Why are annuals seemingly so neglected by serious gardeners? Discussions center on perennials and flowering woody plantings. While I do like plants that do not have to be replaced each year, nothing rivals the continuous flow of summer color provided by annuals. I have to admit that an extensive garden of annuals may need an extensive number of supporting gardeners. I remember the gardens at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Almost none of the plants in the wide beds of glorious color would survive the winter. They were replaced each year by an army of gardeners. So were the many thousands of spring flowering bulbs at the Keukenhof Gardens. While most of us can not afford an army of gardeners, a more modest planting of annuals can give a rewarding display.
This is not to neglect yearly repeating flowers. Just now a grouping of self-seeding wild Rudbeckia is in its full glory along with Purple Cone Flowers. They have survived this year's hot, dry weather, requiring no care but room to grow. The Rudbeckia seeds were originally collected from an unkempt field by my son Jim. The plants are some five feet tall and have hundreds of inch and a half, single, yellow (sorry Carol) flowers with dark brown centers. Kay uses them for cut flowers. The nearby Coreopsis have but a few yellow flowers remaining . I like yellow flowers. There is a row of Chrysanthemums beside the steps to the lower garden. They are starting to bloom now. Opening as bronze, then turning yellow. A bed of a hundred lemon-yellow Zenith Marigolds is enfolded on almost three sides with dark blue, near-purple Fantasy Petunias. They are backed up with Cosmos and Cleomes (not yellow). All the annuals were started from seed before last winter's snows melted. Yes, I do have a lot of plebeian flowers. Nearby are two Hibiscus acetocella, Red Shield. Definitely not common. Their deep wine-red stems and leaves are striking. Their non-descript red flowers are not. Most Hibiscus are grown for their flowers, not this one. No, these Hibiscus do not survive our winters. I take cuttings and nurse them through the winter. They grow rapidly and must be topped off frequently during the winter to avoid having them hit the ceiling before the next outdoor season, when the sky's the limit.
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