My 10 Favorite Annuals

Ah, spring!  Those of us who love to weed, seed, trim and plant are at our happiest now.  Hopeful that all the winter weather is behind us, we begin to think about spring annuals. 

There are many annuals that can tolerate low temperatures.  Pansies, Dianthus, Lobelia and Dusty Miller lend themselves to containers and front-of-the border bedding plants in early spring.  Even if the temperatures reach the high 30’s, these cold-loving guys can take it. 

Once it gets too hot, they give up blooming.  Except Dusty Miller.  I had some that survived all winter only to begin putting on another show a few weeks ago.  Dusty Miller seems to love all seasons, especially mild winters like the one we had this year.  The grey-white foliage compliments whatever it is planted next to.  It’s a real workhorse in containers and window boxes as well.  If you haven’t used it before, plant it this year.  Because of it’s tough nature, and ability to “play well with others,” I have named Dusty Miller my first favorite annual.

DUSTY MILLER- This annual has so much going for it.  It’s deer-resistant.  It makes a great cut flower in smaller flower arrangements.  It thrives on little care.  It loves the sun, but can be happy in semi-shade conditions as well.  It can get up to a foot tall, but mine generally max out at about 8”.  The spread is about 6 to 8”.  Additionally, it’s a fabulous contrast for some many other annuals.  Planted in front of Salvia ‘Black and Blue’ or as an edging for your pink ‘Knock out’ Roses, it can’t be beat.  I add them to nearly every container I assemble.  It makes whatever it’s planted next to just pop!  You’ll have no trouble finding this workhorse of a plant, it’s a staple in every garden center and big-box store.

PENTAS- The common name for Pentas is “Egyptian starflower.”  The flower does resemble a 5-pointed star.  It has a solid, full and upright habit and can reach heights of 12 to 18”.  You’ll find white, many pinks, a hot red and light lavender.  It’s deer-resistant, tolerates minimal watering, and just loves to bake in the St. Louis sun.  If you’ve never grown them, this plant is a MUST!  Wiethops on Barrett Station Road always has a large selection of stupendous-looking of Pentas.

SUPERTUNIAS- I adore Supertunias.  Petunias of the past have no resemblance whatsoever to the Supertunia.  The “New Kids on the Block” come in bright colors and have more blooms than foliage.  You have to love plants with these crazy names.  “Pretty Much Picasso.”  Bubblegum Pink.” “Sangria Charm.” “White Russian.”  There is even a black and yellow variety for all you Mizzou fans!  Keep these guys fertilized and they’ll reward you with eye-popping color! The plant growers at Proven Winners have really expanded the line of Supertunias.  You’ll find them at Fahr’s in St. Albans, Thies Farm and Dausters on Creve Coeur Mill Road, and most other local, quality nurseries.

EUPHORBIA ‘DIAMOND FROST’- Every hanging basket or container can use some Euphorbia “Diamond Frost.”  Amazingly, it tolerates sun or shade, it’s drought tolerant and deer-resistant.  It has clusters of tiny white flowers that look a little like snow.  At night, it brightens up any container around the pool or patio. Last year I planted it around my mailbox with a few different types of Supertunias and it bloomed until Thanksgiving.  This plant might remind you of Baby’s breath.  It’s low and spreading, quickly filling up space in the garden.  If you haven’t tried ‘Diamond Frost,” you must; it will become a mainstay in your containers and baskets!

ZINNIAS- I have always been in love with Zinnias.  There is no better cut flower and they love our hot St. Louis summers.  They come in almost every color of the rainbow and are easy to plant.  Take a few packages of seed, scratch them in, water and in a few weeks you have Zinnia babies.  The newer Zinnias like “Uproar Rose,” “Envy” and “Enchantress” don’t get powdery mildew late in the season like their ancestors did.  “Envy” is a chartreuse Zinnia that looks great at the back of any border.  There’s no reason to spend big bucks purchasing these as mature plants.  Grab a few packages at the store and plant them directly into the soil.  They’ll reach up to 3 feet tall.

COLEUS- The Coleus family is just exploding.  Each year there are tons of new introductions.  New colors, leaf shapes and sizes, variegations, you name it.  While we’re talking about names, the guys who hybridize these plants truly love giving them crazy names.  “Fishnet Stockings.” “Purple Haze.” “Alligator Tears.” “Dirty Martini” and “Cherry Cordial” might make you want to have a cocktail as you garden!  Coleus are no longer relegated to the shade, they love the sun and can outperform other annuals all summer long.  Last year we grew some deep red Coleus in the front gardens at Longview.  By July we had a few large drifts of them.  Visitors were drawn to the enormous sea of red coleus.  Of all the plants we grew last year, the red Coleus and Cardoon got continual raves.  If you want lots of color and an easy recipe for a container, buy 3 or 4 Coleus that look good together.  Give them some fertilizer and wait for the compliments!  Greenscape Gardens, Cottage Garden in Piasa, Illinois and Summer Winds have a great selection of Coleus plants.

