Gardener's Group discussion

What annuals do you love to grow every year?

I have to have pink Wax Begonia's! (With the dark green or 'rust' foliage). I adore them! And they last until the first hard freeze, fairly drought tolerant too.

Right now I have 6 pots of wax begonias on my northern bedroom windowsill and they are blooming their little hearts out. I started them from cuttings (actually stems the cats broke off - begonias have brittle stems) I put them in a glass of water, soon they have little roots & then into the flower pot they go. They will bloom all winter. In May they go outside along with their new offspring also rooted in a glass of water. They are such an easy, good natured little plant. Yet I hardly ever hear them mentioned. I live in northern OH & I am somewhat disabled, & wax begonias require little effort.

That's why I love them! Beautiful plants for minimal care!

My favorite old standby annuals are zinnias. They come in so many varieties and colors and bloom such a long time. I started them in milk jugs last year and had tons of them which I used to fill in the boring spots in my perennial beds.

I love Zinnias too! Such a happy flower. This was the first time I didn't have any through the Fall. All of the seeds were wiped out with the Spring/early Summer flash floods.

Jo wrote: "I love Zinnias too! Such a happy flower. This was the first time I didn't have any through the Fall. All of the seeds were wiped out with the Spring/early Summer flash floods."

The ones I started in jugs last year did the best of any I have ever had. Really sturdy and bloomed until frost. Definately will do them again this year.

Good to know Cheryl. I may try that route. I had great zinnias in Idaho, always kept my seed. Same with Marigolds. Haven't seen the same types in nurseries here...

My marigolds have been reblooming now for 2 years! I orignally planted them in the tomato containers but the seeds apparently jumped ship and now they bloom around those 2 containers!

Jo wrote: "My marigolds have been reblooming now for 2 years! I orignally planted them in the tomato containers but the seeds apparently jumped ship and now they bloom around those 2 containers!"

I love it when plants decide where they're going to be. Sometimes I have to be ruthless and get rid of them, but other times there are happy suprises!

I tend to leave volunteers where they grow. I have several volunteer trees, including a tulip tree!

The only time I've not left 'jumpers' as I call them (because they jump out of the pots) is when the lemon balm is growing everywhere all over the mulched area out front which is maintained by the management co's landscapers so we don't get any flack for it! The marigolds are more conspicuous lol!

Yeah, Lemon balm, and lemon oregano can be a bit invasive...

Yup! That's why I only (attempt to) grow it in pots :o)

Zinnias and Latana are my favorite annuals. Latana is great either as a ground cover or in planters. Best of all,both plants attract butterflies :-)

Latana is wild here, at least the yellow and red variety. It's pretty but I can't stand the smell of it.

I've never noticed a strong smell from latana. I have planted several hybrids. Maybe the ones I buy here are not as strong.

I love latana!

Perhaps the hybrids of latana have no scent only the wild ones. I find it very strong and I really dislike it so it would make sense when breeding hybrids to select for non-scented ones.

Scent is often lost when making hybrids so that could explain it.

Zinnias are my favorite.
Last fall some started to get a mildew or something that I had never had trouble with before.
It's hard to get them already started around here, it seems they've fallen out of favor. Though I certainly don't know why they would since they are so colorful and come in so many different varieties !

Mine always seem to mold up in the Fall! I love Zinnia's too.

Ditto on the zinnias. I love to use them to fill in bare spots in the perennial gardens. I started some from seed last year, lots grew and I used every one of them.

Petunias are my favorite. I never get tired of them.

I love zinnias. They also seem to be the favorite flower for butterflies, hummingbirds, and goldfinches.

Dahlias are also a favorite of mine.

Elena wrote: "Petunias are my favorite. I never get tired of them."

I love Petunias! They are one of the few annuals that can stand the summer full sun on our front porch.

The nearest I have to petunias are morning glories. Right now a tree about 10 yards away has big, bright purple ones climbing to the top, 30, 40 feet or more. And a bush on the other side of the house, has got small, pale pink ones with dark purple centres looking very petunia-like climbing all over it.

I like morning glories but they can really be invasive. I'm constantly cutting them back.

Cascade petunias in baskets, love them - bloom forever. Like Nasturtium's climbing up a gate, that is till the aphids attack in mid summer, then I have to rip them out, they get so infested. Marigolds around the roses, Impatience for colour in the shady spots. I don't grow alot of annuals anymore - mostly stick with perennials.
I haven't grown Zinnia's, should try them.
Petra, we've got those huge morning glories as well. They're invasive where I live (and white only) - we call them bindweed. The ones around your place sound lovely.

peg wrote: "I like morning glories but they can really be invasive. I'm constantly cutting them back."

