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spadewoman

What annual do you end up buying each year?

Spadewoman
21 years ago

For me it is red begonias, red geraniums, impatients and most recently wave petunias.

Comments (44)

  • Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
    21 years ago

    I buy all the ones you buy! Lots of impatiens, about the only easy thing to grow on my screened in porch.
    I bought a strepcarpella(sp??) that is beautiful, but whether it can go the distance -til early Oct.- is another thing.

  • Wendy_the_Pooh
    21 years ago

    I am also in Zone 5.
    Annual seeds I buy each year: Nasturtiums, Zinnias, Sunflowers, Bells of Ireland.
    Annual plants I buy each year: Mexican Heather, Snapdragons, Nicotiana, Cosmos, Geraniums, Pansies, Petunias (incl. Wave), Gerberas, New Guinea Impatiens, Dahlberg Daisy, Licorice Plant, Bacopa, Sweet Allysum, Eucalyptus, Rosemary.

  • ankraras
    21 years ago

    I just not buy any more Nasturtium next year. Yeh-yeh, famous last words heh heh.

    Supannee
    Ankrara's Hobby Corner

  • jakkom
    21 years ago

    I'm lucky to live in coastal Northern CA so that many annuals are either perennials or even evergreen here. However, I always buy tomatoes and spicy globe basil every year. I also buy celosia, because I love their bright color scattered throughout my garden beds!

  • rhine59
    21 years ago

    Salpiglossis, Snapdragons, Morning Glory, and anything else that catches my eye at the garden center. Every year my wife and I grow everything we think we need from seed and every year we wind up making trips to Milaegers (our local nursery) and buy flat upon flat of annuals. That's part of the fun or it all I guess.

  • heather_on
    20 years ago

    Portulaca, Impatiens, Geraniums, Dusty Miller, are some of my favourites.

  • asturnut
    20 years ago

    Pansies in early spring...

    Catharanthus (flowering vinca) for the bare spots between my perennials

    White impatiens for my shade bed

    Geraniums for the pots on my patio (they remind me of Spain...)

  • Cherie527
    20 years ago

    Seems like I always buy impatiens. What other plant has such vibrant color in the shade, is self cleaning, and blooms continuously? Pretty near perfect........now if they only came in blue :)

    Cherie

  • Mimi_Carol
    20 years ago

    I have been planting perennials this year thinking that as I get older, I won't be able to maintain all the flower beds with annuals. The perennials are pretty but there is nothing like the instant "success" with annuals. So I've bought the good dependables that sometimes reseed themselves: impatiens, marigolds, cosmos, Mexican heather...my knees and back are sore but I have good looking flower beds but can still anticipate a little leisure time in a few years with the perennials!
    c

  • pippen7
    20 years ago

    This is only my 2nd year gardening...but I think the ones I will be rebuying each year are - Coleus, seed Geranium, and Ageratum. I am trying to make things mostly perennials...but am aware that a lot of color comes from annuals.
    OH and of course I have been growing sunflowers from seed every year for a while. I love sunflowers and am excited that I have my own yard to go crazy with (I have about 15 varities that I am going to plant this weekend!!!)
    God bless~ pippe

  • gardeningangel_z6
    20 years ago

    Impatiens,coleus,marigolds and my very favorite--the hanging blue lobelia with the white eye.Plus various odds and ends to put in big pots.
    Marian

  • drtynails
    20 years ago

    Impatients, stock, marigolds, carpet snapdragons, panseys, lobelia and petunias to name a few. Those are the old stand-bys. Every year I try other varieties and if something really makes an impression, I'll add it to next years group. The only problem is that the group keeps growing and my property remains the same. I think I need a bigger yard!

  • buzzy
    20 years ago

    I've stopped buying geraniums, but winter them inside as houseplants - sometimes cutting them back and starting the prunings into new plants - very easy, just stick it in a pot and water it. Last year I didn't bother to cut back, so now they're big and droopy, but I like it.

    They start blooming in the hallway under the skylights in February - now they're dazzling - I love looking the length of the hall and seeing all the reds, pink, fucshia, and coral. I'll put them out on the deck when it warms up.

    Now on deck are masses of pansies.

    For years I bought Blue Pearls Petunia, smaller bloom than the usual hybrid, several shades of blue to purple on the plant at once, profuse and beautiful. Can't find it anymore.

