Add color to your landscape all season long with annuals
Have you been gazing at your empty flowerbeds wondering what to do? Where to start? What to plant? Annuals are the best way to add color to your landscape all season long.
Whether adding color to an existing bed or creating a new garden spot, always prepare the soil first. This is essential for success.
Till or spade the soil deeply and add a granular fertilizer. If the drainage is poor, add some compost, peat moss or other organic material.
Annuals are plants that only live for one season, so don't be intimidated and think that whatever you do is permanent. There are so many different varieties of annuals available that you can create completely different looks every year.
Your garden design doesn't need to be complicated to be eye-catching. Mass plantings are always striking whether you have a small space or a large area to plant.
Select one plant that appeals to you and fill your entire space with it. I drove by a house last year that had a circular garden planted with nothing but short yellow marigolds. It wasn't a large space, but that one block of color caught my eye.
If you would like a little more variety, try two different colors of the same plant and an annual foliage plant. For a sunny area, you could try dark blue and hot pink petunias with some dusty miller. For a shady area, plant some hot pink and orange impatiens with some coleus.
For a little more drama, choose plants of varying heights. Plant something tall in the background, such as blue sage. Plant some red geraniums directly in front of them and white alyssum in front of the geraniums.
Remember to add some time release fertilizer and compost to the hole when planting.
Questions or comments? Contact Jim Gainan via email at [email protected]. Jim Gainan is a VP/shareholder of Gainan's Floral and Garden Center in Billings.
Here are some popular annuals:
Variety Colors Light Height Spacing Ageratum blue, white sun to part shade 6-12" 8-12" Alyssum pink, violet, white sun to part shade 2-6" 8-12" Begonia, Wax pink, red, white sun to shade 9-12" 8-12" Begonia, Tuberous orange, pink, red, white, yellow part to full shade 12-15" 12" Browallia blue, white part to full shade 10-18" 9-12" Calendula orange, yellow sun to part shade 8-36" 12-18" Celosia pink, orange, red, yellow sun 6" - 3' 9-15" Coleus pink, orange, red, violet, yellow part to full shade 8-24" 9-18" Cosmos pink, orange, white, yellow sun 1-3' 12-18" Dianthus pink, red, violet, white sun to part shade 6-18" 9-12" Dusty Miller white sun to part shade 10-12" 8-12" Geranium pink, red, salmon, violet, white sun to part shade 1-3' 12-24" Geranium, Ivy pink, red, violet, white sun to part shade 6-12" 15-24" Heliotrope blue, white sun 12-24" 12-18" Impatiens pink, orange, red, violet, white part to full shade 6-18" 8-15" Impatiens, New Guinea pink, orange, red, violet, white sun to part shade 12-30" 15-18" Marigold, Dwarf orange, red, yellow sun 9-15" 12-15" Marigold, Tall orange, yellow sun 15-40" 15-24" Moss Rose (Portulaca) pink, orange, red, violet, white, yellow sun 4-8" 6-9" Nicotiana pink, red, violet, white, yellow sun to part shade 1-2' 9-15" Pansy blue, pink, red, violet, white, yellow sun to part shade 6-8" 10" Petunia blue, lavender, pink, orange, red, sun to part shade 12-18" 12" violet, white, yellow Salvia red, violet, white sun 9-36" 12-21" Salvia, Blue blue sun 2-4' 18" Snapdragon pink, orange, red, white, yellow sun to part shade 9-36" 9-15" Verbena pink, red, violet, white sun 8-15" 12" Vinca (Periwinkle) pink, white sun 8-15" 9-12" Zinnia pink, orange, red, white, yellow sun 10-24" 9-18"