Annuals are often grown in gardens to provide beautiful displays of masses of color not possible with perennials. They are quick to bloom, and allow for a color change every year! Annuals are extremely versatile, are easy to grow and maintain and can turn your garden into a beautiful space in a very short period of time for a minimal outlay. You can find an annual for almost any climate, from cool and temperate to arid. Annuals suit both very damp to dry soils, flourishing in shady areas right through to full sun.
Most botanists will tell you than an annual is a plant that completes its entire life cycle in one single growing season. However, for many gardeners, the term is used much more comprehensively, and includes plants that can grow to flowering in a single season. These can include some perennials (plants that grow over many years) that die off in the winter due to a cooler climate than their original environment. Some examples of these ‘annuals’ include Begonias, Impatiens and Geraniums.
Broadly, there are 2 types of annuals. One type will be sown from seeds in the spring, quickly develop and flower in the summer and die off in the fall. These are often termed “tender” annuals. Examples of these “tender” or summer annuals include the aforementioned Impatiens, Zinnias and Vincas. The other type of annual will be sown in the fall or late summer, lying partially dormant throughout winter to grow and flower in the spring and early summer. These are termed “hardy or “half-hardy” annuals. A popular example of a hardy annual is the Pansy, or the ever popular Chrysanthemums. These hardy annuals may not be able to tolerate heat, dying in the hot summer. Phlox and Calendula are able to withstand light frost and are examples of half-hardy annuals. Surviving better through the heat, these annuals may bloom again for an “encore” in the late summer and fall.
The simplest way to get started with annuals is to plant tender annuals in the spring. Most annuals do best in full sun with nutrient rich and well drained soil. These annuals can be sown directly into the ground and do not require greenhouses or planting out as seedlings to get started. Some seed producers sell annuals in lots of mixed seeds based on their color, and all you have to do to sow them is strew the seeds about and rake them in for a delightful display of colorful annuals in no time at all. These see mixes may include Cosmos, Foxgloves, Calendulas and other varieties. Colors for these annual seed mixes vary, from white to pink to yellow to cream, even purple and blue! They are a very easy and inexpensive way to get started with your first annual garden, and are great for children as a first gardening project.
