Planting for annual colour
When we plant annuals, our aim is always to have a blaze of colour from July onwards.
We used to freshly plant annuals every year on the headland area near to the road. As we’ve got older the border has become a bit of an annual and perennial mix, sometimes intentionally, and sometimes accidentally, as over the years we planted some plants that surprised us and became perennial.
Some years the rain has damped the show and sometimes the sun has accelerated it. All good fun and I wish I’d taken a chronological record of things, but it is patchy.
Here are the principles I use when planting annuals.
First and always, I plant three Scot’s Thistle, Onopordum acanthemum. This is for drama and the photo opportunities. Onopordum is a biennial, hence they will make a large silver rosette in this first year and then will shoot up to flower with their fabulous purple thistle heads next spring.
Then I think about colour and drama and reach for Dahlias. Each year I try a new variety and this year it is a red double called Murdoch. The others I use a lot are
Arabian Nights - A tall rich red double.
Moonfire - Apricot yellow single, red centre, dark foliage
Bishop of Llandaff - Vivid red double on dark foliage.
Then height and strength. No staking here. I usually go for Nicotiana, the tobacco plants. My favourite is Nicotiana affinis, but just as good is Nicotiana sylvestris, which has whorls of white flowers. Avoid the dwarfed hybrids like Domino…no bottle.
Then more tall and filling…and always I reach for Cosmos Sensation. Feathery foliage and substantial pink and purple flowers. It also shoots away fast, I only like to weed that corner once before the foliage grows over.
Then the middle height. To contrast and compliment the Dahlias, Rudbeckia bulks up and gives an excellent late show.
Then at a lower height about 25cm, my favourite is annual barley grass Hordeum jubatum and Opium poppies, imagine them dancing in the breeze.
Calendula, ordinary Pot Marigold Orange King is excellent and weather proof. If it looks like yet another cool wet summer, I can guarantee a show with these.
Covering the edges; White Bacopa , Bidens or Sanvitalia are excellent and I have used trailing Lobelia Sapphire. All good and pretty edge frills .
Filling spaces …..And there always seems to be a few, Tagetes, Cornflower, Night scented stock. Lovely.
To end, here are my top five annuals to plant in uncertain weather. And if you’re late to the party, there’s still time. Sow in June plant out in July enjoy from late August to November and even Christmas..
Tagetes… long season and utterly reliable.
Cosmos Sensation…the others don’t cut the mustard
Rudbeckia.... I like the tall ones, give a long late season, try to find Irish Eyes
Pot Marigold... well fed this gives a great show.
Parsley…..yes curly leaf parsley, strictly a biennial, but it is the most vivid green you can get and a wonderful contrast to marigold orange.