CARDOON- You might have a hard time finding this plant, but once you do, it will steal your heart- you’ll love it forever!  We have been growing them in the Longview gardens for the past 2 years and the positive comments never stop.  We plant it, artists paint it, people photograph it and the visitors just have to have it.  It’s a relative of the Artichoke and has long, thin leaves that are silvery-white.  It gets HUGE if you fertilize it.  My friend, Deb, calls hers “Audrey” after the plant in the movie “The Little Shop of Horrors.”  Bowood Farms and Garden Heights carries it on occasion; there will also be some for sale at the Master Gardeners Plant Sale at South County Greenhouse in Sunset Hills on April 28th.  This baby spreads; give it a wide stance of about 36”.

NICOTANA- Nicotiana sylvestris is a tall old-fashioned plant great for the sunny border.  It has white flowers and a light scent as well.  It can get about 3 feet tall, so place it at the back of the border.  It’s deer-resistant and I have never seen a single pest drawn to it.  I grow mine for the elegant, nodding appearance and the long, tubular white flowers it produces from spring until frost.  In fact, it was blooming right up to Thanksgiving.  It might be hard to find, if you see one, grab it quickly!  You won’t be disappointed. 

STICK VERBENA- People either love or hate this plant.  It’s a “see through” plant because it’s about 3 feet tall and thinner than a pencil. All you really see is the bloom cluster.  The flower is bright purple and goldfinches love it.  You’ll see them in summer perching atop the thin flower, picking out the seed.  They scatter the seed, making way for more flowers next year.  Stick Verbena is classified as an annual, but it self-seeds readily.  So much so it pops up in the crevices of my brick patio each spring.  I pull them and place them anywhere I choose in the garden.  In a few weeks, I have them everywhere!  This plant is very popular grown in herbaceous borders in England.  It prefers full sun, but can tolerate some shade.

AESCLEPIUS- Commonly known as “Butterfly Weed,” this plant has clusters of orange, red and yellow flowers.  The plant has emits some sap when broken.  Because of this, it’s deer-resistant.  Butterfly weed gets about 2 feet tall and blooms all summer long.  There is a minimal amount of reseeding, enjoy seeing this guy popping up among your other plants in the border.  There is absolutely, positively no other plant that attracts more butterflies. 

Ok, I admit it.  I have way more than 10 favorite annuals.  Honorable mentions go to the ‘Dragon Wing’ Begonia.  It loves the shade and preforms all summer long with large leaves that look like, you guessed it- a dragon’s wing! 

The ever-popular Vinca comes in white, shades of pink, red, and light purple.  It’s a great edging plant that will form a nice, thick appearance that’s about a foot tall by mid-summer.  It’s deer-resistant (I have NEVER seen deer browse it!) and tolerates lousy soil conditions.  Just make sure that you wait until mid-May to plant Vinca.  It likes warm soil and, if planted too early, will reward you with yellow leaves and minimal growth. 

Lantana is a low ground cover that loves the heat!  You’ll find it in “hot and sassy” colors and it’s deer resistant as well.  Plant it on the edge of your pool deck- it’s THAT hardy! 

Angelonia is an upright annual that comes in lovely shades of pink, purple and clear white.  It’s great in a border or a container.  It loves our St. Louis summers! 

Ageratum is really underutilized.  Its fuzzy leaves render it deer-resistant and it comes in more colors than just the standard blue- there are some lovely violet tones now.  It forms a nice, thick mass by early summer and never stops blooming.  If you haven’t grown it in a while, give it a try! 

For a tall element in the garden, plant a few Castor Bean plants.  They get up to 10’ tall and have large, interesting leaves.  In late summer they produce prickly seed heads.  Be warned, though.  All parts of the plant are poisonous.  That being said, I have never witnessed anyone trying to eat any part of this plant.  Nearly all botanical gardens, numerous park gardens and many home gardens boast this plant.  Save the seeds from this year to plant for next year.  In late February pot it up and you’ll be ready to plant it in April.  Grow it once and you’ll be hooked! 

The new Cleome plants hybridized by Proven Winners aren’t the same Cleome your Grandma grew.  These guys don’t self-seed, don’t smell and bloom all summer long.  They don’t get tall and leggy like the old-fashioned Cleome did.  I recently purchased ‘Merlot’ at Thies Farm.  It has lovely purple flower clusters.  You can also find the pink ‘Senorita Roaslita’ cleome there as well.  Keep these annuals fertilized every other week and you’ll be rewarded with the most colorful garden on the block!

I hope these suggestions have whetted your appetite.  Try branching out and expanding your collection of annuals; there are so many new, mistake-proof choices out there.  My idea of a fun day is to grab a friend, hop in the car and see what new, unusual annuals I can scrounge up.  The rarer the better.  Yes, I have an addiction- its name is PLANTS!