Annuals

I've never really been an annual fan. Perennials and shrubs are the mainstay of my garden, which I've been happy with. However, there is no denying that annuals can add a fantastic burst of colour and really liven things up. So in Spring this year I decided to give annuals a go and bought some seeds.

I opted for marigolds, a go to favourite for many gardeners I believe. And the results have been brilliant. Easy to grow from seed, and because I opted to grow them in plant pots, I can move them around and give that lovely orange/red splash of colour anywhere in the garden I choose.

I can't wait for next year now, I'll buy more marigold seeds as well as a few others too and really make the garden pop. And then I got thinking. It may be too late now but are there any annuals that you can grow late on in the summer season from seed and still get nice flowers before autumn sets in? I suspect that window of opportunity is closing fast now we're almost in August.

And as well as marigolds what other firm tried and trusted favourites can I go for? Annuals that stay small and compact that provide lots of long lasting blooms would be a preference.

 

I could have sent you the rest of my French Marigold seeds @Esoxlucius . They just get eaten here, so I've given up with them.
Calendulas have been good - a similar effect, but no slug problems. I grew C. Orange Porcupine - I put photos on one of the threads recently. Maybe the 'what's looking good' one?
I think it's too late for sowing now for this year. Maybe in very warm, sheltered locations it could be fine though.
I grow quite a lot of annuals, but mostly taller plants - sweet peas are always a good bet if you want some height rather than everything being smaller. You can sow them in autumn for earlier flowering if you like.
Nasturtiums are really easy - lots of bright colours, and they'll self seed too. I like the darker ones like T. Black Velvet or T. Tip Top Mahogany, but orange is a predominant shade with those.
A lot of people grow Petunias, and there's a wide range of colours, so they might work for you. They tend to get knackered by the rain here, so they have to be in spots with good shelter.
Begonias are popular too. I don't grow them, but they certainly give a lot of strong colour.

Pelargoniums can be grown from seed, but I think most people use plugs, or full sized plants, initially, then overwinter and/or take cuttings.

 

You can save seed from your marigolds this year and sow them in Spring for next year.

For the first 40ish years of my life, Buzy-Lizzies were a feature of many gardens.
Then about 15-20yrs ago a fungal disease (I think) caused their downfall, almost every plant would die young.
I've heard from several sources that this problem has been resolved and I'm seeing them again more frequently now.
Easy to sow and grow and will flower for months without the need to deadhead.
They prefer not to be in full sun all the time.

 

Not something I grow either @Pete8 , and I'd heard about the virus/disease. That's good if they've got on top of it. It's a very popular plant.
I was just out feeding the birds, and remembered another plant that might suit. Welsh poppies - Papaver [or Meconopsis] cambricum. Once you have them, you'll always have them! They start quite early in the year. Oranges and yellows. There's a similar one - Icelandic poppy, which are summer flowering.
Many of the brighter coloured annuals like Dahlias, Sunflowers and Rudbeckias tend to be taller, but it's worth checking them out so that you can have some variation too.

 

Can't grow Welsh Poppies in this part of the country @fairygirl the conditions and soil don't suit them, but I have tried as they are so beautiful.

Dahlias from seed is an excellent idea!
I grow both Bishops Children (2-4ft) and Redskin (about 1ft) - both have dark foliage and hot tropical colours.
Very easy from seed and some of mine have been in place for 6-7 years

One of the Bishops Children I sowed about 5-6 yrs ago

 

I think I also have the Icelandic ones @Pete8 - they're all very similar. There's a garden I sometimes pass which I think might be the Californian ones, although I'm not sure- there's bright pinks and violet colours amongst them. Must take a closer look when I'm round that way.
Those dahlias are good. I've had B's Children but that other one [Redskin] certainly looks good for height for @Esoxlucius, and maybe myself!
I tried another one this year which was supposed to be shorter - a dark variety. Nothing germinated - from two sowings.

 

I think the problems with Bizzie Lizzies have been solved now.
I visited my FIL at his care home yesterday and there's a fantastic display of them all around the entrance. They've been flowering for weeks and look very healthy .

