Annuals Add A Little Versatility
Annual flowers are the frosting on the landscape. They add that special touch that brightens our gardens with summer-long color and charm.
Annuals are so much fun to work with. By using special color combinations, we can dictate the garden mood festive, serene or somewhere in between. With a little creativity and imagination and these versatile flowers, we can give our landscape a new look each year. Simply change the layout and/or color scheme.
Most annuals are tender. They can easily be stunted, damaged or killed by frost. The recommended planting time is usually around Mother’s Day, which is about the time of the last killing frost for the Spokane area. Outlying areas are usually a little later.
Most annuals enjoy a rich, organic soil. Mix a healthy amount of compost, bagged manure or well-rotted manure into the planting beds. A little slow-release fertilizer may benefit plants if the organic matter is low. However, most annuals are heavy feeders and benefit from regular 10- to 14-day feedings with a liquid fertilizer. I have found the best way to fertilize mass plantings of annuals is with a hose-end sprayer. Connect the glass fertilizer jar to the hose, mix the fertilizer according to directions and spray. Within minutes, your fertilizing chore is completed.
When working with annuals, keep these pointers in mind:
Red is a dominant color. Our eye catches red immediately, so use it carefully. Red is striking against anything dark - evergreens, natural stained homes and decks, shaded areas, etc.
Orange is a little difficult to work with. But it is beautiful mixed with blue.
Pastel colors are illuminating at night. Use them on decks and patios where you can enjoy them in the evening. White is striking, it grabs your eye. Gray or silver are stunning transition colors.
When shopping for these delightful candidates, have in mind what you are trying to achieve and where the plants will be located - shade, sun, moist, dry, etc. Perhaps the following list will help make your shopping a little easier: Dry and sunny: geraniums, marigolds, portulaca, zinnia, cosmos, California poppy, celosia, nasturtium and Livingstone daisy.
Moist and sunny: Salvia, petunia, cleome, seed dahlia, dusty miller, geranium, lobelia, marigold, nicotiana, pansy, snapdragon and verbena.
Annuals for borders: Ageratum, alyssum, dwarf asters, wax begonia, dwarf browallia, dianthus, dusty miller, Livingstone daisy, lobelia, dwarf marigold, pansy, petunia, miniature snapdragon, dwarf sweet William, and miniature zinnia.
Shade annuals: Begonia, browallia, Canterbury bells, coleus, impatiens, lobelia, nicotiana, primula, and salvia.
Annuals for fragrance: Heliotrope, nasturtium, nicotiana, petunia, sweet alyssum, sweet pea and sweet William.
Obviously these are not all the plants available, but perhaps this short list will give you some ideas for a garden filled with sweet aromas and glorious color.
To get you started, the Gardeners of Spokane, (formerly the Men’s Garden Club), and the Spokane Rose Society will be hosting their annual plant sale at NorthTown Mall today and Saturday. Sale hours are from 9:30 a.m. until the mall closes.
The WSU Master Gardeners will host a free tour of the rhododendron glen at the Finch Arboretum Sunday at 2 p.m.
And, the WSU Extension office is offering an evening Native Plant Lecture Series, May 24 and 31, and June 7 and 14. Deadline for registration is Monday and the cost is $40. This is an excellent series. Please call the extension office, 533-2048, for more information.