FLOWERING ANNUALS

Annual flowers, those that complete their life period. Plants selected as color accents should be
cycle in a single season, are an outstanding way striking in. appearance, yet neat in appearance,
for the home gardener to increase the enjoyment and showy all season.
of his garden during the year. Annuals, or bed-
ding plants, are available in a multitude of colors As a general rule, elaborate annual displays
and plant forms that allow them to fit into are best relegated to the backyard of the prop-
almost any landscape situation. By selecting erty. These displays, though very appealing to
flowers carefully to fit the conditions of the site, the homeowner, are usually too distracting for
it is possible to have a beautiful display without the public area of the landscape. Whether the ·
an unnecessary amount of work. Annuals are annuals are located in the public area or the
also enjoyed as fresh and dry cut flowers. backyard, it is important that the annuals be
kept attractive all season. . As soon as the
annuals are not longer attractive, they should be
removed.
ANNUALS IN THE LANDSCAPE
The purpose of the landscape around the PREPARING THE SITE
home is to add beauty to the home and to please
the owners. Annuals can add beauty to a land- Annual planting sites should be prepared at
scape; however, if used too indiscriminately they least a month in advance of planting. If the
can distract from the overall appearance of the planting area is large or problems have been
scene. Annuals should serve as an accent to the noted in previous years, a soil sample .should be
landscape, not a dominant feature in the setting. taken to the local county Extension office. Soil
test results serve as guidelines for planting.
The best uses of annuals in the public area Allow at least 3 weeks for test results.
(that area in the front of the home) include uses
in borders, edgings, hanging baskets, and Well-drained planting sites should be selected
planters. Annuals used in this area should be and then spaded or tilled at least 6 inches deep.
low key. They should harmonize with the setting, Lime, if called for by the soil test, should be
and there should be a minimum of contrast used. applied at this time. Do not apply lime unless
The colors should blend with each other and soil test results specifically call for it. Fertilizer,
with the home. such as 10-20-10 or 12-12-12, can be applied at
the rate of 1 pound (1 pint) per 100 square feet
Flower borders should be large enough to of bed space. Rake and smooth the beds and
appear significant in the setting, but not so large allow them to settle prior to planting.
as to dominate it. Beds should not be located in
the center of the lawn area, but should be
adjacent to either the home, a fence, or shrub- SELECTING ANNUALS
bery. An attempt should be made to provide a
uniform neutral background for annuals so that Selecting the correct annual for the location
they will stand out better. Beds and borders are is the easiest way to guarantee success with
easier to maintain if they are not more than these flowers. In addition to matching the
5 feet deep. environmental requirements of the site, one must
also consider plant size, length of blooming
When selecting annuals for beds and borders, season, and the color of the blooms. To help
it is best to limit the choice to as few kinds as select the correct annual for various situations,
possible. The most attractive displays are usually consult Table 1.
created when only one kind of plant· is used.
Usually plant height in the public area of the
landscape should be limited to one foot tall. STARTING ANNUALS
Annuals for edging walks and shrubbery It is possible to grow one's own annuals if a
should be carefully selected so that they are neat few of the basic principles are understood.
and compact all season and have a long blooming Annuals may be either sown in place or they

