GARDENPlants and seeds

You Can Grow Gorgeous Annual Flowers

For beautiful garden color, you can’t beat annuals. Annuals produce vibrant color all summer long and they come is so many varieties, sizes and colors. But how can you get the most from your summer annuals?  Just follow these simple tips for season long color.

Plan
It is good to have an idea of what you want in your yard. Decide on colors, height requirements, and how many of each plant you will want to plant. Visit a botanical garden in your area to see flowers that are full grown. This will give you an idea of how a flower will look after it is out of the nursery.  

If you don’t have access to a botanical garden, visit a garden center and ask the professionals about the best plants to grow in your area. As you familiarize yourself with local favorites you will be able to plan your own flower garden.

Prepare
Once you know what types of flowers you want to plant, you need to prepare.  You can start your plants from seed indoors. Place the seeds in a seed starting soil mixture and keep them in a sunny window. Water them as needed, keeping them moist so they can germinate.  

It is important to prepare the soil for the flowers. Make sure you till or dig up the soil to a depth of about six to eight inches. It is good to mix some organic material like compost into the soil at this time as well as a time release fertilizer for season long feeding.  

Plant
Planting annuals isn’t just a matter of popping the plant out of the tray and into the soil. For the most beautiful flowers you want to take care when you plant. Dig a hole that is a little deeper and wider than the root ball of the plant.  Back fill the hole with a little loose soil so the roots will have some soft soil to grab hold of.   

Make a mixture of water and root starter fertilizer and pour some in the hole.  Gently remove the plant from the container and massage the roots. It is important to break up the roots before you plant the flower. The roots have grown in a tight pattern in the container, now they need to spread. By massaging the roots before you plant, you are breaking up the pattern and allowing the roots to spread out.

You will need to remove any blossoms from the plant and cut back the foliage by about one half. This is a hard thing for many gardeners to do, but it is essential for healthy plant growth. The flower needs to put energy into producing new roots and getting established in your garden. If you leave excess foliage or blossoms on the plant it will try to maintain that instead of producing roots.  Keep the blossoms cut off the plant for the first two weeks so the plant will get well established. Once the plant becomes full you can let it bloom away!

Annuals are very rewarding to the gardener. If you start them out well, they will give you beautiful blossoms all summer long.

About the Author

Paige has a busy life like all of us, but she takes the time for fitness and gardening. Because she has allergies, she sleeps on an organic mattress for a restful sleep each night. She enjoys nature, reading and the comfort of her down alternative comforter after a long day

Choosing Annual Flowers

ASTER CHINA Pink Fragrant Callistephus Chinensis — 14,200 Flower Seeds + GIFT $53.89

ROSE MALLOW Pink White Mix Lavatera Trimestris — 600 Flower Seeds + GIFT $6.29

CANDYTUFT Tall Iberis Umbellata — 1,000 Flower Seeds + GIFT $4.19

CATCHFLY Silene Armeria — 505,000 Flower Seeds + GIFT $56.69

AFRICAN DAISY Mix Dimorphotheca Sinuata — 1,000 Flower Seeds + GIFT $4.19

PLAINS COREOPSIS Coreopsis Tinctoria — 6,000 Flower Seeds + GIFT $6.29

ROCKET LARKSPUR Giant Mix Delphinium Ajacis — 1,800 Flower Seeds + GIFT $6.29

CALIFORNIA BLUEBELLS Phacelia Campanularia — 14,200 Flower Seeds + GIFT $51.79

POPPY MIX Cascade Pocket — 606,000 Flower Seeds + GIFT $56.69

CALIFORNIA POPPY CARMINE Eschscholzia Californica — 2,000 Flower Seeds + GIFT $4.19

RED CORN POPPY Papaver Rhoeas — 405,000 Flower Seeds + GIFT $54.59

COREOPSIS Red Dwarf Coreopsis Tinctoria — 81,000 Flower Seeds + GIFT $57.39

BABY’S BREATH White Gypsophila Elegans — 2,000 Flower Seeds + GIFT $4.19

Hollyhock Chamois Rose-25 Flower Seeds *Perennial* $0.99

30 seed Flower Ladybird Orange Red Cosmos Sulphureus Annuel F090 $0.98

MOUNTAIN PHLOX Linanthus Grandiflorus — 71,000 Flower Seeds + GIFT $51.79

MOONFLOWER Vine Ipomoea Alba — 30 Flower Seeds + GIFT $6.29

CALIFORNIA POPPY RED Eschscholzia Californica — 17,750 Flower Seeds + GIFT $56.34

