The Argument For Annuals

You know, as some people really get into this game called gardening, I notice a transformation sometimes takes place: Gardeners start to turn their collective noses up at the thought of adding annuals to a garden border. After a while, it is not uncommon to relegate annuals to pots and hanging baskets. That's a shame because annuals are great plants to add to perennial borders and are indispensible workhorses in the garden.

I know many of us would like to be purists and keep annuals of any type out of our perennial beds. But the simple fact is, there are many times during the growing season that there isn't a whole lot of excitement going on in the perennial border. Adding some annuals to help bridge the bloom seasons and tie in the perennials together simply makes good sense.

Annuals are plants that are just screaming to be added, to show what great stuff they are made of. Some of them make powerful statements by themselves, others are great supporting actors and still others are great fillers. Also, annuals are wonderful for those who are just starting a perennial bed or are gardening in a new home for the first year or two and need some instant impact while waiting for the stalwart perennials to mature. Let's face it, there are fewer plants that can provide as much as annuals can, especially if we are just starting a new border or renovating an existing one.

Cost wise, a full annual border isn't going to save anyone money over the long haul. But, as a filler or bridge, they will help to add some sparkle to a border planting. If you start your own or directly seed a few, the cost involved is relatively inexpensive. Why buy a few pre-started portulaca, cosmos, zinnias, or marigolds when for about the same price as a few cell packs, you can have literally ten times more plants by buying seeds? Annuals can and should be used more often in any flower border.

That said, here are some wonderful annuals to add to any flower border, and are great additions in themselves:

Common Name:  Four O' Clocks
Botanical Name:  Mirabilis jalapa
Color & Flower Form:  Fragrant pink, yellow, red, white, and magenta petunia-like blooms. Some are striped or "broken".
Additional Comments:  Four-O'Clocks are an old-fashioned garden favorite, with fragrant 1-1/2 inch flowers on bushy 2-1/2 foot plants that open in late afternoon and close in the morning. In many areas, will self-seed and survive milder winters, or tubers may be dug and stored/overwintered to be planted when the soil warms. Hard to now find Marvel Of Perus, which has "broken" colors with stripes. A good substitute is 'Mirabilis jalapa Broken Colours'. Plant seeds outdoors after soil warms. Full sun to partial shade, tolerates some drier conditions. Good temporary foundation or low-hedge plant. May be invasive in warmer growing zones, but is easily controlled by the climate of our region.

Common Name:  Cosmos
Botanical Name:  Cosmos bipinnatus, Cosmos sulphureus
Color & Flower Form:  Cosmos bipinnatus: pinks, mauves, magenta, whites, all with yellow centers
Cosmos sulphureus: Orange, reds, golds, warm-tones. All have daisylike form.
Additional Comments:  C.bipinnatus is also known as lace cosmos and are tall-growing pastels with lax habit. C. sulphureus have marigold-like foliage and warmer-toned flowers. Both average about 4 feet in height. Some newer varieties are shorter: 2-3 feet. Directly sow after soil warms up, barely cover with 1/8" soil. Do not overfertilize or overwater. May self-seed and overwinter during milder winters. Tolerates dry soil. Full sun. Good for cut flowers.

Common Name:  Plumed Celosia
Botanical Name:  Celosia argentea var. plumosa
Color & Flower Form:  Yellow, red, cream, orange, apricot, hot pink, rusty red, purple-red, and magenta plumes.
Additional Comments:  It is best to start Celosia indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the average last frost date. Bottom water the seedlings, and do not overwater. This annual tolerates moderately dry conditions. Do not plant them outdoors until two weeks before last frost as these plants are very frost-sensitive. Heights vary according to cultivar or variety grown. All do well in full sun. Plumes are good dried and used in arrangements.

Common Name:  Blanket Flower
Botanical Name:  Gaillardia pulchella
Color & Flower Form:  Various shades and combinations of orange, mahogany, red, gold, and yellow, daisy or aster-like flowers.
Additional Comments:  Gaillardia are best to start indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the average last frost date. A native prairie flower, they tolerate dry conditions. Average height is about 2 feet. Sun.