  • mfk1
    20 years ago

    OHHH, snapdragons, Snapdragons, and more SNAPDRAGONS!! Also buy petunias and a few of the darkest red geraniums although every year I say never again. Also buy cleome because I'm wayyyy tooo impatient to wait for the seeds to mature and they do self-seed so that's great. Always plant nasturiuns and sunflower and moonflower and sweetpea seeds every year. OHHHH YESSS, always buy heliotrope as well as flats of stuff I didn't realize I couldn't possibly live without that I didn't know I couldn't live without until I started shopping (smile). Have a perfect gardening day full of sunshine and absolutely NO weeds. marlita

  • designingwoman
    20 years ago

    As plants: Centradenia, Fuschia 'Gartenmeister Bonnstaedt', dark red snapdragons, Angelonia, Diascia, Cobbity daisies, herbs.

    Seeds: Nigella, Bupleurum, Cynoglossum, white Cosmos, Carmencita Castor Bean, Morning Glories, and a Coleus called 'Palisandre' (not sure of spelling, but it's almost black and nothing seems to chew it up).

  • hopflower
    20 years ago

    Seeds: Sweet Peas, of course!

  • MeMyselfAndI
    20 years ago

    Blue ageratum & 1 particular upright, silvery-purple double petunia.

  • FlowergirlDeb2
    20 years ago

    I always buy petunias, even though I start off the gardening season telling myself I won't for a change of pace!:) I also buy daisies, Osteoperinium?? I know that's not spelled right! They come with dark purple centers and peach, yellow, and white petals. I use the diasies in planters. Always buy coleus, vinca, and spikes and fern...does foliage count??:)

  • mscarlet
    20 years ago

    Petunias, cosmos, pom pom marigolds, alyssum, cleome, impatiens, morning glory, geraniums...

  • mandyb4121
    20 years ago

    Petunias and more petunias (DH adores them), impatiens, coleus. Trying Gerber daisies this year, but don't think I will again. They do not like the constant stream of rain

  • Frizzle
    20 years ago

    petunias, impatients, lobelia (then i was given MORE impatients and petunias!)

    then veg garden wise - usually different varieties of tomatoes, green pepper or two, onion sets and marigolds (keeps the munching things OUT of the garden plus it looks pretty!)

    this year i bought begonias in bright yellow and bright orange and mixed them with some curly leaf parsley and green sweet potato vines for a different look

    :)
    Friz

  • dawnstorm
    20 years ago

    Always petunias!

  • CherylCinVA
    20 years ago

    double petunias, cosmos, china asters

  • melissa_NYS
    20 years ago

    Pansies, always buying pansies, Each year. Next year i am going to plant the seeds, so I can have the prettiest one in my area!

    Melissa

  • grenthum
    20 years ago

    I always have the wave petunias. I always stayed away from petunias because they were so common but the new waves just cant be beat for baskets and containers. I even have some in the ground and they look great their too! I grew them from seed this year. I started them in March for planting in May but have learned that they need more time so I will start them next year in February. Of course I must always use impatiens for my containers on the front porch because of the shade. I started them from seed also this year. That was a little daunting also. They needed more time then I planned and are also a little harder to germinate, because of that when everyone else had bought theirs and put them in already blooming, mine were just gettting established and didnt bloom for three weeks. Ah but the colors are much better then the ones in the stores and I did it myself! I have started my veggies from seeds years prior but DH built me growing/lighted rack for 20 flats and now I can start all the veggies and flowers I want. So it was a year of experimentation for me. I will definitely also keep getting red velvet cockscomb.

  • beigestonehill
    20 years ago

    Salvias as many as I can find except those stubby red ones, I always get tons of lantana too. Tons of Zinnias in my cutting garden,branching sunflowers too

  • Tasha
    20 years ago

    Well I have only one that I can really say I buy every year.
    Dusty Miller! I love the silver look! You just plop it in and your done. What more could you ask for?

  • janene1
    20 years ago

    I second the lobelias. Saw them first in Washington State and have loved them since. I noticed some specified "seed" geraniums, and was wondering why you like them better. Am trying to decide what to grow for next year.

  • sandra_NY
    20 years ago

    I love dusty miller but I can't grow them. They always look like scraggly sticks. Too much clay? not enough sun? too much sun? Help!!