I can't get near mine, they are all wild, loads of varieties. From tiny pale lilac ones that smell like marshmallows to the biggest deepest purple ones that climb to the tops of trees. The daturas look like huge white morning glories on low bushes.

In London we have big white ones called, by adults, bindweed. But as kids we called them 'granny in her night cap' because if you press the top of the stem, the petals pop out of the receptacle.

They sound beautiful, Petra. Mine are all different colors. I plant them at the base of my birdhouses and by the end of the summer the houses are covered with flowers. The birds love them. I mixed morning glory seeds with moon flowers this past summer. I had blooms open all day and night.

I love the "granny in her night cap." I never heard that name before

I don't know moon flowers. Are they like morning glories that open at night? Are they white? I would love to have some night-blooming flowers here. I have the brugmansia but that doesn't flower continually.

Moon flowers are in the same family as morning glories. Most are white but there are also purple moon flowers. They are pollinated by night moths so they open in the evening and on overcast days. They bloom profusely in hot weather and are easy to grow from seed. Moon flowers are very heat tolerant.

peg wrote: "I like morning glories but they can really be invasive. I'm constantly cutting them back."

I love morning glories and plant more every year. I do get some volunteers but just thin them out when they are small.

I used to live in a house with only three walls on the side of a mountain over the sea. (Didn't need a fourth wall as the weather never came from that direction). I had blue morning glories winding over the beam above the bed when I woke every morning.

Nicotiana sylvestris
http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2008...

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/efans/ygnews/...

This plant comes in many colors and heights, but I've always loved the 3-6 foot tall version pictured above.
It is also a favorite of those large moths that remind people of hummingbirds, as well as being popular with the hummingbirds themselves.
The flower has a wonderful fragrance.

I like the flowering tobacco, Jayne. The hummingbird moths you mention are really amazing. The first time I saw one, I couldn't imagine what it was.

Hummingbird moths are such wonderful little creatures! They visit my garden more than the hummingbirds do, but I love to catch a glimpse of them as well. Such a magical moment!

As fun as the moth is to watch, unfortunately this is what they turn into :

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IxVUPToHCvE...

Love-lies-bleeding:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1142/9...

I haven't grown these for quite some years, but I may again as my granddaughter might find them funny !

Love-lies-bleeding is a perennial here, as is 4 o'clocks, both of which I grow and love. The 4 o'clocks are planted beside the back porch door because I so enjoy their evening scent. Heavenly!

I love 4 o'clocks, moon flower, morning glories - being that I grow them in containers (as I do 98% of my coastal garden) there's not much risk of them (morning glories) taking over.

I love 4 o'clocks too. Locally we call them jump up and kiss me. I don't know why. They grow wild. Love-lies-bleeding is a garden plant though. I am going to get moon flowers as soon as I source some seeds here.

Morning glories are a weed here. (They sprout from the seeds dropped by mature vines, and EVERY seed sprouts!) Even though I weed out every new sprout I see, I still miss some and find them blooming among the chrysanthemums and other brushy plants. Those I let bloom because they are a pretty weed, but I try to pull the vines out before the seedpods mature. As with the trumpet vine, I lose that battle. :-S

I love 4 o'clocks as well, but they don't do well in my garden. I never noticed a scent from them - I'll pay more attention Kimberly. Petra, have never heard them called jump up and kiss me, like it! Name makes me think of Johnny Jump-Up's, a volunteers I have that's thriving, seems to like the gravel paths. Love-lies-bleeding - bleeding hearts, such strange & wonderful names.

Ha. Then there are forget-me-nots and the Wait-a-minute bush:-)

Catch-and-keep is a vile tree with low branches that have hooks and thorns on just waiting for you to pass beneath. Shadow Benny is a very popular herb that tastes like coriander (or cilantro for Americans). I love its name.

Just realized I didn't list one of my all time favorite annuals--sweet peas! Love the scent. Plant them around my garden fence so I can enjoy them while I work in the veg garden.

I love sweet peas too. My grandfather used to grow early ones in a greenhouse and bring huge bunches into the house, they smelled so lovely. Then he'd grow them in the garden alongside the scarlet runners and they looked so pretty together.

Petra X wrote: "I love sweet peas too. My grandfather used to grow early ones in a greenhouse and bring huge bunches into the house, they smelled so lovely. Then he'd grow them in the garden alongside the scarlet ..."

That's a great idea. I used to plant scarlet runners on the fence but separately from the sweet peas. Now I might try putting them together.