, place your hand on the bottom and lift up so the pot rests on your hand. If it feels very light, the soil is too dry. When the pot has some weight to it, the soil is moist, and you don’t have to water.

how to

Carefully Transplant

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: EASY

Tools and Materials: Seedlings, trowel, prepared garden area

1 Water first; then gently push the bottom of the cell pack to loosen the root-ball. Rest the stem of the plant against your hand, but do not injure it by pressing on it.

2 Holding only the root-ball, carefully lower the seedling into the planting hole. Fill in and press down gently to put the roots in contact with the soil. Water well.

A cascade of color in a hanging basket (left) combines blue lobelia with yellow tuberous begonias, golden bidens, and red and pink petunias.

A romantic window box overflowing with cascading petunias softens a brick facade (below). Red and white flowering tobacco add height to the planting.

Planting a Window Box

Window boxes are a delightful addition to your home. They add instant charm to a country cottage and beautifully soften the severe facade of a city brownstone. Annuals are the plants of choice for window boxes, offering practically limitless combinations of color, form, and texture.

Plan your window boxes before you buy the plants. You’ll want some taller and some shorter plants, plus some trailers. (See the plant list above for some possibilities.) You’ll also want to choose colors that harmonize or contrast attractively with the colors of your home.

There are three ways to plant a window box: directly in the box, in a molded plastic liner that sits inside the box, or in individual pots that you place inside the box.

Plastic liners are the most convenient way to go, especially if you want to change the plants for different seasons. You simply pop the planted liner into the box. Liners are also easy to remove when the window box or the plants need maintenance.

If you plant directly in a wooden window box, be aware that constant contact with moist soil causes wood to deterioriate quickly. You can prolong its life by painting the inside of the box with polyurethene.

Planting in individual pots allows you to change plants during the season, but makes it harder to create a natural, gardeny sort of look. If you do keep the plants in pots, cover their tops with a layer of unmilled sphagnum moss.

No matter what kind of container you use, it’s important to provide drainage. Purchase metal boxes with predrilled holes, or drill holes in the bottom of wooden boxes or plastic liners. Use screening or row-cover material to cover the holes.

Annuals for Window Boxes

• China aster (Callistephus chinensis)

• China pinks (Dianthus chinensis)

• Coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides)

• Edging lobelia (Lobelia erinus)

• Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana × sanderae)

• Geranium (Pelargonium species)

• Globe amaranth (Gomophrena globosa)

• Heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens)

• Impatiens (Impatiens hybrids)

• Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus)

• Marguerite (Argyranthemum frutescens)

• Marigold (Tagetes species)

• Nasturtium (Tropaeolum species)

• Nemesia (Nemesia strumosa)

• Pansy (Viola x wittrockiana)

• Petunia (Petunia × hybrida)

• Plume-type celosia (Celosia argentea)

• Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis)

• Rose moss (Portulaca grandiflora)

• Salvia (Salvia species)

• Sapphire flower (Browallia speciosa)

• Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)

• Stock (Matthiola incana)

• Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)

• Variegated vinca (Vinca major ‘Variegata’)

• Wax begonia (Begonia Semperflorens-Cultorum hybrids)

• Wishbone flower (Torenia fournieri)

• Yellow cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus)

• Zinnia (Zinnia species)

Caring for window boxes. Because they contain such a small volume of soil, window boxes, like hanging plants, need frequent watering. You’ll need to water at least once a day in hot weather. Aim to keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy or waterlogged.