Annuala -1
may be grown indoors and transplanted to the PLANTING AND MAINTENANCE
final growing location.
If plants are tall and spindly, they should be
If the plants are to be grown in place, the pinched back halfway. Pinching oft' the blooms at
seeds should be sown in well-prepared soil. after planting time produces more attractive plants
the danger of frost is past. Large-seeded annuals and more blooms. Spacing should be based on
such as zinnias and marigolds should be planted the vigor of the plant. Consult Table 1 for spac-
two to three seeds per location. The planting ing recommendations. If the plants are in peat
locations should be placed 12 to 18 inches apart, pots, the top should be peeled oft: If this is not
depending on the space requirement of the plant. done, the pot . will dry out and roots will not
Fine-seeded plants such as petunia or portulaca grow through the side of the pot. Position the
should be broadcast on the soil surface. It is plant so that the top of the pot is just at the
often helpful to mbt the seeds with a spoonful of ground level.
sand. This allows for even sowing of the seed in
the area. Water the plants in after planting. If the
annuals do not receive at least 112 inch of rain
each week, water them. Fertilize with 112 pound
After the seeds are sown, it is important that complete fertilizer in mid.June and again around
the soil remain moist during germination. Seeds the first of August.
germinate much faster if the soil bas warmed
prior to planting or the location is in a. sheltered Old blooms should be removed as soon as
area. they have withered. This will prevent the plant
from producing seed, which reduces the number
When the seeds have germinated, it is time of blooms produced.
to thin the plants to the final spacing. Most
plants should be thinned to 8 to 12 inches apart. Weeds should be controlled either by band
It is usually possible to transplant some of the wetting or mulching. A 3-inch mulch of some
seedlings rather than destroy them. organic material such as pine bark will eliminate
weeds and conserve soil moisture.
Seeds can be started indoors 6 to 8 weeks
before frost if a bright window or coldtrame is If the annuals have stopped flowering during
available. The seeds should be sown in sterile the summer, they can usually be induced to
soil in an appropriate container. Small seeds bloom again either by severely c:Utting the plant
should be sown on the soil surface, while larger back or by making an application of fertilizer.
seeds should be covered. Keep the soil moist, but
not wet, until the seeds have germinated. INSECT CONTROL
The easiest way to protect against serious
When the seedlings are large enough to insect or disease problems is to closely observe
transplant they should be carefully lifted from the plants. Early detection is important because
the soil. The seedlings should be handled by the if often is possible to stop a severe problem.
leaves and transplanted to a sterile growing
media. The plant should be positioned at the Most insect problems on annuals are caused
same level it was growing in the seedling flat. by aphids, spider mites, white flies, or cater-
Water the plants as required and fertilize with a pillars. Aphids are small, soft-bodied insects usu-
house plant fertilizer on a weekly basis. If at ally found on the stems and the underside of
least four hours of sun cannot be provided, one plant foliage. The most common aphid on annual
should not attempt growing annuals indoors. flowers is light green in color with wings present
only at certain times of the year on the adult
If plants are purchased, one should not be in insects. Aphids feed by sucking sap from the
an undue burry. Plants will grow poorly if the stems and leaves of infested plants and can
temperature of the soil is too cold; therefore, cause heavy loss in certain situations. Aphids
plant the plants only after the danger of frost is may be controlled by spraying with malathion,
past. This varies from early April in south diazinon, or other registered insecticides on a
Arkansas to early May in north Arkansas .. weekly basis until the population has been
controlled.
Select annual plants that have clean foliage
and that are not excessively tall and leggy. Spider mites are tiny relatives of insects
Selecting plants that are not yet in bloom is a usually only visible with a band lens. These tiny
good way to ensure rapid establishment. Avoid creatures suck the sap from the plant and
plants that have oft'-color foliage or that show congregate on the lower leaf structure. Under
other signs of neglect. heavy infestation, leaves will have a whitish

