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Tips For a Colorful Garden
Petunias, geraniums,
marigolds, and impatiens dazzle with their vibrant
colors in bold masses of flowers. Annuals look wonderful
cascading from hanging baskets, overflowing from window
boxes and adding splashes of color to a garden.
What is an Annual?
An annual is one of the wide variety of flowering plants
that grow from seed to flower in one year or growing
season. They can be grown from seeds started indoors or
seeded directly into the garden in the spring.
Where do Annuals like
to grow? Some annuals grow best in full sun, while
others prefer overhead shade. Still others like the
mixture such as bright morning sun and afternoon shade.
For annuals to thrive, you will need to plant in
location they prefer.
Sun-loving Annuals
- Ageratum
- Dusty Miller
- Petunia
- Aster
- Geranium
- Portulaca
- Calendula
- Marigold
- Salvia
- Celosia
- Nasturtium
- Snapdragon
- Cleome
- Nicotiana
- Verbena
- Cosmos
- Periwinkle
- Zinnia
Partial Shade-loving
Annuals
- Ageratum
- Cosmos
- New Guinea Impatiens
- Alyssum
- Dusty Miller
- Pansy
- Wax Begonia
- Fuchsia
- Salvia
Shade-loving Annuals
- Tuberous Begonia
- Coleus
- Lobelia
- Wax Begonia
- Impatiens
- Viola
- Caladium (Tuber)
When should you plant
Annuals?
Most annuals
respond to warm soil temperatures, so plant after there
is no chance of frost. Many annuals can be seeded
directly into the garden. But if the seeds are very tiny
or you want to get a head start on the season, try
starting the seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last
chance of frost. Your local Agway has all the seeds,
supplies and advice you'll need.
How to Plant
1. Select annuals that
you like and that meet your growing conditions. Don't
push sun-loving zinnias in a shady corner or force
impatiens to struggle in the hot sun.
2. Prepare flower beds by
digging or tilling 10-12 inches deep. Improve heavy-clay
or clay-loam soils by adding Agway Peat Moss or Premium
Cow Manure. Broadcast 2 pounds of Agway Garden Plant
Food or one pound of Agway Super Garden Plant food per
100 sq. feet and turn the soil; again. Level the soil
with a rake and you are ready to plant. If you are
planting annuals in containers such as hanging baskets,
window boxes or planters, use Agway Professional Potting
Soil and /or one of the peat-lite mixes. Moisten the
soil mix and fill containers to within one inch of the
rim.
3. A rule of thumb when
planting seeds is to plant at a depth of three times the
diameter of the seed and then water thoroughly. After
the seeding develops true leaves, thin them to the
spacing recommended on the seed package.
4. If you are planting
seedlings, do it early or late in the day when the sun
is not too bright. Dig planting hole 6-8 inches apart.
Each hole should be twice as wide and just as deep as
the seedling's root system.
5. Gently loosen tightly
wrapped roots. Set the seedling in the planting hole at
the same level it was growing in the flat or market
pack.
6. Firm soil around the
seedling and water thoroughly.
Keeping them Blooming
Water annuals routinely,
never allowing the soil to dry out completely. Fertilize
with Miracle Grow according to label directions; to keep
them producing vigorous new growth and more flower buds,
prune back leggy stems and snip off faded flowers. Watch
for troublesome insects and diseases. Always identify
the pest first and then determine the best control. For
helpful information consult your local Agway. |