You’ll need to fertilize plants in a window box regularly, too. Water-soluble liquids, granular blends, and time-released pellets are the easiest and most convenient fertilizers. Follow the fertilizer-package directions for quantities and timing. Fast-growing annual plants will probably need fertilizing at least every two weeks or so, unless you use a time-released fertilizer.

how to

Plant a Window Box

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: EASY

Tools and Materials: Window box, potting soil, bleach, brush, trowel, plants

1 Clean used boxes thoroughly with a brush and then a 10-percent bleach solution.

2 Plant the tallest plants to the rear, the shortest in the front, and midsize plants between.

3 Water well, and fill in any low spots with extra potting soil. Shade until plants are established.

4 Keep plants watered, deadheaded, and trimmed to promote season-long blooming.

how to

Plant a Large Container

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: EASY

Tools and Materials: Container, screening, potting soil, trowel, plants

1 Plant the tallest plants (here, sunflowers) at the rear or in the center, depending on how the pot will be viewed.

2 Next, place the midsize plants (here, cannas) in front of the tallest ones or surrounding them.

3 Place smaller plants (here, caladiums) either in front of or surounding the midsize ones.

4 Plant trailers (here, cascading petunias and sweet potato vines) at the edges of the pot to cascade over the sides.

Planting Large Containers

When you plant a half-barrel or other large container with several kinds of plants, choose the plants carefully. Plan for a gradation of heights, like a miniature version of a garden bed or border, to create a sense of depth and a more interesting display.

For a full barrel, plan on buying three tall plants, four to six medium-height plants, and eight to twelve small or trailing edging plants. The barrel may look a bit sparse when you first plant it, but it will quickly fill in. If you stuff a container too full of young plants, either the larger ones will soon engulf the smaller ones, or all of them will languish after a month or so for lack of space. If you plant so densely that you have an instantly overflowing container, plan to fertilize frequently throughout the growing season.

Before planting, place the container where you want it. Unless you put it on wheels, it will be too heavy to move once you have planted it. Make sure the drainage is adequate: drill holes in wooden containers, and cover them with landscape fabric or fine screening. Fill the pot to within 3 inches of the rim.

By early summer, the petunias will be in full bloom, and the caladium, sweet potato vine, sunflower, and canna foliage will be lush and full.

By late summer, the sunflowers and cannas will be in bloom, and the caladium, sweet potato vine, and petunias will still be thriving.

Caring for Annuals

Annuals are easy to grow and care for as long as you pay attention to the basics. Make certain that the soil is well prepared in the beginning of the season and that the environment—light, temperature, and soil qualities—suits the plants you’re growing. Aside from these considerations, your major tasks will be to provide these fast-growing plants with plenty of water and fertilizer. Depending on the plant, you must also remove faded flowers and cut back foliage aafter the first blooms are spent.

Watering

Whether growing in the ground or in containers, newly transplanted annuals need constant, even moisture for the first couple of weeks while they establish themselves. Thereafter, water according to the plants’ needs. Some, such as rose moss, prefer drier conditions than do moisture lovers such as floss flower. (See “Portraits of Favorite Annuals,” see here for moisture needs.)

Soaker hoses are a convenient and efficient way to water annuals in beds and borders—they allow water to trickle out slowly so it can be easily absorbed into the soil. For hanging baskets and other containers, a hose with a watering wand lets you water without a lot of stretching or bending.

Fertilizing Annuals

Annuals need regular fertilization to fuel their rapid growth. (Remember, annuals go through their entire life cycle in a single growing season.) Healthy soil that contains plenty of organic matter will sustain the growth of many annuals, but sometimes your plants will need an extra nutrient boost.

If you choose organic fertilizers, bear in mind that many of these take time to break down in the soil and release their nutrients. You’ll have to apply granular and powdered formulas ahead of time. Fortunately, there are two easy organic options that provide instant nutrition to plants: liquid seaweed and fish emulsion. Either is good for annuals, but using both provides complete nutrition. Dilute according to label directions before applying with a watering can, or for fast results, spray a half-strength dilution on leaves in low-light conditions (before sunrise or on a cloudy day).

For flowering annuals, an all-purpose fertilizer, such as a 5-10-5 or a 15-30-15 (or, if organic, 3-4-3 or 4-5-4) formula works best. Foliage plants will thrive with a fertilizer high in nitrogen (indicated by the first number in the series). Use a granular, timed-release, or compost-based fertilizer for annuals in beds and borders; water-soluble fertilizers are best for container plants. Follow the package directions for application rates and frequency.

