Our Little Acre

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Attention on Annuals - Part III

This is the third and final post in my series on annuals that I have grown here at Our Little Acre. I hope you'll try some of these in your own gardens this year!

Osteospermum 'Orange Symphony' - I bought the plants for these African Daisies a few years ago and have saved the seed each year. I've got 'Lemon Symphony' too.

Asclepias curassavica - This annual milkweed is the most vibrantly colored in the family and I would grow it for its beauty even if I didn't grow it for the Monarchs. Look closely and you can see the tiny Monarch caterpillars on this one. Like the other Asclepias, it forms seed pods and I save the seeds for the following year.

Ipomoea lobata - Known as Spanish Flag or Firecracker Vine, last summer was the first year I grew this. It vined up a maple tree that had come up volunteer through a rock pile and grew well in that shade! The leaves obviously show a deficiency or insect damage, but it bloomed beautifully all the same.

Cosmos sulphureus - Somehow, since I'd never grown these before, I misidentified them as marigolds due to their foliage similarity, but thanks to garden bloggers, saw the error of my ways. These are annuals that no garden should be without. They are so beautifully colorful and bloom non-stop with deadheading. I think they'd bloom non-stop even without deadheading. They are simply gorgeous.

Convolvulus tricolor 'Ensign Blue' - These morning glory relatives are not vining and produce the most vibrant color of blue you'll ever see. This is the plant that introduced me to the Gold Bug, a fascinating beetle. However, it will pepper the leaves with holes if you have any number of them, because this is one of their favorites.

Nigella damascena - Known as Love-In-A-Mist, the foliage is pretty, the blooms are pretty, and the seed pods are pretty. Its blooms are gorgeous in every detail and they will return year after year, because this is a vigorous self-seeder. I don't mind though.

Verbena bonariensis - I first learned of this butterfly magnet through garden blogs and decided to give it a try here. WOW! What a great plant! It's supposed to self-seed, but I saved seed as well, just in case.

Amaranthus 'Pygmy Torch' - This was a big lesson in the value of thinning your seedlings. When I first saw this coming up after direct seeding, I wanted to laugh. It was literally a burgundy carpet. As it grew, I thought about thinning, and well, just didn't. I know it's supposed to be a shorter variety, but not this short. Still, it was an attention-getter in the garden. It's hard to ignore a solid mass of this color, no matter how tall it is. And I have a feeling I won't need to plant it at all this year, if these are like other Amaranthus.

Lathyrus odoratus 'Cupani's Original' - I'd never grown sweet peas before, but grew three different ones this past year. This particular cultivar is the one from which all other cultivars were developed. They were grown in the late 17th century and were named for a Sicilian monk. The combination of color shades is one of my favorites and the fragrance is nice. It's a heavy bloomer, especially if you keep it deadheaded and it produces lots of seed pods. I'm definitely growing it again next year.

Did you see anything you might like to grow in your gardens this year? These proved to be easy for me, unlike some other annuals that I've had difficulty growing well or even at all. That will be saved for another post.

What annuals have you grown that you liked and would grow again?

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Attention on Annuals -Part I
Attention on Annual - Part II
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Seed sources:

Swallowtail Garden Seeds
The Monticello Store
Seed Savers Exchange
Park Seed

Monday, February 2, 2009

Attention on Annuals - Part II

Continuing the parade of annuals from Part I . . .

Lupinus texensis - Ahhh...the Texas Bluebonnet. Do you know I've never seen one in real life until I grew it last year? I wondered if I could get it to bloom stage, but no problem! It really is the most luscious shade of blue.

Papaver rhoeas - These Shirley poppies are the only kind I've managed to grow as of yet. They're incredibly easy and self-seed freely, so if you don't want them, collect the seed heads. Mine produce all different shades of red and pink, as well as white with red accents. They're very delicate-looking flowers with that typical paper-petal look.

Alcea rosea - My first hollyhocks were grown from seed my grandma gave me, but these deep burgundy ones are from seed I collected behind a restaurant near here. They aren't black, but from a distance they look like it. Hollyhocks aren't an annual, rather a biennial. I always make sure to spread seed from the large pods so I am never without this old-fashioned favorite.

Emilia coccinea - Scarlet Tassel Flower was a newcomer to the garden this year and it grew and flowered like gangbusters. It's a small flower on tall wiry stems, but never failed to attract attention from garden visitors. When it goes to seed, the cottony seeds float in the air like dandelion seeds, so I'm pretty sure I'll be finding this all over the garden next year. Thomas Jefferson grew this at Monticello.

Dahlia - It took these dahlias most of the summer to reach blooming stage, but I was rewarded with beautiful 'painted' blooms. After we had a killing frost, I dug the tubers that had formed and they are now in the basement awaiting spring, when I will plant them out. This is the first time I've ever done this, so we'll see how it goes.

Euphorbia marginata - This is one of my very favorite annuals. It's easy to grow, glows in the garden, especially on a moonlit night, and has fun Explode-O-Pop seed pods. Be careful of the milky white sap though. It can cause skin irritation.

Gomphrena globosa - Also known as Globe Amaranth, this is a small flower whose blooms last a long time. I don't care for this color, so this year I'm going to grow them in red. I saw a patch of red ones at Inniswood Gardens and they were stunning.

Calendula officianalis - I have planted these for several years now. I purchased seeds the first year, and have always saved seeds from the plants for the following year. They are reliable germinators and undoubtedly would self-seed if I didn't purposely plant them. The color combinations are variable, which is one thing I love about them. The flowers are edible, too!

