Recently, my mother-in -law commented that many of the annuals on her deck have fried in the heat and sun, and she asked me for recommendations for annuals that perform well all summer. This has inspired me to start a meme, seeking reviews of good and poor performing annuals. I hope you'll participate.
By this point in summer, it's obvious which annuals are a resounding success and which have gone down in flames. I'm going to start with the losers, the annuals that have caused me great angst and disappointment. I don't have a photo for loser #1 because there's nothing to show. That's right, all my Zinnias, those allegedly easy to grow annuals, failed to germinate. I haven't a single sorry seedling to show for my efforts. Second lamest are the Cosmos, which I sowed in the general vicinity of the Zinnias.
Only a couple of them germinated, and they are sad, pathetic things. I had visions of clouds of pink Cosmos being feasted upon by hosts of butterflies. At this rate, I'll be lucky to have a single bloom by the end of August.But enough of the washouts. Here are the best annuals this summer at Squirrelhaven. None of these great annuals are bothered by pests, and their foliage looks as good as the blooms. Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) always performs, every year, self-sowing around the prairie plants.
Despite the lack of rain recently, it keeps plugging away, even along the driveway, without watering. I love this annual, which never needs gets deadheading.
Purchased as a small plant, this Angelonia angustifolia hybrid never fails to please.
It also doesn't need deadheading, and blooms all summer. In full sun, it is more upright. It's paired with another of my favorite annuals, Osteospermum. Most Osteospermums take a break in the middle of summer, but this 'Soprano Purple' and the yellow 'Lemon Symphony' (seen below with a Coleus)
keep right on blooming. They also don't need to be deadheaded, but they look the tidier for it.
Tops in the direct seeded category is the Black Peony Poppy that was the star of my Bloom Day post.
The seeds were sown in March, and I was even able to move a few of the seedlings rather than just thinning them out.
What annuals have done well in your garden this summer, and which have failed spectacularly? Post about them and leave a link with Mr. Linky here. I'm curious about what's good and what to avoid.