2 -Annuals
cast. Webbing may occur in severe infestations. After plants are established they are still not
Spider mites may be controlled with weekly immune to disease attack. The major diseases of
sprays of kelthane, malathion, or diazinon. annuals can be grouped as those that attack the
flowers and foliage and those that cause the
White flies are tiny white flying infects that plant to wilt and die.
usually are found on plants in sheltered areas or
in greenhouses. These difficult-to-control insects The diseases that attack the flowers and
may cause some losses outside, but are more . foliage can usually be reduced by planting in
commonly a problem in greenhouses. Diazinon areas that get sun early in the morning so that
and malathion applications on a five-day sche- the foliage will dry quickly and by providing
dule will help reduce the population. adequate spacing to ensure air circulation around
the plants. The most serious leaf diseases are
Caterpillars of various kinds chew holes in various leaf spot diseases and powdery mildew.
and consume the foliage of many plants. These The leaf spots cause irregular dead blotches on
are usually easily controlled with sevin or leaves and are most commonly seen on petunias
malathion sprays. and zinnias. Powdery mildew starts as a white
coating on leaves and flowers. This is usually
followed by the death of the leaves. Powdery
ANNUAL DISEASES mildew is common on zinnias and black-eye
susans. Chemical control of powdery mildew is
Controlling diseases of annuals is much possible by using fungicides such as Benlate or
easier if one plans in advance and anticipates Karathane every 10 days to 2 weeks. Leaf spot
the problems that might occur. The most diseases are controlled by Benlate, zineb, or
common problem for annuals grown from seed is maneb application.
damping off, a disease that causes the seedling
to rot at the base and then fall over. This dis- Root rot diseases are those that kill the roots
ease is caused by several fungi which are present of plants while the wilt diseases plug the vas-
in contaminated soil. Thus, loss from damping off cular system of the plants. Roots on plants in-
is easily avoided by planting seeds in sterilized fected by wilt diseases appear healthy; however,
soU. It is often impractical to sterilize outside there may be a brownish discoloration on the
beds; but if seedlings are started outdoors, sterile inside of the stem.
potting soil can ··be purchased or a small volume
of soil can be sterilized by baking moist soil in Wilt and root rot diseases are difficult to
an oven at 250 degrees for two hours. control and care should be taken to avoid plant-
ing unhealthy infected plants. If these disease
Outdoors, avoid locations that have been problems have been observed in previous years, a
problem spots in the past and sow the seeds only new planting site should be selected. Chemical
after the soil has warmed in the spring. Cold control is possible but impractical for most home-
soils slow seedling growth and make them more owners. Rotating planting sites, quickly removing
likely targets for disease attack. For added insur- infected plants, and starting with disease-free
ance, drench the seedlings with a fungicide such plants are the best ways to reduce damage from
as Captan or Benlate at 1 tablespoon per gallon. these diseases.

Annuals- 3
 Table 1
ANNUALS FOR EVERY LOCATION
Plant
Spacinlf Heipt
Annual Flower Color Exposure Cinches) Cinches)

Ageratum Blue Sun 12 6-18

Asters Blue, White Sun 12 12-14
Amaranthus Red1 Sun 14 24-36
Bachelor's Buttonr All Sun 10 16-24
Balsam Red Sun-semi-shade 10 16-24
Bells of lreland1 Green Sun 12 16-24
Black-Eyed Susan Yellow Sun 14 12-18
Calendula Yellow Sun 12 10-18
Celosia (cockscomb)l Red-yellow Sun 14 12-24
Coleus AJ11 Semi-shade 12 12-24
Cosmos Pink Sun 16 30-48
Dahlia Red-yellow Sun 12 12-48
Dianthus Pink-red Sun 10 10-12
Dusty Miller Gray Sun 10 12-18
Flowering Tobacco All Sun 12 16-24
Four O'Clock All Sun 14 24-36
Gaillardia Yellow Sun 12 12-18
Geranium Red, pink Sun 14 16-30
Globe Amaranth1 Purple Sun 12 14-18
Impatiens (sul~a} Red, pink, white Semi-shade 12 8-24
Lantana Yellow, red Sun 12 12-16
Larkspur Blue, pink Sun 8 18-36
Marigold (French} Yellow Sun 12 8-14
Marigold (African} Yellow Sun 18 24-36
Morning Glory All Sun 18 Vine
Nasturtium Orange Sun-semi-shade 8 10-18
Pansy All Sun 10 10-14
Periwinkle (vinca} White, pink Sun-semi-shade 12 8-24
Petunia All Sun 12 12-18
Phlox All Sun 10 8-14
Poppy (lceland)3 All Sun 10 18-24
Portulaca (Moss Rose} All Sun 8 6-10
Salvia (Scarlet Sage} Red Sun 12 14-30
Scabiosa Daisy Purple Sun 10 14-18
Snapdragon All Sun 10 8-24
Spider Plant (cleome} Pink, white Sun 16 30-36
Strawflower All Sun 12 16-24
Sweet Alyssum Purple, white Sun-semi-shade 8 6-8
Sweet Pea All Sun 8 Vine
Thunbergia Yellow Sun 10 Vine
Verbena All Sun 12 10-14
Wax Begonia Red, pink, white Semi-shade 10 10-16
Zinnia (Thumbelinia} All Sun 10 10-12
Zinnia (cactus flowered} All Sun 16 18-36
1Grown for its colorful foliage.
ICan be dried for winter arrangements.
3Should be planted in the fall or late winter.

4 -Annuals