annual flowers

What’s So Great About Annual Flowers?

February 26, 2013 by Ilona Erwin

A Temporary Transplant

My first gardens were all about two kinds of plantings: vegetables and annuals. For one thing, I rented the home, and as a renter, a person is not very motivated to sink time, money, and effort into planting perennials and shrubs.

So probably the first thing I did during this period was to plant bulbs. Not annuals in the strict sense, but carefree color when I most needed it: after long, cold winters.

Tulips and crocus bulbs were the main choices, and then every spring I would get some flower seeds and plant the bulb areas with brightly flowering annuals. Zinnias, candytuft, alyssum, marigolds – even cosmos. It was sort of a wildflower look- wild, anyway!

Further into the growing season I would carve out a veggie patch, putting in tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and whatever else I felt would be yummy; parsley was favored for under the tomatoes.

conatiner plants — The year I tried Salpiglossis. So lovely!

Self Seeding Annuals and the Logical Progression

Through the years certain annuals remained, doggedly perhaps, sprouting up in the sometimes disturbed earth of certain parts of my borders.

The Nigella, Love-In-A-Mist, hordes of Shirley poppies filled June, the specie form of Calendulas, long reverted to their old origins, but no less cheerful and sweet for all that.Then I moved into my own first home…. and I discovered perennials.

Then, Finally, Perennials

Perennials were my long love affair with plants and gardening, but I never forgot annuals. I only put them back in the scullery, so to speak, as perennials grew and multiplied (with a little help from their friend, me!).

Certain annuals have loved it here- I have dill weed in bunches every year. It is a good thing.

Because I have nowhere near the garden opportunity that I did years ago: grandchildren must be visited, vacations to make up for years of not having any, the necessity of portioning out more of my energy to just keep up this place and try to declutter (my main goal for this time of my life!).

But I find I am also returning to my first love for annuals. Why would I do that? Their fresh and pretty morning faces may have something to do with that.

Heavenly Blue morning glories — It will soon be time to plant morning glories

8 Good Reasons To Plant Annual Flowers

summer flower containers — Past Container Pottings

Annuals are easy
They provide long lasting color and a source of cut flowers
Annuals are worry free, not having near the problems with diseases, etc.
They fill in spots where things look bare, and do it quickly
I can seed or plant pots of nursery grown seedlings
Many are fragrant
They can be old fashioned favorites or new to me and exciting to try out- without too much expense
They fill the containers that I now use for most of my summer long color. So what if the border got weedy, or certain perennials died out in a drought or whatever? I have my pots of bright and cheery annuals to keep me happy until I can remedy those problems

So, you see? In my older years I am reverting to things I once found joy in, and annual flowers are a part of that rediscovery.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ // ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visit Ilona’s Garden Journal on facebook: Click here
© 2013 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal by Ilona E. An excellent blog.

Shirley Poppies, Papaver rhoeas

June 11, 2009 by Ilona Erwin

These are flowers to illustrate fairy tales, and so easy that a child can grow them successfully.

In fact, once you plant them, they may just grow on their own happily ever after.

They are one of my favorite reseeding annuals.

How These Poppies Look

The petals of the Shirley poppy are described as tissue paper or tissue silk, and for such a sturdy plant everything about them seems impossibly delicate. From the fairy-winged flowers to the wire thin stems rising from a basal nest of mid-green hairy leaves, they flutter and wave in the wind.

Sometimes the petals sparkle with raindrops clinging to their translucent surface.

Nothing is prettier than a horde of these poppies gathered in spaces throughout the garden arrayed in their best gowns of sparkling, luscious colors for a dance in June.

They are somewhat ephemeral, though. Liking cooler temperatures, they tend to melt during the hottest part of the summer. But that isn’t surprising for something that seems so delicate in appearance.

Shirley poppies have a wide variety of colors in their hybridized selections. My favorites are the pastels, with lavenders, pale rose, white, and pinks, often picotéed around the edge of the petals with rose red or in soft bicolors.

The Shirley poppy color selections can range in color from cool whites, pinks, rose, and lavenders to cheerful yellow, orange, and scarlet, and can be doubles.

A Few Interesting Facts

Originally the Shirley poppy, Papaver rhoeas, was found in corn fields of Europe, the one made famous in Flanders and worn on Memorial Day.

In Flanders Fields….
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
~Written by John McCrae~

Shirley poppies are perfect additions to a Cottage Garden. They can be used as cut flowers if you singe the cut stem with a flame to seal it.

