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Annual Flowers: One Year of Beauty
Often considered one of the most useful garden flowers, annual flowers are plants that complete their life cycle in one year. Due to their short lifespan, annuals are sometimes mistaken for biennial plants. However, biennial plants typically have a two-year life cycle that may last only one year in extreme conditions.
Avoid shady areas when planting annual plants because most need to be in full sun for several hours a day to flower well. Annuals are bedding plants, meaning that they're already growing in a container and on the verge of blooming when purchased. They actually start to bloom within a month of being planted, maintaining their bloom until cold weather sets in.
Because annuals are bedding plants, they're grown from flower seeds that are planted directly into the soil. Good bed preparation is necessary for the growth of annuals flowers.
To prepare a good garden bed, you should first mark out the territory where you want the bed, paying attention to the sizes of the plants you're planning for the space. Consider the size these plants will be when they fully mature. Next, rid the area of existing weeds and unwanted plants either through tilling or spraying a chemical mix purchased at a garden center. Put eight to twelve inches of rich topsoil in the bed and then get planting!
The recommended depth to plant a flower seed is six to ten inches below the surface. If the weather isn't warm enough outside for annuals, the flower seed can be planted indoors and then transported outdoors when the weather warms.
Types of Annual Flowers
Annuals vary from one another in their ability to withstand cold and frost. The three types of annuals are hardy annuals, half-hardy annuals and tender annuals.
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Hardy Annuals can withstand extreme cold better than any other type of annual. Hardy annuals, able to take some freezing and light frost without being killed, are especially popular in the Midwest where freezing weather during the early spring months is common. One of the drawbacks to hardy annuals is their decline during the hot summer months. Most hardy annuals don't do well in heat and often die when the heat of summer sets in. Hardy annuals are usually planted in the fall or spring before the last frost. Some of the more popular types of hardy annuals include the foxglove, larkspur, pansy, calendula and viola.
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Half-Hardy Annuals are not as durable as hardy annuals but are still able to withstand a degree of cold weather. Many half-hardy annuals can handle a moderate level of cold weather but are damaged if they're exposed to frost. Half-hardy annual plants are often planted in the early spring after the last frost. Some of the more popular types of half-hardy annuals include blue sage, candytuft, baby’s breath, strawflower and snow-on-the-mountain.
- Tender Annuals are the most sensitive to cold soil and temperatures. Tender annuals are found in the warmer regions of the country, where freezing and frost are rare. Tender annual plants are damaged easily by soil temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, seeds do not even germinate at this temperature. Some of the most common tender annual plants include globe amaranth, marigold, coleus, balsam, zinnia and scarlet sage.
Cool versus Warm Season Annual Plants
Annual flowers can also be classified into two distinctive classes: cool-season annual plants and warm-season annual plants. Each type of plant has its unique features.
- Cool-season annuals thrive in temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees. Consequently, this variety of annuals produces its best flowers during the spring and fall seasons. Production falls off considerably during the hot summer months. Geraniums, petunias, and snapdragons are all cool-season annuals.
- Warm-season annuals do best during the warmest months of the year. Warm-season annuals need temperatures between eighty and ninety degrees to grow, and don't survive in temperatures that are cooler than 80 degrees for extended periods of time. Warm-season annuals include blue daze, pentas and four-o-clocks.
