Annuals? Why!

I know I am the perennial lady and so bad mouthing annuals should be a full time job for me! However I am not here to bad mouth them, I am only here to find out why you would want to plant them?!? I have asked around for answers and I just don’t think the answers I have received are of much merit any more. I have heard “They flower all year”, “They have such awesome colors and patterns”, “They are easy to maintain”, and “They are bulletproof”. The first two reasons could be true, the last two are not! Even if they were all true, annuals are very expensive (even if your customer is paying the bill – no one has ever been able to retire off planting annuals alone) and very labor intensive (at a time of year when you can make a better margin off other plants).

New breeding in perennials has made many of the “annual” reasons obsolete. Why would you plant annual salvia instead of a perennial salvia? Same awesome blue color, both need deadheading to reflower after a rest period. Let’s compare Coleus to Heuchera. Both plants are grown for their foliage and both prefer a little shade. Check out Heuchera ‘Fire Alarm’, ‘Caramel’, or ‘Snow Storm’. Not only do they have spectacular foliage year after year but they also have pretty flowers to boot! Never let those Coleus flower – because that is sudden death. There are many options in the perennial department to choose from – all with lots of color that last all year long. Why not try Geranium ‘Rozanne’, G. ‘Azure Rush’ or G. ‘Blushing Turtle’, Campanula ‘Blue Waterfall’, Dianthus (any of multi-hundreds to choose from), Lavender (perfume of the Gods) or how about some of these dwarf Buddleias?

I have to be honest and tell you up front I went to a local Garden Center this weekend and bought – GASP- some annuals! I succumbed to this awesome annual Petunia called ‘Midnight Sky’. I fell in love with it because I like that speckled look. You can tell I like that look because my garden is filled with perennials like Heuchera ‘Marvelous Marble’ and ‘Midnight Rose’, Pulmonaria 'Mrs Moon’ and Brunera ‘Jack Frost’. I am going to plant it right off the deck and enjoy if for as long as possible. It will die soon, as I don’t water my plants! Perennials, they really don’t mind it too much – but annuals, well they can’t live without a constant watering. How many of you have heard from your customers that all those succulent Begonias just suddenly – out of the blue, died. All the while, they swear they watered them every day!

I want to leave you with these three thoughts: 1: Ageratum for Butterflies? You haven’t seen Butterflies until you planted Echinacea and now it comes in every color in the color wheel and, the newer ones are rock hardy, 2: Hellebores? Try and find an annual that blooms when there is still snow on the ground, 3: I am desperately looking for Petunia ‘Frills & Spills Damson Ruffle' – help!