Hiya! OK - I've never dealt with annuals. And aside from some laurel and hydrangeas that I intend to put in this year, I want some annuals - planted and potted. So, is there anything special I need to know about annuals?

We are clay but, apparently, here, there is a lot of rock as well. Which makes for a freaky sort of fast draining clay. Some rocks are pretty big so digging is going to be a chore but if I can stick with the keto stuff, I should have more than enough get-up-and-go for the job.

I've added a diagram and description of my little lot to my blog.

Welcome to NGA, @CindySue .

Good things about annuals: some grow in sun, some in shade; they can give you blooms for the entire season; you can grow them in the ground or in pots, and change them out if they get sick or buggy or just "done for." They come in all sorts of colors. You can start them from seed -- often by just direct sowing -- or you can buy them as plants. Once the season ends you can pull them out and till or otherwise work up the area where they were growing. They can be grown without worrying about whether they can withstand the winter season.

Bad things about annuals: They don't come back the next year, unless they self-sow. hmmm -- can't think of much else bad to say about them.

There are LOTS of annuals to choose from -- that's probably the hardest part!

I can relate to the rocks in the ground -- we've probably dug enough rocks out over the years that we could have built a nice house. Using containers or raised beds can definitely make your life easier, but for growing annuals, as long as you can dig out big enough spots to place the plants, and then give them some regular fertilization (I like using liquid fertilizer in that situation, like Miracle Grow or anything similar), your plants will likely do fine.

I'm sure there will be lots of other people showing up with more ideas for you (and there is also a forum devoted specifically to annuals, if you want to check that out).

Happy gardening!

@Weedwhacker - so they're no different than perennials except they're "temporary"? Everything else is exactly the same? Choosing the plants, finding the right spot for them - everything?

Why did I think they'd be any different, I wonder? For some reason, in my head, "annual" = danger of invasion.


long irrelevant story warning -

The only annuals I am aware of either my mother or my grandmother ever planting were my mother's petunias. My grandmother called them "fire", as in "you're playing with fire" or "Got that fire started yet?" but we had them, en masse, every single year that I can remember - because they were the exact same color as her Iris (light purple), mom just loved them.

That's so strange because I never bothered to even look at annuals, aside from container plants, or to check to see if what I believed was true. That's just the way it was. I always thought my mom was so brave because she risked this huge, dreaded petunia invasion . OMG! That's just crazy!

Cool! So I have this whole OTHER, MASSIVE group of plants available!! Aside from hydrangeas and the occasional surprise bloom that pops up spontaneously, when everything's just right, on a plant or shrub that doesn't flower, I've focused almost entirely on greenery. Greenery and hydrangeas.

I think I may have associated flowers, in general, with invasiveness, as well. Mom's iris would spread so much that there were seasons when it seemed she did nothing but dig and find homes for her overabundance of Iris. When I first moved in here, the narrow bed that extended out from the round bed where I put the boxwood and along the front of the porch was full of tulips which I love in a vase but don't like as a planting. I've been digging up tulips every year. Including the drought years. This year they were in the round bed with the boxwood. Last year I had one lone tulip right smack in the middle of the front yard. I wouldn't have ever known it was there it but mowing started early last year and the kid who did the first mowing saw it and mowed around it, LOL!

OK - so - annuals are not dangerous or evil and no special care need be taken and they don't need to be contained. Nothing special...good to know. Thanks @Weedwhacker!!

LOL, Cindy -- no, they aren't generally dangerous!

I predict you are going to have a LOT of fun searching for the annual flowers that you want to grow -- Enjoy!

Just beware that some reseed like crazy. Do your research is all I can say.

Zencat said:Just beware that some reseed like crazy. Do your research is all I can say.

@Zencat Do their descriptions indicate which do and which don't?!?

Calendula and Johnny Jump-Ups (which look like small pansies) come to my mind -- I don't look on it as a bad thing (free plants!). Easy to remove unwanted seedlings with a swipe of a hoe.

Also, "deadheading" your plants (removing the flowers as they die) will prevent them from forming seeds (and also encourage the plants to put out more flowers).

Celia ( @Zencat ) did you have any particular ones in mind?

Cleome reseed to an unbelievable extent:

Morning glories for one. California poppies, sunflowers...

@Weedwhacker - I was thinking about Arkwright Ruby Violas for the backyard. They like the shade and I was wondering if shade would actually contain them? Apparently, Johnny Jump-Ups prefer some shade too, right? Do you know if the line between shade and full sun will contain them? Because, THAT would be AWESOME!

Really depends on your location.
In the deep south, most morning glories will make the garden unusable.
Heavenly blue and moonflower are exceptions.
Cleome are seedy, cherry tomatoes and physalis come up all over the yard.... & impatiens, If you have rain, or an irrigation system, impatiens can be difficult to exterminate.
And let's not forget 4 o'clock...

At your house, might be a different list.

pirl said:Cleome reseed to an unbelievable extent:

Ah - I will definitely avoid those as they don't appear to be my cuppa but I wouldn't mind something reseeding on "the landing pad" which pretty much gets full sun all day and hot as a pistol.

Zencat said:Morning glories for one.

@zencat: Oooh - morning glories...I could build them something interesting to climb, out on the landing pad! That would not be boring. Full sun, fast draining rock and clay - aka what some might consider "poor soil". And I could talk to my new neighbor and see if I could let them climb down the south retaining wall - or would they get all in his yard? I seem to remember, when I was a kid, morning glories running through the bean fields and tripping me, but I always thought they were really pretty.

@Weedwhacker: Do you think some violas - something like Johnny Jump-Ups - would grow up between and through some creeping morning glory?

Could reseeding be considered invasive?

Yes, the MG's will spread seeds far and wide. We grew them on the tuteur one year, ripped them out but seeds are viable for 80 years (at least) and we still pull out seedlings though they were removed 12 years ago.

How about Gaillardia? Scroll down for photos - many varieties:
https://garden.org/search/inde...

If reseeding overtakes native plants it could be considered invasive. There isn't a class for "reseeding to a maddening amount" causing the gardener to regret ever planting the offender.

pirl said:Yes, the MG's will spread seeds far and wide. We grew them on the tuteur one year, ripped them out but seeds are viable for 80 years (at least) and we still pull out seedlings though they were removed 12 years ago.

Does that apply to all zones? I see you're in 7a...please say no, LOL

pirl said:How about Gaillardia? Scroll down for photos - many varieties:

I've been looking at the suggestions and it appears that annuals are pretty much...well...short? I think I'm leaning toward vines with something tall for them to climb on...for the hot spots and shade loving reseeders for low, ground cover applications on the shady side of the back yard. I might need to start a new thread as I am getting an idea of what I want to try...

@pirl What about "moonflower"? Do they spread like MGs?

I only grew them once and didn't have the self-seeding problem but I'd still be very cautious.

pirl said:I only grew them once and didn't have the self-seeding problem but I'd still be very cautious.

I'm guessing that if you didn't have reseeding problems in zone 7a then I'm not likely to have them in 5b (or 6a).