Home Gardeners

Preparing for Summer Colour

Spring is the ideal time to plan and prepare your summer flowering annuals.

Annuals are plants, which grow, flower, seed and die in the one-year. Their multitudes of colour brighten up existing gardens, or are spectacular in mass plantings, or even border, pots, hanging baskets.

Before you plant out your annual displays, a number of steps need to be followed -

Site - where will your display be situated? Full sun, a lightly shaded area under a tree, rockery or perhaps a border lining a pathway. Before you make your plant selection, decide where the annuals will be planted so you can select seedlings according to their size, colour and light requirements.

Preparing the site - Remove existing weeds before planting out. Annuals prefer a well-drained fertile soil. Adding organic matter such as well-rotted compost or manures will provide nutrients and improve soil structure. Peat will help retain moisture, and raising the beds will assist drainage.

 Display - Work with colour and height. Select smaller annuals for borders and gradually step up in height with the taller plants being the backdrop. You may prefer a concentration in one particular colour, or alternatively a busy mass of many colours. Surrounding structures and existing plants should be considered, however, your own individual taste will determine your selection.

Gomphrena

Marigolds

Salvia

Water - water the area well before planting out annuals, and don't let the plants dry out in the punnets.

Now that your beds are ready, care needs to be taken when planting out. Try not and disturb the root system when separating the individual plants, and do not plant the annuals any deeper than they were in the punnet. Firm down each plant. . Spacing is important and should be kept even. This will prevent awkward clumps, or sparse areas.

Each type of annual will have space requirements. For the best result, plant rows alternatively. Water well by hand after planting, a sprinkler may miss some of your new plants.

Although it may be a bit awkward, a light mulching around the plants will help hold in moisture and keep the weeds down.

Maintenance - Water regularly and do not let the plants dry out. A good thorough watering is better than a light sprinkle as the roots will remain near the surface instead of penetrating down into the soil.

'Pinch' prune new growth to promote a more dense plant, which will provide more flowers.

Liquid manures or chemical fertilizers can be applied when the buds are forming. This can promote a good healthy flowering period.

Weed regularly. Weeds will compete with your annuals for food, water and light. Be careful not to damage the annuals, particularly the root system.

To ensure maximum flowering period, remove the spent flower heads with a light prune. This will encourage a new flush of flowers.

Summer /Autumn flowering annuals

Amaranthus, Aster, Celosia, Dahlia, Dianthus, Gerbera, Gomphrena, Helichrysum, Marigold, Petunia, Phlox, Portulaca, Salvia, Snapdragon, Verbena, Zinnia.