First things first. Annuals are plants that are planted fresh each year, either from seed or from transplants, hence the name "annuals." This time of year, annuals seem to be for sale everywhere from the grocery store parking lot to the discount store to the garden center nursery, and even sometimes direct to the public from a wholesale grower. Some retailers offer new or unusual plants -- often under a flashy brand name with a fancy label and a premium price.
Choices! Typical bedding plant annuals have long included marigold, petunia, snapdragon, dianthus, pansy, viola, begonia, salvia, geranium, ageratum, sweet alyssum, caladium, impatiens, lobelia, and vinca. Now we find unfamiliar new plants like helichrysum, osteospermum and calibrachoa tossed into the mix. The selection can be bewildering for both beginners and old hands alike.
Have you noticed? The flats (trays) of plants in cellpacks are so pretty. The displays tempt me every time. I am the worst of the worst and bring home just a few almost every time I go out. I have no resistance. Pretty soon I will not be allowed to leave the house, we already have too many flowers. I say, "You can never have too many flowers."
"How much do I owe?" When I worked at a nursery, I always had to pay up on payday. So much for running a tab! We are powerless against the faceless marketers who pump up the bedding plant industry, and it is a big industry, make no bones about it. I suppose there are worse addictions. (Yes, I have even worked for plants on occasion.) So, keep on shopping and enjoy!
Before you part with your hard earned cash, do a little homework so you really do have a lovely flower garden this year. Do you know what to buy? Will it grow once you get it home and plant it in the ground or in a container? And how should you care for them all summer? Here's help.
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