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 To help you get your feet wet and your fingers a
bit dirty, here are some favorite annuals that are easy to grow and
offer lots of color and versatility in types of use and location. A
couple of these varieties are also good for cutting, so you can
bring some of that summer garden into the home.
Cosmos are a wonderful throw and grow flower that can be a good
family activity. They can grow tall, which makes them good to put at
the back of a flower bed against a wall or fence. The plants are
light and airy looking and give the illusion of a wildflower garden.
Cosmos blooms are good for cutting and putting in vases, but you
will want some cut greenery to support the weak flower stems. In a
vase or metal pitcher they bring that ‘country’ look into the home.
The original and most common color is a light purple, but other
colors are available. In a cut arrangement break up a solid color by
adding a single sunflower or a few zinnias in contrasting colors.
How to Grow
Your Own Cosmic Cosmos - YouTube
Zinnias are another great throw and grow seed. They are not cold
tolerant, so don’t sow the seeds until you are sure the warmer
temperatures are here to stay. You can purchase packets of mixed
color seeds. Prepare your soil, give seeds a toss or plant them in
rows, whichever you prefer. When the plants are grown and blooming
you will enjoy a magnitude of color in your lawn.
Zinnias are also a good flower to cut for arrangements. The flowers
have stronger stems and will work well in a formal arrangement.
If you leave them in the flower bed, you will want to pick off the
depleted flowers (dead-head) to encourage new flowering and growth.
Planting
Zinnias from Seed in the Cut Flower Garden - YouTube
Impatiens can be grown in a flower bed or in pots. The thing to
remember about inpatients is that they don’t particularly care for
sun.
They are great to plant under a tree or to put in a
pot on a shaded porch. Impatiens flowers are not typically good for
floral arrangements.
Impatiens also love water and seek lots of it. So, when you consider
growing these luscious plants, consider the time you want to spend
in watering. The plants will also tell you when they are thirsty. If
you look out on your bed and it looks like there is nothing there
but a bunch of stems and wilted leaves, grab that watering can and
go give them a generous drink. If you don’t
have a shady area to grow these plants, then you might wish to
consider opting for a variety, developed in the past ten years or so
called a SunPatiens.
Garden Home
Favorite: Sunpatiens | Never Fail Annual - YouTube
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Again, these plants are great in pots or in a flower
bed. While not necessarily good for putting into cut flower
arrangements, in the video you might have notice that P. Allen Smith
does use the blossoms as table decorations.
Another good point about Impatiens and SunPatiens is that you do not
have to dead-head the plants, they are self-cleaning and offer
continuous all-season bloom till frost.
Petunias can provide an explosion of color in the flower bed. They
do take a little more work as dead-heading is important and trimming
up the vine will help prevent the plants from getting “leggy” or all
stem, no flower.
These plants also do very well in hanging baskets or pots on the
porch.
How To Grow
Petunias Flowers How To Care and Keep the Petunia Blooming - YouTube
Secrets to
Growing Huge Hanging Flower Baskets full of Petunias or any other
Plants - YouTube
Geraniums are also a good summer annual that is forgiving if you
become forgetful. They like water, but can handle getting a bit dry
in the pot. They like sunshine but will also tolerate a partial
shade location. Geraniums are most often planted in pots, but they
can be placed in the ground as well. If you prune and dead head the
plants, they do well as a border plant in the garden or along a
walkway.
Westwood Grown
Geraniums - YouTube
Another nice feature about geraniums is that you can save them for
next year, if you are so inclined. The plants will require some
special preparation and storage for winter, so keep that in mind.
How to
overwinter geraniums - YouTube
Remember all plants need a little bit of love and care, so don’t
expect that you can “set it and forget it.” But, the plants covered
in this article are pretty easy and forgiving if you ignore them a
bit. So, grab those seed packets and give it a shot! Discover the
many rewards of raising flowers this season.
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