Lagurus ovatus - I love these Bunny Tails! They're short and grass-like, with fluffy little heads. I didn't think mine would ever make it to bloom stage, because the cats kept eating the foliage!

Iberis umbellata - This is the annual form of candytuft. I've grown it for a couple of years now and it too is a self-seeder. In fact, I didn't have to plant any seeds this past year and I allowed it to come up wherever it wanted. It has a wildflower look to it and produces flowers in lavender and white.

Ipomoea quamoclit - Known as Cypress Vine, this is a vigorous grower with small trumpet-shaped flowers in shades of red, pink, and white. Self-seeds freely and once you've planted this, you'll likely be pulling seedlings from areas where you don't want them . They're easily recognizable though.

Phaseolus coccineus - Not only are Scarlet Runner Bean's blooms pretty, the beans they produce are edible. This is a plant that grows so vigorously that it can be used as a privacy screen if it's given the proper support.

Part III will feature the last in this series of seed-grown annuals.

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Seed sources:

Attention on Annuals - Part I

Every year, I grow several annuals here at Our Little Acre. Some make their appearance every year, whether by my choice or theirs (self-seeding), but I always try to grow something new each year as well.

The seed catalogs arrive throughout the month of January, when we here in the north are color-deprived and longing for spring. I go online and fill my virtual shopping carts with way more seeds than I can possibly plant, and that's when I have to refine and reduce it to a more realistic total. Please tell me I'm not the only one who does this.

Flowers appeal to me for various reasons, with the main one being the beauty of their blooms. But just because they're pretty doesn't mean I should or can plant them in my own garden. For me, the easiest way to whittle down my list of seed wants is to see if they are suitable for our location and if they require any special conditions for germination. Time until maturity, whether it be harvesting the vegetables or producing flowers, is another practical consideration.

During the year, as I visit other gardeners' blogs, I see flowers that I like and want for my own gardens. Many are perennials, but most of the ones that I will plant from seed are annuals. Here are some of the annuals that I've grown from seed. Maybe you'd like to try a few of them in your garden this year.

Gazania rigens - Commonly known as Treasure Flower, these have given me great joy in the variations of patterns they present. I save seed from previous years' plants, so by now, I have no idea which cultivar I'm growing, although the one pictured is from 'Daybreak Mix'. The only downfall they have thatI can see is that they don't open up all the way on a cloudy day.

Cosmos bipinnatus - I love the carefree airy look of Cosmos, and in the past I've grown all colors of them, but last year I only grew white, planted with Zinnia elegans 'Envy'. This year, I think I'll try to find seeds for 'Psyche,' which is a white double. Cosmos definitely self-seed if you let them.

Coreopsis tinctoria 'Mahogany Midget' - This is a smaller, finer featured Coreopsis which got off to a slow start, but once it began blooming, it didn't stop until we got a hard freeze. Blooms are an inch or less in diameter. It self-sows freely.

Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra 'Loraine Sunshine' - I winter sowed this a couple of years ago and it did well the first year and returned the second. I love the variegated foliage, but I have noticed some of it reverting to solid green over time.

Zinnia pauciflora - This is a small-flowered species zinnia that is simply charming. I purchased the seeds from The Monticello Store, which lists the flower as grown in 18th-century gardens, before hybrids came on the scene. It self-seeds, but I saved some seed from last year's plants so I can be sure to have some this year.

Silene coeli-rosa - Also known as Viscaria oculata, this is another sweet, airy annual that self-seeds readily.

Xeranthemum annuum 'Immortal Mix' - What a bloomer! I love the glaucous foliage, but the seemingly neverending blooms won me over and I don't want to be without this performer in my gardens. It self-seeds, but I made sure to save some just in case. This was a mix, but at least 75% of the blooms were shades of lavendar, with the rest being white.

Zinnia elegans 'Profusion Apricot and Fire' - These have to be the healthiest hybrid zinnia plants I've ever had. No mildew, and blooms lasted a long time.

Zinnia angustifolia - This narrow-leaf zinnia was amazing. It didn't matter how much or how little rain we got, they bloomed and the blooms each lasted at least two months without wilting! Deadheading is supposed to promote more blooms, but I honestly didn't need to do it. See how they look in the picture? They stayed looking like that all summer.

Lobelia erinus 'Crystal Palace' - I just sort of threw these seeds in this location and forgot what it was I planted there until they bloomed. They are such an intense shade of purply-blue, they seemed to glow. The burgundy foliage is nice, too.

Ipomoea nil 'Chocolate' - This Japanese morning glory has large (4-5") ruffly blooms and is a unique shade of mauve, with some of the flowers having a white edge. The variegated leaves are fun, too.

Cobaea scandens - Known commonly as Cup and Saucer Vine, I grew this beauty from seed for the first time last summer. I had attempted it the summer before and failed to get even one seed to germinate. To be honest, of all the ones I planted this past summer, only one of those germinated, but it was enough to produce a strong vine with several gorgeous blooms. I'll try it again this year.

Eschscholzia californica - This is my California Poppy! I planted several seeds - probably a couple hundred - and this was the only one that bloomed. For a day. I'm glad I took a picture of it right away. If I hadn't been home, I would have missed it. I was so disappointed, but I'll try again this year.

Zinnia haageana 'Chippendale' - I've grown this narrow-leaved zinnia for several years now, saving seed from year to year. It's a robust grower and bloomer.

Nemophila maculata - It will come as no surprise to you that this cute little annual is commonly called Five Spot. I really loved this one and grew it in my rock garden. Some of the blooms had seven spots, but most were just like the one pictured.

More Our Little Acre annuals in Part II!