I can't think of anything that you could sow now and get colour before Winter sets in, but you could do Autumn sowings for plants that would flower earlier next year.

 

Yes, this seems a good plan. I had a look in my garden centre earlier and there are loads of annuals which say you sow them indoors around Aug/Sept and plant them out next spring.

I picked up some Calendula, Californian Poppy, Cornflower and Gaillardia, in fact the Gaillardia is down as a hardy perennial so I'm not sure how that's going to work out. I've a good selection of reds, oranges, yellow and blues.

There will be a lot of trial and error no doubt and some may work better than others, I'll see how it goes.

Thanks for the responses guys.

 

If it is a pop of colour that you want until Autumn whilst you grow your seeds for next spring, try visiting Garden Centres etc, they may be reducing the price of summer annuals (I’ve just visited ‘The Range’ and came out with three decent plants - most of which just need deadheading and water). They carry on through until Autumn so providing your garden colour.

 

I was looking at reduced plants earlier. To be honest most were in a bit of a sorry state. Ok if you want to faff about with them but they just look more hassle than they're worth.

 

I don't mind picking up reduced/end of range plants in earlier summer, but at this time of year, I'd agree @Esoxlucius . They'd need a fair bit of help and maybe not so much reward in the end. Depend entirely on the plant of course, and just how bad it is!
I just remembered that I picked up some little sweet williams [Dianthus barbatus] in B&Q earlier in the year, for very little money. They come in all sorts of colours, and can be grown from seed, so that might be worth looking at. They're low growing.
If you look at some of the online seed suppliers like Chilterns, or Premier Seeds, you'll see a better range that's available too. The only damage is to your bank balance....

 

@fairygirl. The section that contains reduced plants isn't to be overlooked. You can often get some beat up house plants, perennials and shrubs for knock down prices. These are worth rescuing if you can nurse them back to health but, agreed, I think it's stretching it a bit looking for knocked down annuals.

After my success this year with my trial marigolds I think growing annuals from seed is the way to go for sure. A packet of seeds is cheap enough and there's that many seeds in there you're probably covered for the season after too!

Just wondering too. How easy is it to harvest seeds from my current marigolds? Do you wait for the old flower head to wither completely and get the seeds then? Is it even worth collecting the seeds? Will next years plants from my harvested seeds be just as good as this years originals? Does the quality of the plant remain year after year if you do it this way?

 

I'm a happy go lucky and just sow hardy annual seeds all the time. Seeds sown now can very well flower in 8 weeks (mid- end September) and if we get a mild November, the display can be very uplifting.

I usually sow in fruit trays, cover, and when the seedlings look crowded, pot them on in bunches. Or just tear growth into chuncks and plant everything in a large pot or in the ground. (Clearly I'm lacking in the finesse department )

I just sowed some Cornflowers, and in previous years I have just chucked in whatever comes free with magazines. Dwarf lupins or Delphinums, I forget which, were particularly good.

Seed packets are usually heavily discounted at this time of the year, and the germination and early growth conditions very good, so its worth a try.

 

Have you looked at some of the hardy annuals that you can sow now, perhaps slightly late, for early flowering next year, there are some that make even better plants if overwintered before flowering.
You can get them out of the way before following on with half hardy annuals in some cases.

Get some wallflower plants when they become available, they are always good for a later spring show.

 

I don't generally like the idea of annuals. When I put a plant in the ground, I like to envision how it's going to be in the future, getting bigger and stronger each year. With annuals, there isn't much future to look forward to. And if you overthink it a bit (which I tend to do..), in a way they are a reminder that life can be beautiful but fleeting. I don't want something that makes me think of death, at the end of the season.

Another factor is that transporting plants that only last one season (as I am too impatient to grow from seed) is not very eco-friendly.

I made an exception this year. Both me and my partner have always liked cosmos. We bought a pack of six for just £4 and...oh my... They just haven't stopped blooming since we got them and the bees love them.

So I might be coming round to them somewhat. I might even have to learn to be a bit more patient and try growing some from seed.