Potting-mix ingredients for annuals include soil; lightening agents such as peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite; and organic or synthetic fertilizers to supply nutrients.

SMART TIP

Drip System

Setting up drip systems with spaghetti tubes and individual emitters is easy if you follow the manufacturer’s directions.

These systems can be arranged to water pots as well as in-ground plants in the same area, as long as the plants’ water needs are similar.

Deadheading

An annual plant’s mission is to bloom, produce seeds, and then die. To keep plants blooming, prevent them from setting seeds. Deadheading—removing faded flowers before seeds develop—frustrates a plant’s attempt to complete its life cycle and encourages it to keep producing flowers.

When deadheading, don’t just snip off the flower and leave the bare stem. Instead, cut off the stem right above the next lower set of leaves. One exception to this rule is flowering tobacco. If you cut off a faded flower just under its base, new flowers will form on the stem right below the site of the old blossom.

Some plants with lots of small flowers, particularly lobelia and sweet alyssum, are hard to deadhead. To renew these plants if flowering slows, shear back the plants rather than snipping stems. (See “Portraits of Favorite Annuals,” see here.)

When Not to Deadhead. Many popular annuals self-sow if you let them. If you want particular plants to self-sow or if you want to collect and save seeds for next year’s garden, don’t deadhead all the plants. Choose the healthiest, best-looking specimens of the types you want to save, and let them form seeds in the latter part of their seasons.

Biennials that self-sow come up the same year and winter-over as small plants. Self-sown seedlings of true annuals won’t appear until the following spring. To prevent overcrowding, you usually have to thin them or transplant to new spots. To avoid weeding them out when they first appear, pay attention to the appearance of both their seed leaves and first true leaves.

Deadheading is the key to keeping annuals in bloom all season. Snipping off spent blossoms prevents plants from setting seeds, so they produce more flowers.

When deadheading, clip off spent flower stems back to the next set of leaves to avoid leaving bare stems.

End-of-Season Care

As the outdoor growing season winds down in fall, pull up all your spent annuals and toss them on the compost pile. (Throw out all China asters and any diseased plants with the trash.) If you plan to sow seeds of hardy annuals in fall for winter or spring bloom, prepare their planting areas. Spread a layer of compost and, if using them, organic fertilizers. Work this material into the soil; then rake it smooth. Sow hardy annuals at the correct time for your area. (If you are unsure about when to plant, ask a gardening friend or call your local Cooperative Extension Service for advice.)

Remove annuals from window boxes and other containers, and dump the potting soil in your garden (as long as the plants weren’t afflicted with a disease). Scrub out the containers, and store them for the winter.

Collecting and Saving Seeds

One of the great pleasures of growing annuals is the ease with which you can save their seeds. It’s fun to save seeds from your favorite plants. You can sow them the following year, share them with friends, or give them to the birds. (They’ll appreciate seeds of sunflowers, marigolds, calendulas, and zinnias, among others). If you grow heirloom varieties and save their seeds, you’ll help to keep these treasured plants from disappearing forever. (To learn more about growing endangered seeds, contact the Seed Savers Exchange, 3094 North Winn Rd., Decorah, IA 52101; seedsavers.org). You can even try your hand at plant breeding after a few years of practice: selecting for qualities you most want in your plants and cross-pollinating to create your own hybrids.

If you want the seeds you save to produce plants like the mother plant, collect seeds only from nonhybrid varieties or cultivars. While you can save seeds from hybrids, the plants they produce won’t look exactly like the mother plant when they germinate; they may be smaller, bloom later, or have flowers in a different color.

Procedures

After the flowers from which you want to collect seeds finish blooming, don’t deadhead them. Instead, leave the plants alone so that the seeds can mature. When the seed capsules or pods seem to be dry, break or cut them off.