CANDYTUFT Tall Iberis Umbellata — 50,500 Flower Seeds + GIFT $60.19

BIRD’S EYE Gilia Tricolor – 140,000 Flower Seeds + GIFT $57.19

ROSE MALLOW Pink White Mix Lavatera Trimestris — 8,100 Flower Seeds + GIFT $56.69

COSMOS CANDY STRIPE Cosmos Bipinnatus — 17,750 Flower Seeds + GIFT $58.79

White Cypress Vine – 30 Flower Seeds – Hummingbirds!! $1.75

EVENING SCENTED STOCK Matthiola Bicornis — 2,000 Flower Seeds + GIFT $4.19

BACHELOR BUTTON Blue Tall Centaurea Cyanus — 50,500 Flower Seeds + GIFT $52.49

PHACELIA LACY Fragrant Tanacetifolia Lacy — 35,500 Flower Seeds + GIFT $51.79

PHACELIA LACY Fragrant Tanacetifolia Lacy — 3,000 Flower Seeds + GIFT $6.29

CALIFORNIA POPPY MIXED Eschscholzia Californica — 2,000 Flower Seeds + GIFT $4.19

DAISY PAINTED MIXED Chrysanthemum Carinatum — 600 Flower Seeds + GIFT $4.19

PHLOX RED Fragrant Phlox Drummondii — 7,100 Flower Seeds + GIFT $51.79

CHINESE FORGET ME NOT Cynoglossum Amabile — 35,500 Flower Seeds + GIFT $54.59

NEW!! 20+ ANGELS TRUMPET DATURA FLOWER SEEDS ANNUAL $3.89

BACHELOR BUTTON Blue Dwarf Centaurea Cyanus — 1,000 Flower Seeds + GIFT $4.19

POPPY MIX Cascade Pocket — 36,000 Flower Seeds + GIFT $6.29

CALIFORNIA POPPY WHITE Eschscholzia Californica — 500 Flower Seeds + GIFT $4.19

Butterflies, from the Pears Annual, 1910 by William Stephen Coleman – Mug – Standard Size $14.50 This mug is created using the finest dye sublimation techniques and creates a stunning dishwasher safe finish. Great as a gift, or for promotional items. Each of our mugs come individually boxed for protection in transit….

Butterflies, from the Pears Annual, 1910 by.. – 3×2 inch Fridge Magnet – large magnetic button – Magnet $4.99 Rectangular wrap-around refrigerator magnet and a glossy mylar cover.Large 2×3 inch rectangle fridge magnet or ‘buttons’ as they are sometimes known in the USA.Crop shown is automated for display purposes only. All magnets are hand finished and the best most appropriate crop will always be selected to best show the full image. Therefore, actual product may vary slightly from crop shown – this can …

Butterflies, from the Pears Annual, 1910 by.. – Tea Towel 100% Cotton – Art247 – Tea Towel – 46x70cm $20.49 100% Cotton. Made in UK. Size 70cms X 46cmsThis is an automated preview only. Actual Tea Towel design may vary. All products are hand finished by our expert manufacturers and the best crop available will always be selected….

Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates $4.95 Originally aired on television as part of “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color,” this affecting adaptation of the Mary Mapes Dodge children’s story centers on the young boy from Holland who must support his family when his father gets hurt. Traveling to Amsterdam, he enters an annual ice skating race in the hopes that the grand prize–a pair of silver skates–will help pay for his father’s oper…

Mon Oncle Antoine (The Criterion Collection) $15.87 Studio: Image Entertainment Release Date: 07/08/2008…

Let My Dreams Come True Orignally released as a special edition composition for the Annual Convention in Sedona, Arizona. These pieces were created to help bring synthesis to the minds of the conference attendees. “Such music will create synthesis in all domains of life, and slowly it will cause the sense of synthesis to awaken in advanced human beings.” -The Creative Sound p. 114. Track list: 1. You Left Me Alone wit…

Ferry-Morse 1501 Sunflower Annual Flower Seeds, Evening Sun (1.5 Gram Packet) $0.78 Annual. A high percentage of red and mahogany shades make this a uniquely different sunflower. Petals have a velvety feel. Spectacular blooms about 8 inches in diameter. Easy to grow….

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Miracle-Gro 100885 Shake’n Feed Bloom Booster Plant Food – 4.5 Pound $8.59 Miracle-Gro, 4.5 LB, Shake N Feed Bloom Booster, Largest & Fastest Growing Specialized Variety Of Plant Food, Easy To Use Applicator, Special Formulation For All Flowering Annuals & Perennials, Feeds Up To 3 Months….

Downton Abbey: Episode 5 $1.99 …