10 February 2009

Love Song to Annuals


A couple of weeks ago I did several posts looking at plants we love to not so much love, and included a few annuals on my list of plants I don't particularly want in my garden. They're fine and wonderful and just not my thing. Now it's time to look at some that I am very fond of. 
We'll start with lantana. It's a strange plant; I know it's perennial in warmer parts of the world, and even invasive and a nuisance in some areas. Here, it's a tender annual, flinching at the first sign of cold weather, pouting and dying when frost whispers around the containers. But I adore it. It's an important plant for pollinators, and the flowers are just SO cool with their varying shades in each flowerhead of florets. This one is called 'Sunrise Rose'. It's well named, wouldn't you say?

Invariably I lose labels and names of annuals despite the best of intentions. These, for the record, are all annuals that come in individual pots, higher priced than the flats of grown from seed plants. I use them exclusively in containers around our gardens and yard, and tend towards bright, strong colours. 

This will grow from seed, although this particular strain is a hybrid, either 'Wildcat Blue' or 'Skylover.' The plant is Anagallis, or blue pimpernel, or Poor Man's Weatherglass; I love it for its cobalt blue flowers, and its funky habit of closing up its flowers when the weather gets cloudy. 

Osteospermums are definitely one of my favourites. This is one of the softer coloured ones, and I tend usually towards the richer ones, but I like its unique clean form. And osteos are interesting because they are fussy in the spring, but once they get established, they're so tough and flower until a hard frost or snow takes them out. 

Ahem. This is a fabulous verbena. It didn't need cossetting and deadheading to keep it flowering until the cold weather sent me out to dump the last of the containers. I should have taken a cutting, because not only do I not know its name...I have NO idea where I got it. Sigh. Note to self. Go back to Gardening Gone Wild and study the GBDWorkshop on labels and records....

Pansies make me smile. I don't care if they're common, or slug bait, or whatever else some dismiss them with. They are simply beautifully happy flowers, and this antique shades collection are among my favourites. 

I never used to grow ageratum at all. Then the plant breeders got interesting with colour changing and came up with some deep rose and even wine coloured varieties. Add that to the fact that pollinators love them, and they've taken a place in my container plantings. 


Lobelias can be problematic because they tend to melt down in hot weather. However, there have been several heat-resistant varieties recently, including the Laguna and Technoheat series, and they perform very well for me all season long. 

Torenias will take some shade, I've found in recent years, providing they don't get too wet. This little darling is called 'Lovely Yellow'. And isn't she wellnamed? 

Nemesia is easy to grow from seed, but there are some beautiful new cultivar series that I really, really like. This is called Opal Innocence, and even though it's more pastel than most of my choices, it's so striking I had to have it. As an added bonus, it has a wonderful scent, sort of like baby-powder but not cloying. I hope to see it around this spring. 

And this is a bit of an acquiescence to Anna and her love of petunias. It's a Callie, or actually it's a super-callie, a beefed up cross between callies and petunias. This one is called 'Terra Cotta' and it's a definite favourite because the hummingbirds love it. That's always good enough for me!

36 comments:

  1. I came over here to see what you've been doing while I was barfing my brains out the past week. Looks like you have come to your senses and fallen in love with the Terra Cotta caibrach. I pair it with the new trailing lantana called Popcorn--I think. It needs a big pot. You know those lantana roots--ravenous maniacs.

    I am fond of a simiar lantana with the soft shades too. Maybe it was Camarata? who knows as that was all they way back last summer--right? I mean it was ages ago.

    I like you link stories at the bottom of each post. That is clever.

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  2. I love the color of that Osteospermum, so soft and pretty! The pansy is also one of my favorites....yours has a unique and lovely coloring.

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  3. They are all so pretty. I used to overlook annuals and go mostly for perennials, but I've come to appreciate annuals so much more. So many pretty colors and choices. The Sunrise Rose lantana is very pretty.

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  4. Beautiful plants there...I've never seen a pansy like that. What a treat to read and see your fabulous photos!