Growing Poppies From Seed

To plant Shirley poppies, simply sow lightly and thinly on top of the soil. Press into the ground to make good contact. They benefit from freezing, which is why it is recommended that you plant them in the fall, but that is not necessary.Poppies need sunshine, but other than that are happy to tuck themselves in many places in the garden. They don’t like to be transplanted, but I have experimented with moving a few that were “weeded out” – so I’ll let you know how that turns out.

Poppies are mildly poisonous, having alkaloids in all parts of the plant. Never had a problem with any of my animals or kids trying any out. It is the Opium poppy, not papaver rhoeas, that is grown for medicine, narcotics, and poppyseeds for food use. That is a different variety than the Shirley poppy.

Resources For Shirley Poppy Seeds

I had originally planted one collection called “Fairy Wings” which I had ordered through Thompson & Morgan, no longer available; “Angel Choir” is probably the closest choice. I notice Swallowtail Seeds has a mix looking similar to “Angel Choir”.

Heirloom Shirley Poppies From Botanical Interest

Resource for Cottage and Cutting Garden Seeds

Tags: Shirley+poppies, summer blooms

Annual Flowers in My 2008 Garden

July 18, 2008 by Ilona Erwin

I have mostly planted containers for this season’s show of annuals, with the old stalwart re-seeders popping up in the recently cultivated parts of my garden, mainly along the lavender hedged walkaway. I lost lots of the reseeding annuals when I mulched my perennial borders around five years ago. I think that was a huge mistake. My purpose had been to keep the weeding down and to preserve moisture, but it made more of a growth environment for the weeds and caused the ground to be hostile to annuals which like good tilth and some cultivation to to germinate. The violas also were lost for a different reason: they need exposure to light for germination and I think the mulch impeded that.

Anyway, I have had some failure to note. One is Schizanthus which I tried this year. I bought plants from a local source and they were perfectly beautiful when planted in the containers. We had a very hot spell and then lots of rain with cooler weather… then went on vacation. I tried to move all my containers into a secluded and sheltered spot, but the Schizanthus melted out. They were such beautiful colors and echoed the Salpiglossis in mutual enhancement. I would like to try them in another year, since they are recommended for growing under similar conditions as are recommended for impatiens: under shade trees with the ground kept moist. Moisture is sometimes a problem in my garden- both times of too much and not enough, alternatively, but I have a couple favored places…

Ed Hume Seeds gives this info:

SOWING: Sow indoors from February to April. Sow outdoors after all danger of frost has passed. Don’t cover seed, firm into soil with the back of your hand. Seeds need darkness to germinate, so cover flat or planting bed until germination occurs. Uncover and provide plenty of light as soon as young seedlings appear.

THINNING AND TRANSPLANTING: When Plants are 2 to 3 inches tall. thin and transplant 12 inches apart.

GERMINATION: 2 to 3 weeks, depending upon soil and weather conditions. Keep soil moderately moist during germination.

Salpiglossis , another plant which I’d often read of but can’t remember ever trying. It is rather like a petunia dressed for Mardi Gras. Really showy, yet sort of delicate at the same time. It weathered through the conditions that gave way to the Schizanthus’ demise and I am now a fan. eHow describes this plant as having rich jeweled tones, and that is exactly how its look should be attributed. Along with the poor man’s orchid (Schizanthus) it is also a cool season flower. Perhaps it was the unusually cool weather we had that preserved it- the hot wave has hit us now, and I will keep my fingers crossed that it still does well. All my containers are in need of a shot of fertilizer.

Doug’s Garden blog has a great photo of Salpiglossis, so take a look.

I tried Laurentia this year. It comes originally from Australia, and belongs to the Campanulaceae family. A good light blue, it is graceful in manner and dotted with starry blooms of sharp pointed petals. It is recommended for sun, but I have put it in a part-sun situation. So far it has stayed strong in the heat- like you would expect from an Aussie. I’ll have to observe it further to know more of how it performs in my garden. I have it in the containers, but I think it would be even better in the garden itself.

Last years purple fennel reseeded itself – I was really happy about that. It is now blooming with its softly chartreuse umbels…making the Shasta daisies underneath none too happy. Fennels are not good companions and have a tendency to dampen the growth of surrounding plants.

Tags: Salpiglossis, Schizanthus,Laurentia