It’s important to be certain that the seeds are dry before storing; moist seeds easily rot. Ensure this by picking the pods and placing them in paper bags (each kind in its own bag, labeled). Hang the bags in a warm, dry place to air-dry for two or three weeks. Shake the bags periodically to make the seeds fall out of their pods.

When the seeds are dry, separate them from their pods and any stray bits of chaff, as shown opposite. Store them in small envelopes or paper bags. Label each bag or envelope with the name of the plant, the flower color or other defining characteristic, and the date you harvested the seeds.

Store the seeds in a cool, dry place. If you’re not sure your storage place is dry, store them in screw-top glass jars. Add a desiccant such as powdered milk or silica gel to the jar for an extra measure of protection.

Annuals for Seed-Saving

• Ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum)

• Bachelor’s button (Centaurea cyanus)

• Bells of Ireland (Moluccella laevis)

• Browallia (Browallia speciosa)

• Cosmos (Cosmos species)

• Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata)

• Marigold (Tagetes species)

• Petunia (Petunia cultivars)

• Rocket larkspur (Consolida ambigua)

• Rose moss (Portulaca grandiflora)

• Salvia (Salvia species)

• Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)

• Spider flower (Cleome hassleriana)

• Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

• Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)

• Zinnia (Zinnia species )

how to

Collect Seeds

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: MODERATE

Tools and Materials: Dried seedheads, large smooth bowl, storage containers

1 Cut or pick dried seedheads after the seeds have turned brown but before they drop to the ground.

2 After the seeds are complely dry, gently separate them from the seedhead with your fingers.

3 Pick out as many of the the seed coats and other large pieces of chaff as you can by hand.

4 Softly blow the remaining chaff away before storing the seeds in labeled bags or glass jars in a dry, cool area.

Pots full of annuals along the front steps create a welcoming entry and can change from season to season according to your taste and their blooming times.

Ageratum

Ageratum houstonianum,FLOSSFLOWER

These mostly low-growing plants form compact mounds of dark green leaves nearly covered with clusters of small, fluffy purple-blue, pink, or white flowers. Although the short varieties are the most widely grown, there are some taller cultivars too.

Hardiness: Tender.

Blooming Time: Early summer until frost.

Height: 6 inches to 2 ½ feet.

Spacing: 6 to 10 inches.

Light: Full sun to light shade; afternoon shade in Zones 7 and warmer.

Soil: Average to fertile, well-drained soil.

Moisture: Even, abundant moisture; does not tolerate dryness.

Garden Uses: Dwarf cultivars are favorites for edging flower beds, using in designs where a low element is needed, and in containers and window boxes.

Grow the taller cultivars in the middle of beds and borders or grow them in a cutting garden. The taller cultivars, especially, make good cut flowers.

Cut flowers when about half the blossoms on the stem are open. The best times to cut are in the morning or early evening. Condition the flowers before you arrange them by standing the stems in warm water almost to the base of the flowers. Leave them in the water for several hours. Remove all leaves that would be below the water level in the vase.

In bouquets and arrangements, the puffy little clusters of flossflower blossoms make good fillers to place between larger, more dramatic flowers. They last about a week in the vase.

Comments: Sow seeds indoors about 10 weeks before the last expected frost. The plants can’t tolerate frost, so do not plant them out until the weather has settled in spring.

‘Royal Hawaii’

Flossflower seeds

Deadhead regularly to keep plants looking neat and to encourage continued heavy blooming throughout the season. If some plants exhaust themselves in midsummer, remove and replace them. A good layer of mulch will help the plants withstand hot, dry conditions.

Flossflowers are prone to fungus disease problems. To decrease the chance of infection, water plants at ground level rather than with overhead hoses or sprinklers. If you do use an overhead watering system, water in the morning, or early enough in the evening so that plants have time to dry off before dark.

