Summer Annuals
D id you know an annual’s whole purpose is to produce seeds? Its lifecycle may begin with germination and end with death—all in the same year—but the reward is its seeds that sow again and grow the next season. Well, for the gardener the plant itself is obviously a reward too—while it’s alive. The lush foliage! The profuse blossoms! The color!
I love annuals. But unlike AP who lays down serious money at nurseries for already-grown annuals, I grow my own.
I mean—literally—buying annuals is like burning $5-bills!
Annies Annuals & Perennials, one of our favorites, loves AP! They see her waltzing into the nursery and rub their hands thinking “Burn baby, burn.”
Me? It costs me maybe one-sixteenth of a penny to grow an annual from seed.
So what annual seeds did YOU sow in spring for a fabulous summer garden? I’ll share some of mine.
Datura metel ‘Fastuosa (Black Datura)
Datura metel ‘Ballerina Purple’
Datura metel ‘Ballerina Yellow’
Datura wrightii (Sacred White Datura)
I have the white one growing like crazy all over my property because each Datura seed pod has about 1000 seeds—and no irrigation needed.
The three fancy ones above require some irrigation once in a great while. Daturas are categorized as Annuals or Tender Perennials. Definitely Annuals in my part of the woods. As they say, “Winter is coming.”
These Daturas are so pretty! But don’t get me started on the difference between the purple one and the black one. The colors look the same to me. The ruffling is different…whoopie.
Browallia ‘Blue Lady’
I’ve grown this little lady off and on over the years and if you give it time to reach full maturity, she’s absolutely beautiful and wispy.
I install her in the middle of a container to meander through her neighbors and also by herself elsewhere because she reaches 2-feet wide and 2-feet high and deserves to stand alone and be strong.
This year I also sowed the Browallia ‘Snow White.’ No luck. I’ll try again in 2023.
Sanvitalia procumbens (Creeping Zinnia)
Sanvitalia procumbens ‘Mandarin Orange’ (Creeping Zinnia ‘Mandarin Orange’)
Sanvitalia speciosa ‘Million Suns’ (Creeping Zinnia ‘Million Suns’)
Geez, these Zinnias were hard to germinate this year. I sowed 6 of each variety but I think only 3 of each grew. Better to let them self-sow.
Here they are, all growing amongst themselves in the Annual Garden at the Sherwood Demonstration Garden.
Well, I don’t know what the big deal is about this next flower, for plantsake…
Cuphea lanceolata ‘Purple Passion’
No, not the big Rudbeckia blossoms, the Itty bitty purple flowers in the center.
I have to get my reading glasses on just to see the damn things. I’m glad I put it next to the Rudbeckia for the contrast, otherwise it would have been hidden to the naked eye.
Here’s another annual with itty bitty flowers…
Emilia sonchifolia var. javanica ‘Irish Poet’ (Tassel Flower)
But at least the orange color makes the plant pop amongst its neighbors. (My reading glasses not required. Yet.)
Anyone who knows me—Hi Sue!—knows the reason I don’t label my plants. It’s because I have a photographic memory. Okay, lately I admit some of my photographics are getting jumbled, so half the time I’m winging it! Case in point, this pretty annual with white flowers.
Anoda ‘Snow Cup’
I thought it was a Hibiscus Sunset at first. Then I used the powers of my extensive horticultural training to notice that the flowers ain’t yellow and the leaf pattern is different.
Next best thing to a working brain is to look at the list on the inventory order. Violà, ‘Snow Cup’.
Isn’t she pretty?! Too bad that the bigger she grows the more her branches start breaking. Gawd if it ain’t one thing it’s another.
So, here’s the real Hibiscus Sunset without and with blooms.
Abelmoschus manihot (Hibiscus Sunset)
I waited V E R Y patiently for that damn thing to bloom.
It’s a very rare plant (of course). The soft yellow flowers have deep burgundy centers and the leaves are very similar to maples. I am over the moon that one of the 6 I planted actually germinated and then grew.
The difference between germination and growing is huge for a plant. Death can occur anytime between.
The instructions said to scarify the seeds by chipping or filing and then to soak them in warm water before sowiing.
Yeah…I don’t do those things.
I do not over-exert myself when sowing seeds. If it works it works. And if it doesn’t, I keep trying it my way until it does! Eventually (sometimes) nature does catch up with me.
FYI, contrary to what the label says, Hibiscus Sunset does NOT like full sun. Every afternoon its poor leaves got so droopy I’ve had to place an umbrella over it. Now it receives only morning sun but its leaves still droop because it hates the heat. Well I’m with ya’ there, Sista’!
Centaurea americana ‘American Basket Flower’
OMGosh! Isn’t that beautiful?
So far I got 5 blossoms. Unfortunately the stalk is not all that strong—and I hate staking if I don’t have to—so I intertwined it amongst the Rudbekias.
Now…I was happily surprised a bit by these…
Celosia ‘Cramer’s Lemon Lime’
Celosia argentea ‘Asian Garden’
They actually turned out very nicely. And if that sounds like I didn’t exactly expect them too, well I never know what to expect with annuals. That’s because I don’t grow any that anyone can buy at a nursery!
Because how BORING would that be!!
Nicandra physalodes ‘Shoo Fly’
Shoo Fly is great for adding height where you need it. There are not many annuals that grow tall like this one. You only need one of these plants as they will pop up for years to come.
Here’s one I had no luck sowing by hand this year…
Polygonum orientale ‘Kiss-Me-Over-The-Garden-Gate’
But Lo and Behold, last year’s self-sowed and gave me 2! Hallelujah!
Okay, better quit while I’ve written enough. I could probably get away with regurgitating stuff from old posts and make it seem like riveting new information. But I try not to do that.
Sometimes I go through my past posts to make sure there are no repeats. But if you happen to catch any, just keep it to yourself. I’m not apologizing. I’ve admitted already that my photographics aren’t what they used to be.
On another note…
The Sherwood Demonstration Garden is putting on its “Fall Into Gardening” event on October 1st from 9am to 12.
The Veggie Garden will showcase its produce and offer samples. The Children’s Garden will have activities for the kids. Our Public Education people will offer half-hour classes on a range of topics. And of course a slew of Master Gardeners will be stationed in the 16 themed gardens along with community booths and UCCE programs.
Come one come all. Really. See you there!
