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Annuals, those darling plants which make a garden sing in summer, which explode in color at garden centers and are so easy to grow even for the novices among us, come in all types, sizes, colors and styles. One of the great things about annuals is how cheap you can get them. With a few dollars (or the equivalent if you’re not from the states) you can buy a few packs of seeds and almost fill up your garden with beauty beyond compare. And there are so many to choose from. There are tiny ones, huge monster plants, climbers and even some that willingly give you babies for next year’s garden so you don’t have to lift a finger anymore. Isn’t that awfully nice of them? Well, I think so.
Surely you can find one, two or twenty annuals appropriate for your garden and for a particular application within it. Let’s check them out.
Ground Covers and Low Growers.- Just about any low growing plant can be used as a ground cover if planted close together so they grow into each other to cover the ground. Why would you want to cover the ground? Many reasons actually. When the ground is shaded from the sun the soil will retain moisture better so you won’t have to water as much. Ground covers also prevent weed seeds from entering your flower bed and without weed seeds you won’t have weeds. I’ll bet you’ll like that.
Great plants for an annual ground cover is the “Wave” Petunia. This cultivar of the fragrant and highly popular annual spreads in waves of extraordinary loveliness covering entire sloping hills with tons of trumpet shaped flowers the bees, butterflies and Hummingbirds adore. These can also look wonderful in hanging baskets. Other low growers include French Marigold, Impatiens, Alyssum, Nasturtium and the unusual Alternanthera “Purple Knight” which doesn’t have flowers but its royal purple foliage more than makes up for it. Gazania “Daybreak” is another lesser known annual for those bored with the same old same old.
Bedding Plants.– This is a general term used for annuals used to fill in empty spots in perennial beds, for container plantings or to artistically create an entire flower bed with annuals. These are the often-used and readily available Begonias, Marigolds, Impatiens and Petunias but also include Nicotiana, Lavatera, Pansy, Coleus, Zinnia and Celosia. The heights vary from a foot to 3 and colors range the entire spectrum.
Vines and Climbers.- The most popular of annual vines no doubt is the Morning Glory. Its lovely sky blue trumpet shaped blooms grace the morning hours like none other. Unfortunately they close all too soon when the sun gets high in the sky. I kind of cheat a bit by planting them in a place that gets early morning light and then falls into shade just as the sun gets right over head. This has the wonderful effect of allowing the flowers to stay open a bit longer. Other annual vines of distinction include Scarlet runner beans (yes, the added benefit is they are edible), Cardinal Climber, Sweet Peas, Thunbergia (also called Black-eyed Susan Vine) and the Cup and saucer vine. Vines give height to the garden and don’t take up much space since they grow vertically plus they look great cascading over window boxes or from hanging baskets.
Back-drops and Temporary Hedges.– Tithonia (Mexican Sunflowers), growing 5-6 feet tall, makes a wonderful temporary screen from unsightly views of your neighbors or to provide definition of garden spaces and the creation of garden rooms. Cosmos and Cleome (also known as Spider flower) though not as tall at 4-5 feet high look great at the back of a planting border and make lovely sweeping displays when planted en mass. These grow quick, thick and with a multitude of flowers in vibrant colors. Sunflowers like “Russian Giant” at a whooping 7-8 feet tall, make a good shading fence in the vegetable garden for those cool-weather veggies like Broccoli, peas and Bok Choy and they are loved by Golden Finches when the flowers go to seed.
Cutting Garden Favorites.– Zinnia “Cut and Come Again” is exactly as it sound and perfect for those wanting a constant supply of cut flowers for their indoor living space. Available in every color and in vibrant mixes you truly can’t go wrong with any Zinnia. Marigold “Simba” a 3 ft high cultivar is particularly good as a cut flower with its sturdy stems and unique ruffled petals in a bright golden yellow. Larkspur, heliotrope and Dahlia all keep wonderfully in fresh flower arrangements. With the Dahlia “Decorative Giant” mix grown from seed you have the added benefit of being able to dig up the roots and storing them for the winter in peat moss to replant in the following year for quicker blooms.
Self-sowers.– Most annuals have this going for them, they like to ensure the continuation of their species by throwing down seeds for next years’ crop. Calendula, Four o’clock, Morning Glory, Petunias, Impatiens, Cosmos, Cleome and Daisies are very obliging this way. Once planted and left to go to seed you may always have them around from year to year without having to bother much except perhaps to transplant the occasion wayward seedling. A word of caution though, at times the seeds may not produce exactly the same as the parent. This is the case with hybrids in particular. Still, they are pretty and you can always buy more seeds of the original if the babies aren’t to your liking.
Everlastings- This is a unique selection of annuals with papery or feathery looking flowers used primarily in dried flower arrangements. These can actually last for years if preserved properly. Strawflower, Gomphrena, Yarrow and Celosia are exquisite when used in either fresh or dried arrangements plus are wonderfully easy to grow.
I hope this list of easy to grow, profusely flowering and readily available plants helps you to decipher the different types and uses for them. I also hope it enables you to pick and choose those annuals which will fulfill your vision of a dream garden. We should all have one of those.
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Author Bio Box: Glory Lennon
 For more garden talk, funny short stories and romantic novel excerpts visit http://www.helium.com/users/32782
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