We are talking here about that huge category of plants that
are commonly called "bedding plants" in the nursery
industry. In a botanical sense, some of these are true
annuals that complete their life cycle in one year and then
die. However, a big percentage of the plants are really what
are called tender perennials. That is, in their native
environment of the tropics or sub-tropics, these plants
would live more than two years. But, they cannot survive in
areas with cold winter temperatures so they are treated as
"annuals" since they will die when exposed to frosts.
Generally, annuals may be
installed in the home landscape in one of three ways
including direct seeding, starting the seeds indoors and
purchase of container grown bedding plants from a
greenhouse/nursery.
A. Planting Container
Grown Annuals - Most annuals planted in the home
landscape come in plastic cell packs or small plastic
pots and containers. They have been grown in the perfect
environment of the modern greenhouse. They have only
experienced the optimum of conditions such as light,
heat, moisture and nutrition. This is about to change
when we buy them and take them home to our landscapes.
When you get the flats or
pots of annuals home, the first thing to do is give them
a good watering. Be sure that you water them until the
excess runs out the bottom of the containers. If you
cannot plant them immediately, place them in a shaded
location until you can get to the task.
Remove the container and check the root mass. If it is a
solid mat of roots or some roots are circling, be sure to
cut them with a knife or pruners. This will help the plant
to spread its roots out into the soil in a more natural
configuration.
Dig a hole the same depth as the container, spread the
untangled or cut roots out as you place them in the hole and
then cover them gently with soil. Water the area thoroughly after
planting to help the soil settle and remove any air pockets.
Be sure to follow the spacing guidelines on the container
label. This will allow the plants to grow to their mature
size without crowding others nearby.
The exception to the spacing rule will apply when you are
putting annuals in containers. There, you will
generally want to crowd them in so that the pots overflow
and give a great display quickly.
B. Planting Annuals from Seed - Seeds of most
commonly used annuals for the home landscape are available
in packets from mail order or local sources. Plant breeders
have figured out how to precisely cross plants with each
other so that the resulting seedlings are something special
and uniform in their traits.
There are two major ways that annuals are grown from seed
for the home landscape:
-
Direct Seeding - Annuals are almost all
designed to germinate once the soil gets to a
certain temperature. So, you can plant them just as
you do your sweet corn in the vegetable garden.
Generally wait until the soil temperature is at
least 50 to 60 degrees F which is also the time that
the forsythia bushes are in bloom. Plant the seeds
at a depth of about twice their diameter and cover
gently with soil. Water them immediately and keep
the soil moist until they emerge.
The major downside to planting annuals seeds
directly into the ground is that it will take
several weeks or perhaps a month or more before they
are large enough to begin flowering. It might be mid
to late summer before you have any blooms. The
upside is that this method is a lot cheaper than the
other approaches.
-
Starting Seeds Indoors - If you want to start
your annuals from seeds and want to get a head start
on the season, the best approach is to start the
seedlings under artificial lights inside the house.
The downside to this approach is that it costs more
than direct seeding due to the specialized equipment
and time you will need to spend.
