Annuals Landscaping Tips - How to Grow Annual Plants in Your Garden

There are three main categories that most flowers, and some other plants fall into. They are annuals, biennials and perennials. Biennials will only bloom every other year. Perennials will come back every year. Sometimes you can’t get rid of them if you try. Annuals, on the other hand, will bloom for one season and then usually they die.

As indicated by their name, annuals will have to be replanted every year. If you’re wondering why someone would want to do that, it’s because annuals are available in the most colorful varieties. No other flower can match the beauty and brightness of the colors of annuals.

Annuals are the way to go if you are looking for a garden that displays the most vivid combinations of blues, yellows and reds. Annuals will also give you the best variety of flowering plants in your garden. If you’re like some people, and find it enjoyable to replant these flowers every year, then annuals are for you.

Annuals also fall into three different categories - Spring, Summer and Fall. Annuals that can be planted in early spring include pansies, violas and snapdragons. Petunias and impatiens are Summer annuals, and should be planted later to avoid cold weather in late Spring.

Most people will buy annuals already growing and in bloom, rather than growing them from seed. When choosing, make sure the soil is moist but not too wet. Soil that is overly wet can carry disease and other growths that can damage your or kill your plants later on. Soil that is too dry is dangerous as well. Without enough water, the plants may not be healthy enough to be transplanted.

If you don’t take your time and make sure you find healthy young annuals, they will probably die out soon after you get them home. Even if it costs a bit more, it’s worth it to invest in healthy plants that will last all year.

Loose, well fed soil will give your new annuals the best chance of survival. Any fertilizer mixture with the proper concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium will help sustain your new plants. No matter what you use, follow the directions given.

If the soil conditions are right and they get enough nutrients, annuals can be planted close together. Observing wildflowers in nature is a good way to figure out how densely you can plant your annuals and how much water and sunlight they need.

When buying annuals, try to find ones that have not begun to blossom yet. This will ensure that you will have them for their full life span. If you find one with lots of healthy looking buds, it won’t be long before you have plenty of beautiful flowers.

When shopping for plants, if you find one that appears to be healthy, it probably is. If there is no wilting or browning, and if the stalk looks straight and healthy, you are probably safe in assuming the plant is healthy.

Just like anything else, you’re going to have successes and failures until you get the hang of it. Sometimes no matter what you do, you can’t keep your plant alive. The nice thing is that annuals are pretty affordable so it won’t kill your budget to replace dead ones.

         

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