I LOVE Gazanias!

I usually use them in a front border and will be planting them in my hanging baskets this year. They come in lots of colors, are easy to grow and are just so cheery!

How could you not love this face?

Ain't she purdy?

Very pretty, Barbara.

My favorite annual- Yvonne's Salvia.

Karen

Gazinas are awesome. I am seeding the Kiss variety this year
Salvia - I have not seen salvia that big before.

Here's one of my favorite annuals

LAVATERA - aka Annual Rose Mallow or Tree Mallow
Super easy from seed. Can be direct sowed, winter sowed or started early indoors about 4 weeks before last frost. Silver Cup is available in a seed-tape, which will become a beautiful 4 foot hedge.

The stamens are the identical color of the flower petals. The flower is a hibiscus or single hollyhock shape and about 4" diameter. Multi stemmed, bushy plants & lots of flowers.

Likes full sun, will flower about 12 weeks after germination. Low maintenance.

Silver Cup is light pink, Ruby Regis is vibrant cerise pink, Trimestris is a rosy red. Mont Blanc is the purist white (picture)

Silver cup

Mont Blanc up close

I guess Joanne recognizes my avatar...

While I love gazanias, and plant some every year (although have never tried growing them from seed), my absolute favorite annual is lisianthus. My runner up would probably be zinnias, especially the bright colored ones like Wowie Zowie. I love almost anything that makes a good cutting flower.

Have you all noticed I am terribly lacking in the photo department? I will try to remedy that this season. You all have such beautiful images--I am in awe.

Melampodium, a favorite that I first tried from seed in 2008. Easy to grow, well behaved mounded plant that blooms all summer, no need to dead head looks great all the time. Seeds are easy to gather, self-cleaning.

Barb, your Gazanias are lovely.

Thank you,Chris!

I'm trying melampodiums for the first time this year. would you recommend them in a mixed hanging basket or are they more a mixed non-hanging container plant?

Warning: melampodium can get big!!! I've had them get over 2' tall in the ground. The more sun they get the bigger they grow. They also reseed like crazy.

Barbara, are you anywhere near the ocean? Tsunami warnings have been posted for coastal Alaska, as well as Hawaii and all of the U.S west coast. Could extend to Asia! Amazing!

Karen

WHOA NELLIE!!!...Glad I asked about the melampodium! I got it as a bonus from Summer Hill. Says 12-18". I thought contained in a basket, to would be closer to the 12-14". Guess it's better suited to one of my 1/2 barrel plantings. Our house is a dark brown stain and anything yellow pops in our yard, so I thought I'd try it.

Nope...AK is so big, it's kind of divided into 5 states (based on geography and climate). I'm in what's considered Interior AK....I'm way inland....I was telling Rick it is really getting scary with what Mother Natures been throwing around lately...Amazing snowstorms, cold where it's not supposed to be cold, the earthquake in Haiti and now this big one yesterday...AK is subject to large earthquakes, so that's a point of concern, based on MN's current mood...

A few mellie volunteers in 2007.

Karen

Another shot, with agastache

Karen

Thanks for the pics. They have just gone into the Relocation Program.

Yes, you'd need a darned big hanging basket to accomodate them.

They are pretty plants, and, best of all, never need deadheading.

Karen

Karen, You are right melampodium do get a good size. I plant mine directly in the garden. I do not reseed on there own. Being in zone 5 probably accounts for that.

Barb, the 1/2 barrel planting would be nice with maybe Margarita OSP trailing over the edge.

Karen, do you remember the name of those Pink Zinnias in the foreground Post # 82962 , very pretty.

Chris, they are Dreamland Coral zinnias. They really were beautiful. But I grew them in 2007, the year we had horrid heat and drought. Those zinnias had a bad case of powdery mildew.

Karen