Annuals Review

Back in May someone asked me to help choose flowers for her containers around the pool.  There was a wedding planned for August, and she wanted 12 containers, to be filled with pink and white.  

To begin, I helped her pick out the containers, choosing large pots that would not dry out quickly, and could hold several plants. Next, I recommended a soilless growing medium, and told her to fill the pots to the brim.  I gave her a supply of water-soluble fertilizer to be used once a week and offered controlled release fertilizer to be used at planting time and again in mid-July.

For plants I asked her to pick around 75 plants, making sure some were tall, some medium and a few trailing.  I told her it didn’t matter much what plant varieties she chose, because by summertime all plants would look just fine. 

Sure enough, within a month her flowers around the pool were robust, lush, and over flowing with colour. 

The following is her list of winners and losers. She will keep the list when choosing flowers for next year.

Lantanas were the star performers, providing a constant supply of dependable colour.  Lantanas love the summer heat, and the frequent hummingbirds are a bonus.

Portulacas are low growing flowers in mixed colours that thrive in tight sunny spots.  Flowers open wide in daytime and become less showy when the sun goes down. 

Hibiscus in both shrub form and tree form, are a constant supply of huge, showy blooms.  Flowers are not abundant and drop after only a day or two.  Yet, there were always at least 6 or 7 blooms per plant. 

Impatiens were a surprising show, despite my fear that they would be attacked by Downy Mildew.  In both sun and shade, the Impatiens were always covered in delightful flower.

Dipladenia, with its glossy leaves and bright pink blooms are sure winners for container gardening.  They thrive in small pots and hanging baskets.  Dipladenias like to be planted solo, for fear the neighbouring plants’ growth is too aggressive. 

Verbenas are tried, tested and true, with dependable spreading growth filling the container with vibrant, lush growth that spreads outwards and cascades downwards. 

Plectranthus ciliatus is a little-known plant chosen for its cascading growth.  A perfect spiller when choosing plants as thriller, filler and spiller.  I put this plant in the loser bin because its aggressive growth drowned out the petunias it was supposed to share its space with.