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  5. Thanks for visiting my blog and for your candid comments
    Kind Regards

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  6. Add me to the list of lantana lovers. Although, I always forget it can be overwintered indoors and makes a great potted plant and pretty decent plant for standard topiaries.

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  7. Your list is wonderful! There are a few on there that are on mine as well- the Lantana though, everyone seems to be talking about it! I have to find this!

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  8. Opps! I forgot to ask. Does anyone know where I can get Lantana seeds?

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  9. Ohhhh, those colors are a sight for sore eyes that are used to only shades of gray. The torenias are beauties, the lobelias are some of my favorites, and ageratum are so sweet. Of course all the rest of the colorful blooms are welcome anytime too! Ah, spring is just around the corner...right?

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  10. Your selection of annuals is great - wonderful plants, all of them! Pansies are my No 1 favourite - I don't care if they're common, either - and the shade of the Anagallis is outstanding. I have anouther favourite - white Californian Poppy. I grew it for the first time last year, and it's so pretty!
    Have a good week!
    Katarina

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  11. A colourful feast for my eyes.

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  12. Your choices are good ones Jodi. They are some I also use in the garden. I really like the torenias because I have so much shade and they do so well. Pansies are one of my favorite spring flowers. They don't hold up in our hot weather but they do scream spring to me.

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  13. Hi Jodi, always a delight to come over and visit you, you never disappoint! Ah, the lantanas, how I wish we could winter them over, but not really because then I get to pick the new colors each year. The flowers hypnotise me with the variation of color on a single stalk along with the butterflies and bees. Those antique shade pansies get to me too, even though the violas are so much easier here, no deadheading. And the callies and osteos are great, not performing as well in the drought conditions we have had lately, even though they should. Your photos are mouth watering! Drool.
    Frances

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  14. Jodi, you can't go wrong with lantanas and verbenas in your containers. They always do well and provide excellent color with out being too fussy.Your unknown Verbena looks like 'Lanai Upright Purple Mosaic'. I only found one plant last spring, unfortunately because I fell in love with it's color and more upright habit.

    Those antique shade panzies are wonderful. I would like to find those here. Thanks for ssome great color on a dreary rainy day here.

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  15. The first time I saw a Lantana was in a garden outside LA where they just had green plants. The almost neon orange colour just popped and I tried to get a good pic, but unfortunatley couldn't catch what I saw with the camera. After that I saw different coloured Lantanas all over the place. A whole parking lot was surrounded by them...Came to think about all sue crazy people in USA...lol....and wondered what would happen if a kid ate of one of the flowers eg.Uhmmmm. I did NOT plant any of them in the garden I had while over there because of my toddler. But I do love the Lantana! :)

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  16. I love lantanas, too. They are so dependable and hardy here. Fortunately, they are a reliable perennial here, too.

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  17. Jodi,

    Hello...some of my favorites and then some to tempt me! I think I love nemesia! What a lovely little face and it does indeed shine like an opal. I suspect she might bolt at the idea of all the heat and humidity C&L would offer~~I am also nuts about lantana. it sure can fill in the blank spots in a garden when all is past their prime. I use it in beds and in containers! Delightful photos and as always, a good read!
    Gail

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  18. Oh, Nemesias are my favorite!! I think they smell lightly of vanilla. I didn't know they are easy to seed, I will try that this year...

    Gen

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  19. I love, love, love lantana, even if it does stink. Of course, I love petunias too ;-)

    Tessa asked about lantana seeds, I tried an experiment to grow them from seed last year and didn't have a single seed to germinate, either inside or out. I wish I knew the secret to grow them from seed. I'd have them everywhere if I did.

    It is just so good to have you back to regular blogging, Jodi. I missed you in your absence!

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  20. I have gone completely gaga for Osteos! My winter header is a frozen Osteospermum. They are every bit as great for me as they have been for you. But the truly oustanding annual performer around here last year was Angelonia, which look really good in a container with Osteospermum.

