Annuals provide the blast of color you need in Maine after a long winter of skiing and shoveling snow! They provide non-stop color and excitement to your gardens, windowsills and containers all summer. Just add water (and a little fertilizer twice a month) and stand back! Think beyond marigolds and geraniums to phygelius, mandevilla, and passion flower. Break the ‘rules’ and try unusual combinations or maybe new colors of old favorites.
Boothbay Region Greenhouses is a certified Proven Winners Garden Center.
Three tips for growing annuals...
1. Planting and spacing: Plant transplants closely so they fill in quickly. Usually, the tag will say to plant 8 to 12 inches apart, so pick 8 inches for a great show of flowers more quickly. I actually take a ruler into the garden, or measure off the spacing with my trowel. If the plants are a bit pot-bound (roots circling around), cut an X into the bottom with a knife or use your fingers to tease them apart so they make better contact with soil.
2. Watering: Annuals need water to thrive. Water them deeply two to three times a week after planting. The moist soil will encourage good growth. For the best show of color all summer, don't let up on the watering.
3. Feed your plants: When planting, sprinkle a slow-release fertilizer in the soil for a good base feeding. After planting, use a fertilizer that you mix with water once a week at full strength. Annuals soak up a lot of water and nutrients during our short growing season, and you want to make sure they have all that they need.
Annuals for Sun
-
Ageratum
- Alyssum
- Angelonia
- Argeranthemum
- Bacopa
- Bidens
- Calibrachoa
- Cleome
- Coreopsis
- Cosmos
- Dahlia
- Dianthus
- Dusty miller
- Gaura
- Gazania
- Geraniums
- Marigolds
|
- Nasturiums
- Nemesia
- New Guinea Impatiens
- Nicotiana
- Osteospermum
- Pansies
- Petunia
- Portulaca
- Salvia
- Sanvitalia
- Scaevola
- Snapdragons
- Thunbergia
- Verbena
- Zinnia
|
Annuals for Shade
- Begonia
- Browallia
- Caladium
- Coleus
- Fuchsia
- Impatiens
- Lamium
- Lobelia
- New Guinea Impatiens
- Torenia
|
|
