Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Annuals


Summer Annuals (Marigolds)

Annuals are short lived plants, usually used for their flower. Annual color has a multitude of uses in the landscape. They are usually used in mass as a center peace of a high traffic area. They can be used as a border along turf, or a long planter bed. They can be used sporadically throughout the landscape to bring color to what might be a bland area.

There are summer annuals, such as marigolds, cosmos, blue salvia, and petunias. These do best in the spring and summer months of the year. There are also winter annuals such as pansys, violas, poppies, and snapdragons. These do best in the fall and winter months.


Annuals, you may ask, only live about one year. They are typically used for only 3 or 4 months at a time before they have to be removed and replaced with a new annual. Sometimes you will get lucky and get a much longer bloom time. This all depends on how you treat them. Annuals need to stay moist, so check the soil early and often. Once they have dried out, that may be it and they will have to be replaced. Over water and the plants may rot. So check the soil periodically and water as needed.

Last but not least is fertilization. Fertilize annuals when you put them in the ground with a slow release granular fertilizer such as Osmocote. Stay away from MiracleGro fertilizers or water soluble fertilizers. These type of fertilizers need to be used fairly often. It is like a quick sugar rush for the plant and if you dont keep that high going, the plant may fizzle out on you.

Please visit www.dmcolorexpress.com for a more extensive list of annuals and enjoy planting!

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