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  21. Lantana has moved to the top of my Must Have list -- I especially like the Citrus Blend and the new 'Pink Caprice'. And, I've never seen the pink Ageratum! My Dad used to use a lot of the blue/periwinkle colour as edgings, years ago, but this pink is spectacular. As yes, pansies always bring a smile. :) Great list.

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  22. Love the nemesias. I think I will have to try some. I wonder if the blue pimpernel would be happy in Alabama. Blue is my favorite color but so hard to find true blues. So far for me, it's lithodora and plumbago.

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  23. What a pretty blog. Love the post. Those are some of my very favorites. Of course I like just about all flowers.
    Debbie

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  24. Your favourites have given me lots of ideas for new plants to try this summer, in particular I will try the Anagallis, love the deep blue colour, I have always grown Ageratums the tall variety, it has been a reliable plant in containers for me, I will be looking for the super callie in that wonderful Terra Cotta colour especially if the hummingbirds love it.
    Thanks again.

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  25. The biggest eye opener for me since I started blogging last summer was realizing how many of the plants I love to grow in Northern California are popular all over the country. (I know, I know, reinforcing the sterotype that Californians are unabashed navel gazers)

    A lot of these are tender perennials here. I personally couldn't imagine life without verbena and lantana. I used to plant Terra Cotta million bells all the time until I realized it was unreliable as a perennial, but if you're growing it as an annual, who cares? It looks great front of border or spilling over a wall or pot and the color is amazing with red, chartreuse, blue or variegated foliage. I still haven't found a good replacement.

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  26. I don't know why I have never had luck with lantana.

    I love the pansy, what lovely colors. This was a great post, thanks for showing us the possibilities.
    Marnie

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  27. Beautiful photos. That pansy... My two favorites are the stalwart tendencies of the lantana. The nemesia scent is ambrosia. Love them.

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  28. Jodi:
    Your influence is far reaching! I was about to head out to one of the nearby garden centres to see what I could find that might tempt me to try the whole 'Jiffy' gardening thing again..... now I have two names to add:
    Anagallis and Nemesia.
    Thanks for opening my eyes

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  29. You made some wonderful choices. I love annuals for the bright cherry colors they are willing to give us with not a ton of care. They just bloom their little hearts out! Yes pansies may be common but there is a reason for that...we just can't resist their happy faces! Kim

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  30. Those lantanas (and they look like camarata cultivara) give me the horrors. L. camarata certainly isn't an annual here; it's one of our worst bushland weeds, growing to 2-3m and choking out everything else! Besides, they have a nasty smell. The rest of your choices are lovely!

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  31. Jodi, As much as I am trying to plant more and more perennials, I just can't resist all the gorgeous annuals in the garden centers in the spring. You've included quite a few of my favorites--the lantana, the callies (can't spell tonight), and the verbena. And even though they won't be on your list, I would add some wave or supertunias, too.

    Like you, I've never been fond of ageratum, but I found a similar rosy-hued cultivar last spring and loved it. The osteos are always so tempting, but I never have any luck with them--I wonder why?

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  32. Lovely post - roll on summer.
    I am very fond of pansies and violas, they always look so Happy.
    Your Lanata Sunrise Rose is a lovely colour.
    K

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  33. I am in agreement with you about these, though I have some problems with keeping pansies going through the summer. Lantana is awesome. Really, as far as annuals, the only ones I don't like at all are celosia and begonia (which is supposed to be for shade but doesn't like mine).

    I use the tall ageratum. It is very graceful.

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  34. Some wonderful annuals for the garden and containers! I love the daisy like blooms of Osteospermums and that 'Terra Cotta' Callie is gorgeous. Love that shade of orange!

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  35. It's only been in recent years that I haven't turned up my nose at annuals, and I've really come to appreciate them.

    You've chosen some outstanding selections!

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  36. Mmmmm....YUM to all of them! There's a wine-colored ageratum? Must find. Thanks for showing these beauties to us!

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