Though they last for only one season, annuals are the showstoppers of the garden. From towering sunflowers to diminutive pansies, they bloom in breathtaking shades. Some grow beanstalk tall, others sit demurely at the edge of a border, while still others cascade giddily from a container. Their profiles may be rotund or rangy, their textures lacy, velvety or waxy. They can be stars in their own right, or play a supporting role to perennials, vegetables, bulbs, shrubs and trees. When carefully selected, certain annuals perform in frost or near-searing heat, sun or shade – even in infertile soil – from the desert to the fringes of the arctic.
The beauty of annuals lies in their ability to integrate every landscape feature, from perennials and shrubs to trees, fixtures and statuary.
Photo Credit: ©2000 Dolezal Publishing/Tim Butler
A striking, seasonal groundcover will result when low-growing, mat-forming annuals are planted in a group. Plant them in well-defined beds for maximum effect.
Photo Credit: ©2000 Dolezal Publishing/Image Point
While the theory that marigolds ward off insect pests has never been proven, they do attract pollinating insects to young vegetable plantings, dress up the patch with sunny color, and can be harvested for their flower petals as an edible addition to the salad bowl.
Photo Credit: ©2000 Dolezal Publishing/John Rickard
Low-light areas beneath spreading trees sparkle with color when flowering shade annuals, such as begonia and impatiens, fill the area.
Photo Credit: ©2000 Dolezal Publishing/Image Point
In a springtime island border that’s ideal for cool-climate gardens, tall poppies mark a center point for surrounding snapdragons and alyssum. Whenever a group planting stands alone, use its center for the tallest members of the group and ring the perimeter with shorter annuals.
Photo Credit: ©2000 Dolezal Publishing/Reed Estabrook
Hanging baskets make ideal shade residents – just remember to take them out into the full sun a day or two a week to ensure good foliage development and strong stems. Plants grown in continual dim light become leggy.
Photo Credit: ©2000 Dolezal Publishing/Doug Dealey
It’s no wonder annuals are such crowd pleasers – and what a diverse crowd they can please. For the experienced gardener, annuals offer the challenges of growing fussy species and cultivating seedlings for transplant. For the beginner, annuals present the perfect combination of easy care and quick, dramatic results. Filling beds and containers with color is as easy as stopping at the garden center, buying an armful of bedding plants and dropping them in soil. Because annuals are inexpensive (one might even say, dirt cheap), gardening mistakes aren’t too bank-breaking, and success can easily replicated.
Children love the excitement of watching annuals sprout from seeds, especially when those sprouts grow to reveal cartoon colors, fantastic shapes or Paul Bunyan proportions. Some of the humblest and most common of annuals are beloved by all for their bewitching fragrances, their ability to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, or simply for their reliability.
Consider bringing annuals into your garden in one (or more) of these ways:
Containers
Annuals create a bit of paradise in a small plot or container. What’s more, growing these plants in containers is the perfect way to get your new green thumb off to a good start. Your chance of success is improved by every aspect of container planting being controllable: You can ensure good soil quality and moisture levels – even regulate temperature, sun and shade. Container annuals also make perfect (and portable) decorating tools.
Single-flower Plantings
Though annuals perform magnificently in a garden ensemble, they can be first-rate soloists, too. Whether you have a vista to cultivate or you’d like to punctuate the far side of the lawn with a splash of color, you can make a bold statement with a single-flower planting. (As a bonus, designing your garden will be a snap.)
Mixed Plantings
Like perfect party guests, annuals are delightful in any crowd. If you invite them to mingle with your shrubs, perennials and bulbs, they’ll add interest and long-lasting color to your garden. Annual flowers can extend the bloom period of your perennial garden at both ends of the season: Early bloomers provide color when most perennials are still taking their long winter’s nap; when perennials have finished their show in early summer, warm-weather annuals take over.
In a new garden, annuals are indispensable, obligingly filling in the gaps for slow-growing permanent companions. (A young perennial border can look bare for the first few years). In a well-established garden, try pairing permanent plants with annuals to create new combinations of color, scale, form and texture.
English Border
If you’ve ever seen a picture of a beautiful English garden, you know the dreamy, romantic look of the English border. No matter where you live – warm climates or chilly – you can create an annual-filled border suitable to your region. Classic English borders comprise plants of various heights, foliage and color. Plant tall plants in the rear, occasionally broken by medium-height flowers, and put medium- and low-growing annuals to the front. When fully grown, the border will be a solid mass of beauty.
Shade Gardens
Sure, the selection of annuals for a shade garden is more limited than for a sunny one, but rest assured, there’s a shade-tolerant annual for nearly every purpose. Early flowering, cool-weather varieties can cover a shadowed space with color even when the weather’s frosty. (Popular favorites like pansy and Johnny-jump-up perform well.) When the weather warms up, set a tropical mood with exotic foliage plants like coleus, caladium, polka dot plant, plectranthus and ‘New Guinea’ impatiens. Combine them with glossy wax begonia for a lush effect.
Even some plants known for their sun-loving ways can be coaxed to bloom in partial shade, especially if given humus-rich soil and plenty of moisture. Statuesque spider flower, for example, will produce fewer flowers if it gets less than a full day of sun, but each bloom will last longer.
Combined with Veggies
If there were a plant prom, vegetables probably wouldn’t be invited – let’s face it, broccoli tastes better than it looks – but pair them with annuals, and veggies join the party. Try mixing a few annual standbys like pansies and marigolds with carrots and lettuce for a charmingly colorful little plot. Dress up tomatoes, eggplants and squash with annual dahlias. Bring out the best in a bed of bell peppers with some zinnias or a planting of poppies.
Adding annuals is also a great way to vary the skyline of your vegetable garden. Sow a rear guard of sunflowers or plant some cannas. (Cannas and corn make an engagingly statuesque combination!)
Vegetables that are beautiful on their own look even better coupled with annuals of contrasting color. The deep-purple leaves of red mustard or purple basil, for example, shine handsomely among orange marigolds. If elegance is your goal, try marigolds and gloriosa daisies with yellow bell peppers, or cockscomb with red peppers.
Indoor Décor
Outdoors, every annual has its season, but the indoor gardener is never at the mercy of the calendar. Brighten a corner with some daisies, or bring cheer to a breakfast nook with pansies. Petunias take on a new look when planted in containers and come in a staggering array of colors. Lisianthus gives a room a romantic look, and sweet alyssum can perfume an entire room.
With correct lighting, many types of flowers will bloom indoors during winter days, when many gardeners are forced into hibernation. (Geraniums, for example, bear flowers for most of the winter if planted in summer, and they’re easy to grow from seedlings or root from cuttings.)
With so many fabulous annuals out there, it’s tempting to cram the garden with everything – from alyssum to zinnia. Think about how you’d like to use these amazing plants to your garden’s advantage. The cool thing about them is if you don’t like what you’ve planted this season, you can always try again next year!
