E-newsletter
Katie’s Hot 11 Annual Plants For 2011
by Katie Dawson, Cut and Dried Flower Farm
April 2011
Spring is finally here and with it all kinds of wonderful new plants to tempt you!! Annuals are a fantastic addition to any garden. They can be planted outside after all danger of frost has past in the spring – usually June 1st is a safe bet in this area. However, you can always purchase plants early to get the best selection and harden them off gradually by putting them outside in the day and moving them inside at night until the weather warms up enough. At the end of the season, most annuals will die off with a hard frost. Just pull them out and start again next year. Annuals will provide continuous colour all season long and look great planted in the ground in amongst perennials or used in containers to brighten your deck, patio or door step. Please remember to fertilize your annuals throughout the season, especially if they are planted in containers. Sometimes the choice of annuals can seem overwhelming, even to seasoned gardeners, but I hope to help make the choice easier with my no fail Hot 11 list! All the plants that made the list have been chosen for their exceptional performance and ease of care. Choose from this list and you can’t go wrong!!
Begonia Dragon Wing Red – This plant is a fantastic and versatile performer in both sun or shade. It is perfectly happy either in a shady, moist north location or a full sun, hot southern exposure. The bright red flowers create a real colour impact and are held in arching clusters over glossy green foliage. It is very easy to grow, requiring no deadheading and forms large mounds about 12” in height. It will tolerate a light frost in the fall. Great in hanging baskets, planters or in the ground and stunning combined with Sweet Potato Vine Lime. This combination has been planted in the planters on Creemore main street for the past two years.
Superbells Tequila Sunrise – Superbells are one of our best selling plants and for a good reason too. They are available in a huge colour range, love sun and heat and require no deadheading. Tequilla Sunrise is my favourite Superbell as the colour is so unique. Every flower is a unique creation of shades of oranges, yellows and reds. They are fantastic in a hanging basket or planter, forming large arching upright mounds that hang over pots. Over the summer they will just keep on getting larger and more stunning!
Coleus Alligator Tears – Coleus have made a real comeback over the last 5 years with a lot of new breeding happening. The result is a huge choice of colours, sizes and forms of this popular foliage plant. One great advantage of these ‘new’ varieties of Coleus is that they will grow just as well in full sun as they will in full shade, so they are incredibly versatile. Alligator Tears is an exceptional plant that is brand new on the market for 2011. Foliage is bicoloured yellow and green with a serrated edge. It grows 20” – 30” in height and forms a vigorous, branching plant which loves heat. When growing Coleus in containers they usually look better in a neutral container which will not detract from the colourful foliage.
Euphorbia Diamond Frost – This plant is very much underused, maybe due to its neutral white colour, but its uses are numerous. Tiny white delicate looking flowers are produced in abundance, forming an upright mound, similar in effect to Baby’s Breath in a cut flower bouquet . However, this vigorous plant is far from delicate as it thrives in full sun and loves heat. Diamond Frost will keep flowering well into the fall, requiring no special treatment. Fabulous in mixed planters or happy in the ground where it will grow about 12” in height. Combine with Talinum Limon and Bidens for a delicate, airy effect.
Sweet Potato Vine Lime – There have been many new colours of this beautiful foliage plant introduced in the last few years, but I still love Lime the best. This vigorous mounding, trailing plant is a real show stopper, creating a tropical effect in planters and hanging baskets. The colour is very bright and shows up from a distance. Leaves are large and can hang down several feet by the end of the summer. A word of warning though – Sweet Potato Vines do not like the cold, including a cold wind. Make sure the weather is warm enough before you plant out. In fact, this plant loves the heat - the hotter the better for this foliage beauty! Combine with Begonia Dragon Wing Red for a stunning display all summer.
Argeranthemum Daisy Butterfly - This yellow Daisy is my all time favourite annual Daisy – and I’ve grown lots of them over the years! It grows into a large, bushy, upright mound, reaching 24” – 36” in height. Flowers are yellow and will cover the plant until frost. Since it grows so tall, ensure that the container you grow it in is large enough and that the flowers you plant it with are also on the taller side, so that it stays in proportion with them. I love planting 6 or 7 of these Daisies in a wooden barrel and letting them fill out over the summer. Butterfly should be planted in full sun and deadheaded regularly. It will tolerate light frosts and cooler weather in the spring and fall.
Trailing Petunia Pretty Much Picasso – This unique trailing Petunia was a brand new introduction in 2010. It represents a breakthrough in colour breeding and is extremely impressive. Flowers are rose pink with a lime edge and are truly stunning. It is extremely vigorous and will form a spectacular mounding and trailing plant. No deadheading is required. As with all Petunias, grow in full sun and ensure that you fertilize it well. Use a water soluble fertilizer with every watering. Ideally, add a sprinking of slow release fertilizer too and this plant will be happy until the frost hits in the fall. Combine with Lime Sweet Potato Vine for a unique lime effect!!
Carex Prairie Fire – This grass is fully frost hardy, meaning that it can be planted outside early in the spring, enjoyed all summer and left in containers until freeze up. It will provide texture and interest right up until it is covered with snow! Prairie Fire is a fairly short grass, reaching about 12” in height with thin, arching foliage. It creates an airy and delicate effect, blowing beautifully in a breeze and turns a rich bronze red in the fall with the cooler weather. It looks great planted in containers or in the garden. In containers, combine with just about anything and to add gorgeous texture. For a unique foliage combination plant with the edible leafy vegetable Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Vine bronze.
Impatiens Patchwork Pink – Most people are familiar with the popular shade loving, low, spreading Impatiens. Patchwork Pink is brand new on the market this year, growing 10” - 16” in height. It too loves shade or part shade and looks fantastic in containers or in the ground. Large blooms are an eyecatching two tone pink and cover the plant all season long. No deadheading or special maintenance is necessary. Plant with Sweet Potato Vine Blackie and Coleus Perilla magilla for a stunning mixed container that will thrive in the shade.
Talinum Limon – This plant was first introduced to the market place three years ago and I love it!! Foliage is a bright lime green, similar in colour to Sweet Potato Vine Lime and forms an upright mound. Above and amongst the foliage, tiny pink flowers are held on upright stems that later turn into tiny red seed pods. It is fabulous used in the centre of planters as the seed heads will intermingle with other plants, creating a soft and airy effect. Talinum Limon grows best in full sun and handles heat and drought stress well. It will grow about 18- 24” in height. Plant with Bidens and Euphorbia Diamond Frost for a natural, airy effect.
Cleome Senorita Rosalita – We have grown his stunning Cleome for several years now and everyone who buys it comes back for more the next year! Like the Butterfly Daisy, it too is a large plant and performs beautifully in a barrel or in the ground. Again, be careful what you combine it with as it grows so tall and could easily dwarf other plants around it. Flowers are lilac pink and cover the plant all season long. They do not require deadheading – the only maintenance being regular fertilizing. Senorita Rosalita loves the sun and heat and will grow up to 36” in height. Looks fabulous planted amongst perennials in the garden.
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