Monday, June 15, 2009

Annuals Take The Lead

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.
Summer vacations are starting for many now that school is out .
We can tell by the traffic here in the Hocking Hill's that many
are taking their vacations here or closer to home because of the
gas prices and a slower economy. I hope that everyone who
comes here for their vacations have a wonderful time but please
do not spin in my gravel while turning around in the driveway
and throw your trash in my yard, and to those few from
other countries, my yard is not park property and open to
the public, but it does close at dark like the state park. :-)

Can you tell we have a problem with tourists once in a while.
Now, that I have vented, on to the annuals.

Annuals sometimes get a bad rap in the issue of gardening
because they do not last and are usually replaced every spring.
I have experimented with various annuals and found that if you
have the space to over winter them they some can be cut back
and saved for the following spring plantings. I have been
able to overwinter many geraniums including the ivy geraniums,
impatiens, petunias, osteospermum's, to name a few, and I
always bring in the Ipomoea potato vines to start new vines from
the old for planting.
Annuals can always be depended upon to take the lead in
coloring up the flower beds when our perennials are
spent or we are in between growing seasons for them. In
the heat of summer the annuals keep on blooming.
I love my perennials that come back every year but in my
old clay soil that gets as hard as rocks I need the annuals
that are grown by all gardeners to place around to fill in
the spaces.
Here are some of the old reliable annuals that are in bloom
around the garden and in containers that add more color to
my world.





Red Verbena








Blue or Purple Petunia's








White Geranium's








Pink Tobacco flowers.




Osteospermum




White Wave Petunia's and Red Tobacco Plants




Rose Geranium's.

I have many more that were started from seed that are
just coming on with blooms to share later.

Happy Gardening Everyone!




16 comments:

Becky Garrison said...

Hi Lona! Funny you should bring up the vacationers topic today, because we had originally scheduled a week in your area for next week, but had to change to something closer to home because of my dad's health. {sigh}

As for the annuals, they give you really great pops of color when some of the perenniels aren't blooming. I have geraniums, nocotiana, zinnias, dahlias, caladiums, bacopa, lantana, etc. for those colorful additions.

Thanks for sharing yours! Becky

Dirt Princess said...

Oh tourists!!!!!!!! Maybe they will stop spinning out and littering! Geez!!! Have a little repsect will ya! I have some varieties of verbena that come back for me every year! I have also had petunias and impatiens come back...even they thought aren't "supposed" to!

Jan said...

Gorgeous annuals, Lona! I always add a few in pots or empty spaces around the garden. They are always welcome here, too!

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

I love annuals too. Yours are pretty and they are reliable for blooming even when the temps are unbearable! I just planted several pony packs today! I decided I wanted more color for later in the summer when the daylilies are done. So thats why I did it. (-:
As for the tourists charge admission to your garden and make some money!!!(-;

RURAL said...

Pluck not the wayside flowers, People!

Hopefully they leave your property alone.

Gorgeous shots of everything.

Jen

Tootsie said...

I use mostly annuals so that I can change up the garden if I want to without transplant issues!

Unknown said...

Poor Lona. Those people must think that your yard is beautiful to mistake it for a park. I'm in a nice out of the way area so that's not a problem for me. I love the constant colors that annuals provide in the yard. I put mine mostly in hanging baskets and pots though rather than planting them in my garden. I don't like to disturb the soil so often.

Barbarapc said...

I agree - it just isn't a garden without a patch of good old-fashioned annuals - yours look lovely.

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

I hope the tourist treat your yard well this year.
Your annuals are pretty and I love that they give us the non stop flowers. I love petunias and flowering tobacco I always plant lots of both.

Kelly said...

...beautiful, beautiful flowers, and your photos are bursting with color. Lovely!!!

Anonymous said...

Your flowers look so wonderful.

Willow

Balisha said...

Hi Lona,
I imagine that tourists can be a problem once in a while. I love the pictures of your annuals. They do add such color to the yard.I guess you could call a tourist an annual. We can make room for them for a time...just like the flowers.

Unknown said...

Hey I would not know what to do without some annuals. Verbena always returns in the container or the ground for me. Yours are beautiful!

Heather said...

Sorry to hear that the tourists are not always so friendly to your yard when they come to the Hocking Hills. I have seen quite a few signs in people's driveways saying "this is not a turnaround" and the like when I drive through. I've probably driven right by your house!

Your annuals are lovely by the way. Impatiens are always a sure winner in my shady little plot, and now I seem to have a new favorite: begonias. I've never been much of a fan before, but they're growing on me.

Pat said...

Got to have ANNUALS !
How tall does your Pink Tobacco plant get ? Been thinking about starting them from seed for a few years now.
We live in a vacation town and it seems we have less vacationers this year.
But then again school gets out June 19th.

Lona said...

Patsi: This is my first attempt at them but they appear to be low growing about 8-12 inches, similar to petunias.

Heather: That probably was my uncle's house ;-) they live out the road from me.I love begonias but have no lick with them.Maybe I drown them :-)

Darla; You have such beauties.

Balisha: I love the tourists but there are always those few###

Willow & Kelly; Thanks girls.

Cinj; I love how your plants are coming along. Especially the strawberries, Yum.

Becky; Maybe next year. I know you wouldn't spin up my gravel :-)

Thanks Jen, if I only had your talent girl!

Tootsie; I wish I could grow them like yours, wow.

Catherine & Jan; you both have the prettiest beds.

Cindee; now that is a thought,hum.

Barbara; Thanks for dropping by, You must be busy now that the warm weather has came to stay.