  • Pat z6 MI
    20 years ago

    I must have petunias, petunias, petunias.
    I must have geraniums, geraniums, geraniums.
    Or I shall die!
    Pat

  • rara_avis
    20 years ago

    this time of year it's pansies and more pansies
    in spring?
    Coleus!
    Impatiens- I try diff color stories each year to keep it interesting
    portulaca, but now i think i have enough seed collected to grow my own

    from seed in spring
    something new every year

  • GibsonGirl
    20 years ago

    Pansies
    Impatiens
    Snapdragons if I can find the pale pink-and-white shades
    Lisianthus if I can find it at all!! (nurseries don't tend to stock it here, and if they do, it's in very small quantity so if you snooze you lose...)

  • Susiebelle
    20 years ago

    Hot pink geraniums. Although I have one that has lived for years. It's my favorite summer flower.

  • ReddKatt
    20 years ago

    Pansies, seed geraniums, seed dahlias, marigolds, are all annual plants that I purchase. There are a bunch of vegetables that I purchase also, but hope to do that less this year, if at all. I am trying toput as many perennials in as possible, but you just CAN'T resist the lure of annuals now can you? I also brought a bunch of my seed geraniums into the cellar in pots and they still have some green on them so far.
    This past summer I picked up a large amount of annual seeds and am in the process of getting set to winter sow both annuals and perennials. I am also going to put a shop light in my stone cellar and see how that goes. It may be _too_ cold to do much of anything down there , though. I also have some windows and wood and plan to make some cold frames so I can start my veggies in the cold frame. I plan to dig down a bit into the ground * if it isn't frozen! * and put some manure and hay in to * warm * the cold frame. Then I will put some flats in and start seeds.

    Kathie *ReddKatt*

  • Jepa
    20 years ago

    Salvia elegans (pineapple salvia) and lippia citriodora. They always die back in the winter when I try to overwinter them inside, so it's a permanent spring purchase every year--

  • boomchuckchuck
    20 years ago

    My favorites are coleus, portulaca, celosia, ornamental peppers and those "million bells" to create a Flower Fiesta in front of my annuals and to tuck into planters. So many of the "annuals" such as nasturtium, begonias and impatients
    have become like perinials here in my Southern California
    Garden.
    boomchuckchuck

  • lookingglassgarden
    20 years ago

    I usually always get a couple flats of french marigolds. They arent my favorite flower but the branch out so well and create such a huge splash of color in mass groupings that I fill lots of dead spots with them.

    My absolute favorite is coleus. And I really like filling pots with potatoe vines and other annuals. I am really into Strawberry Fields Gomphrena right now also!

  • davila42
    20 years ago

    Every year seeds:
    Thai basil
    zinnia
    bachelor's button

    Every year flats:
    pansy
    vinca
    lobelia
    dahlia
    snapdragon
    Osteospermum
    impatiens

    Don't need to buy because they reseed for me:
    nasturtium
    salvia - S. farinacea 'Victoria'

    Wish that I could include California poppy in the last category, but haven't gotten good reseeding in either Missouri or central Michigan.

  • nwroselady
    20 years ago

    I love the tall snapdragons. I buy them as young small plants and pinch them back so they branch out. They still get to be 18-24" high but are much fuller and have the same presence in the garden as a well-grown perennial, and bloom all summer. Here in zone 8 they often make it through the winter, and I had one that lasted three years, getting bigger and lusher each year.

  • balibar
    20 years ago

    Impatiens because they're the only flowers that will survive in the shade of my wisteria, and geraniums because they're the only ones that will survive in the containers of the front windows and balconies in the full sun.
    I now officially hate impatiens and geraniums, but I'll end up planting them anyway because every replacement I tried died. There! I'm glad I got that off my chest! :-))))
    Balibar

  • cko1210
    20 years ago

    I like Pentas, snapdragons, lantana, and geraniums. They like the summer, hummingbirds and butterflies!

  • kansasgail
    20 years ago

    STOCK, for sure!!! It is hard to find around here, so this year I'm ordering from a catalog. Just one plant will scent my whole patio area!!

    Gail

  • nonacook
    20 years ago

    Coleus and Impatiens--Among other! LOL

  • fish_pond
    20 years ago

    Geraniums,vinca,spikes, everything else I need for my planters I start from seed.

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