by Sammy Stein

Created on: April 30, 2009

Annual are plants that germinate, grow, flower , set seed and die all in one growing season (or year). Hardy annuals can be sown directly into the site they are going to be used in. You can do this anytime from early April to mid-May, depending on the varieties you want to grow and your climate zone. hardy annuals are good to use as a quick color provider and will grow rapidly, flowering late summer. They are also good if you are experimenting with colorr ideas to plant perenials in those colors the following year. They are cheap and available in a wide variety of colors and sizes.

Half hardy or tender annuals should be started off indoors, in a greenhouse or using a propagator because they will not withstand the vagaries of weather early on and will need to be hardened off before planting them out. They are often grown for container use because you can start the container indoors and move the whole thing outside when the weather is better. You can start half hardy annuals as early as mid March and you will get earlier flowers than with hardy annuals.

Some annuals can be started in October of November and overwintered as seedling plants in the greenhouse and planted outdoors early. Plants which you can do this with include trailing lobelia, tagetes and other annuals which you will also find available ready to flower from the garden centres quite early in the year. Starting them off in the autumn means you get good growth and earlier flowers.

If you are planting annuals as seedling plants, it is probably worth waiting until April of May so that they are obtained hardened off and ready to go straight into the garden. These plants will be readily available from suppliers and include many kinds like some asters, carnations, lobelias, pansies, violets and petunias. They offer a quick solution for any bare patches in the garden and plants are more expensive than seeds but still relatively cheap compared to perennial plants. They are usually sold in trays of 6 or 12 plants so you get a lot of plants for your money.

Annuals are a useful addition to any garden and can add colour of foliar interest to dull patches, corners, pots and containers. The only drawback is that you need to clear them when they are over, if you gather seed they may not breed true (but it is always worth a go) and they require maintenance like weeding and feeding during the growing season. But they add instance lift and colour, they are great for children to try because they are nearly always vigorous plants, especially the hardy annuals, so if you allow children to plant some, they are likely to be successful.

An advantage is that you can change your bedding lay out once or twice a year and plan ahead every year on how you will grow your annual plants.

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