Common Name:  Cleome
Botanical Name:  Cleome spinosa
Color & Flower Form:   Pinks, rose, mauve, violet, white. Flower heads.
Additional Comments:  Cleome can be sown directly in mid spring as the seed needs variable temperatures to germinate. Surface sow and scratch into the ground rather than cover the seed as they need light to germinate. Cleome appreciates regular watering. Individual flowers bloom from the bottom up, and slowly turn color and fade. The plants have a subtle herbal-citrusy scent. This is a good plant for the back of the border as they can reach about 4 feet in height. Newer varieties are shorter, about 3 feet tall. In our region, Cleome routinely self-sows. Sun to partial shade.

Common Name:  Bachelor's Buttons, Cornflower
Botanical Name:  Centaurea cyanus
Color & Flower Form:   Blues, Pinks, white. Aster-like flowers.
Additional Comments:  Easy to grow, Bachelor Buttons can be directly sown where they are to grow, about 1/4 inch deep in mid to late spring. Cover lightly just to make contact with the soil and water with a fine spray. Heights vary, but thin to about 18 to 24 inches apart. Average height is about 12 to 24 inches, depending on variety. Bachelor Buttons appreciate steady moisture, and do not do well in dry conditions. But, do not overwater. They are excellent for cut flower use and add true touch of blue to the garden. Sun.

Common Name:  Lavatera, Annual Mallow
Botanical Name:  Lavatera trimestris
Color & Flower Form:   Pinks, white. Saucerlike blooms.
Additional Comments:  Sow directly and thinly where they are to grow after the soil warms up. These members of the Malvaceae family, average about 18 to 24 inches in height. Do well in average, well-drained soil. Sun.

Common Name:  Sweet Alyssum
Botanical Name:  Alyssum maritimum
Color & Flower Form:   Pinks, white, wine, violet, lavender. Small mounds of tiny, starlike flowers.
Additional Comments:  Sow directly late Spring in average soil. Honey-scented, these tiny plants are great as edgers or fillers in the front of the border, reaching about 4-6 inches tall. They do not tolerate drought or dry conditions, so keep watered, but don't drown them! In mid-summer, trim them back for another full flush of flowers in the fall and to keep them tidy. Sun to Part Shade.

Common Name:  Balsam, Touch-Me-Not
Botanical Name:  Impatiens balsamina
Color & Flower Form:   Pinks, whites, red, rose, violet, yellow, peach-orange. Snapdragon-like flowers along leaf axils and up the stalks.
Additional Comments:  Sow directly late Spring after the soil has warmed in sandy, well-drained to average soil. Maintain it as a well-branched plant with several strong stems only. Transplants easily, grows from 18 to 24 in Common Name:  Mexican Sunflower
Botanical Name:  Tithonia, most common is T. rotundifolia, various varieties
Color & Flower Form:   Scarlet red, orange, and yellow. Single daisy-like flowers.
Additional Comments:  Sow directly late Spring after the soil has warmed in average soil. Tall growing, this is good for the back of the border. Average about 4 to 5 feet in height. Tithonia is an excellent source of cut flowers. Sun.

Common Name:  Zinnia
Botanical Name:  Zinnia, various varieties
Color & Flower Form:   Nearly every color combination including green, but not including true blue. Single daisy-like to dahlia-like flowers. Wide variety of bloom shapes.
Additional Comments  Sow directly late Spring after the soil has warmed in average soil. Newer varieties are resistant to powdery mildew, long the bane of zinnias. There are varieties from dwarf and semi-prostate single and pom-poms, good for edging, to true giants of 3 to 4 feet in height. The taller varieties are good for cut flowers, and many varieties are available by the color. Butterflies and bees appreciate them as well, and they are fairly drought-tolerant. Sun.

These are but a few of the many wonderful and often-overlooked annuals that gardeners should take a new look at. They serve a valuable function, and offer much color in times of little action in the garden. Many of these annuals attract bees, humminbirds, and butterflies, and are generally care-free and easy-to-grow. Try tucking a few annual plants or seeds in the garden and see how they can add a bit of spice to your borders this year!

Page Last Updated April 15, 2006