Recommended Cultivars: Good cultivars for cutting include ‘Blue Horizon’, 2 to 2 ½ feet, medium blue flowers, good heat tolerance; ‘Red Top’, 2 to 2 ½ feet, purple-red flowers; and ‘White Bouquet’, 2 to 2 ½ feet, white flowers. Smaller cultivars suitable for edging beds and borders and using in containers include ‘Blue Mink’, 10 inches to 1 ½ feet, powder blue flowers; ‘Blue Lagoon’, 8 inches, light blue flowers; ‘Bavaria’, 1 foot, blue-and-white bicolored flowers; Hawaii hybrids, 8 inches, medium blue, rosy purple, and white flowers.

SMART TIP

Deadheading

Deadhead flowers as soon as they begin to brown to promote continuous blooming. Snip off the faded flower at the base of its stalk, just above the leaves. With diligent deadheading, flossflowers will bloom all season long.

Amaranthus

Amaranthus caudatus,LOVE-LIES-BLEEDINGAmaranthus tricolor,JOSEPH’S-COAT

Both of these amaranths have long, drooping, deep red flower spikes that look rather like chenille ropes. Joseph’s-coat boasts colorful leaves of red, yellow, orange, bronze, and/or brown. All Amaranthus species are bushy and branched with oval leaves.

Hardiness: Tender.

Blooming Time: Summer.

Height: 1 to 4 feet.

Spacing: 1 ½ to 2 feet.

Light: Full sun.

Soil: Well-drained, average to poor fertility. Leaves of Joseph’s-coat are less colorful in rich, fertile soils.

Moisture: Average; tolerates some dryness.

Garden Uses: These plants work best in the middle ground of a garden of large plants or in the back of a small garden of smaller plants. They also grow well in containers. The cultivars of A. caudatus and A. hypochondriacus listed below under “Recommended Cultivars” are both good for cutting.

Comments: Amaranths are easy to grow, but transplant best as young seedlings. Sow seeds indoors eight to ten weeks before the last expected frost, or direct-sow when frost danger is past. Both of these Amaranthus species grow best in warm weather.

‘Illumination’

Recommended Cultivars:A. tricolor: ‘Illumination’, 4 feet, bright, rosy red leaves topped with yellow; ‘Summer Poinsettia Mix’, 3 feet, deep red leaves topped with bright red; ‘Aurora’, green leaves topped with chartreuse and yellow; ‘Joseph’s Coat’, 3 feet, scarlet, cream and green leaves.

A. caudatus: ‘Green Thumb’, 2 to 2 feet, green leaves and vivid green flowers. A similar species, A. hypochondriacus, or prince’s feather, has flower spikes that stand upright rather than drooping. A useful cultivar is ‘Pygmy Torch’, 1 to 2 feet, upright wine red flower spikes.

SMART TIP

Supporting

Tomato cages make excellent supports for bushy, many-stalked species such as these love-lies-bleeding plants. Set cages in place before the plants begin to lean.

Joseph’s-coat

A group of snapdragons in pastel hues softens the appearance of these steps and stone wall.

Rocket hybrids

Antirrhinum

Antirrhinum majus,SNAPDRAGON

The colorful spikes of snapdragons are a fine addition to any garden. They add a colorful vertical accent, are wonderful for cutting, and have been favorites of generations of children. The plants may be either annual or perennial, but they are usually grown as annuals.

Hardiness: Half-hardy.

Blooming Time: Early summer; in warm climates, winter or early spring.

Height: 9 inches to 3 feet, depending on cultivar.

Spacing: 6 inches to 1 foot, depending on cultivar.

Light: Full sun to partial shade; prefers some afternoon shade in warm climates.

Soil: Well-drained, moderately rich.

Moisture: Evenly moist.

Garden Uses: Grow snapdragons in beds, borders, or cutting gardens.

Comments: Snapdragons grow best in cool weather. In Zones 3 to 6, start seeds indoors 8 to 12 weeks before the last expected spring frost and set out seedlings as soon as the soil can be worked. In Zones 9 and warmer, sow in fall. Seeds need light to germinate; do not cover them. To extend the blooming period, sow seeds in batches several weeks apart. Deadheading faded flower spikes helps prolong bloom. If you cut off entire spikes when the flowers fade, plants may rebloom in fall.

Seed leaves

Recommended Cultivars: ‘Bright Butterflies’, 2 ½ feet, open unpouched flowers in shades of red, pink, bronze, yellow, and white; ‘Sonnet Mix’, 1 ½ feet, red, orange, pink, bronze, yellow, and white flowers; ‘Floral Showers Mix’, 6 to 8 inches, red, pink, purple, orange, yellow, white, and lavender-and-white bicolored flowers, blooms early in season; ‘Floral Carpet Mixed’, 8 inches, red, pink, yellow, and white flowers; Rocket hybrids, 2 ½ to 3 feet, various shades of red, pink, bronze, yellow, and white flowers.

Snapdragons make excellent garden companions for pansies

Argyranthemum A NNUALS

Argyranthemum frutescens (Chrysanthemum frutescens),MARGUERITE

Marguerites have dainty, daisylike flowers a couple of inches across. The centers are golden but the petals may be white, yellow, or pink. Some cultivars have densely packed, small upright petals around the center that can completely obscure the true disk flowers. The plants are branched and bushy, with finely divided, rather lacy-looking leaves.

Hardiness: Tender.

Blooming Time: All summer if deadheaded regularly.

Height: 1 to 3 feet.

Spacing: 1 to 1 ½ feet.

Light: Full sun.

Soil: Well-drained, average fertility.

Moisture: Average; water when soil is dry.

Garden Uses: Marguerites are durable plants for container gardens and window boxes as well as garden beds and borders. They perform beautifully as long as they receive regular deadheading throughout the season.

Comments: Marguerites were formerly grouped under Chrysanthemum but have been reclassified by botanists as Argyranthemum frutescens. But since some suppliers are still listing them as Chrysanthemum, shop for them under that name too if you can’t find them as Argyranthemum.

Recommended Cultivars: ‘Butterfly’, 1 ½ feet, yellow flowers; ‘Vancouver’, 1 ½ to 2 feet, double pink flowers with dense “anemone” centers surrounded by narrow, widely spaced rays.

Single marguerites

‘Pink Lady’

‘Silver Lady’

SMART TIP

Deadheading Marguerite

Deadhead flowers as soon as they begin to fade. With regular deadheading, most marguerites will continue to bloom all summer.

Begonia

Begonia Semperflorens-Cultorum hybrids, WAX BEGONIA

Wax begonias have glossy, rounded leaves 2 to 4 inches long in varying shades of green and bronze. As a rule, green-leaved cultivars can tolerate more shade than bronze-leaved types. The inch-wide flowers can be either single or double (depending on the cultivar) and can come in shades of pink and red as well as white.

Hardiness: Tender.

Blooming Time: All summer into fall.

Height: 6 inches to 1 foot.

Spacing: 6 inches to 1 foot.

Light: Best in light shade; tolerates full sun in cooler climates. Plants will grow in medium to full shade, but will produce fewer flowers.

Soil: Well-drained, fertile, rich in organic matter.

Moisture: Evenly moist.

Garden Uses: Wax begonias are excellent bedding plants and work beautifully in window boxes and containers. They make good houseplants, too. In autumn, before the first frost, you can dig up plants or take cuttings to root and pot up for winter bloom indoors.

Comments: To start wax begonias from seed, sow seeds indoors in January or February. Seeds are very fine; scatter them as evenly as you can over the surface of a fine-textured potting medium and press them in gently. Keep the soil moist, with lots of light and temperatures between 65° and 80°F. Transplant to the garden after the frost-free date.

Because wax begonia plants are so slow to reach blooming size from seed, many gardeners find it easier to purchase plants at local garden centers.

Bronze-leaved cultivars tolerate more sun than green-leaved and variegated ones and are better choices for sunny locations and gardens in Zones 7 and warmer.

Recommended Cultivars: