Blog

 

 

Annuals are a wonderful addition to any garden. Although they require a bit more care than perennials, annuals come with quite a few benefits. They bring showstopping beauty to your garden aesthetics, are great picks for healthy biodiversity and soil health, and will truly elevate your outdoor landscape.

Continue reading to see some of the amazing benefits of planting annual flowers.

 

1) Low-maintenance gardening

Dragonwing begonia, fibrous begonias, wave petunias, portulaca, mandevilla, zinnias, and cleome are annuals that all perform well in a variety of climates and are easy to care for. Gardening doesn’t have to become a chore. You should be able to enjoy it without feeling like it’s too much work. Annuals are the answer if you want a flourishing, colourful garden to enjoy without extra effort.

 

Low maintenance plants offer several advantages. Firstly, they save time by requiring less attention and care, reducing the need for frequent watering, pruning, and overall maintenance.

 

Secondly, these plants are often adapted to drought conditions, resulting in water efficiency and conservation. They also prove cost-effective, minimizing the need for expensive fertilizers, pesticides, and gardening supplies.

 

Additionally, low maintenance plants are beginner-friendly, forgiving of occasional neglect and mistakes, making them suitable for novice gardeners. Engaging with these plants can be a stress-relieving activity, providing the benefits of gardening without overwhelming demands.

 

Furthermore, these plants contribute to sustainable landscaping practices by having longer lifespans and reducing the need for frequent replanting, thereby minimizing waste. They can also attract beneficial wildlife, promoting biodiversity, and come in various sizes, colors, and textures, allowing for an attractive and diverse landscape with minimal effort. Many low maintenance plants offer extended blooming periods, ensuring continuous beauty in the garden with limited intervention.

 

Lastly, their reduced reliance on chemicals and intensive care makes them eco-friendly, aligning with environmentally conscious gardening approaches. When selecting low maintenance plants, consider your specific climate, soil conditions, and sunlight availability to ensure their suitability and success in your garden.

 

 

 

2) Visual appeal

A beautiful garden and appealing landscape design add so much visual appeal to your home. You’re much more likely to want to spend time in your yard if it’s pretty to look at, and adding annuals can be just the solution you’re looking for if you’ve been wanting to elevate your outdoor space.

 

3) Coordinating colour schemes

Annuals are available in a wide range of different colours. This makes the options for styling your garden endless and you can coordinate the colours to suit whatever your heart desires.

 

4) Pollinator-friendly flowers

Annual plants play a crucial role in supporting pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. These plants typically have vibrant and attractive flowers that produce abundant nectar and pollen, serving as valuable food sources for pollinators.

 

By planting annuals, we can create a vibrant and diverse floral landscape that entices pollinators to visit and forage. Annuals offer a wide range of colors, shapes, and sizes, allowing us to design pollinator-friendly gardens that provide a continuous supply of nourishment throughout the growing season.

 

Moreover, annuals can be easily incorporated into gardens, containers, or hanging baskets, making them accessible even in limited spaces. Whether it's marigolds, zinnias, geraniums, or cosmos, including annual plants in our gardens is a simple yet effective way to support and attract pollinators, contributing to their health and the overall biodiversity of our ecosystem.

 

Planting annuals in and around your vegetable garden can help protect and increase your harvest!

 

5) Curb appeal and property value

Flowers bring so much life to a yard, and they’re an inexpensive and low-maintenance way to enhance the value of your home. A beautiful garden makes a home appear inviting, and you’re sure to make passersby envious if you have a yard that has a variety of pretty flowers.

 

6) Garden therapy

Gardening is proven to be hugely beneficial for people’s mental and physical health. What better way to work on your green thumb than by planting a colourful garden full of blooming annuals? Plants impact emotions and enhance positive feelings. Consider it a gift to yourself and make planting a priority this growing season. After you have your flowers chosen and planted, you can watch them grow and sit and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

 

7) Non-stop blooming

Are you looking for flowers that will bloom all summer long? Then annuals are a great option for your garden! They can grow for an extended period if they’re well-maintained, which is good news if you’re looking for flower varieties that you can enjoy all season long.

 

Generally, annual plants have a shorter lifespan compared to perennials. Annual plants complete their life cycle within a single growing season, typically flowering, producing seeds, and then dying. Perennial plants, on the other hand, can survive and regrow for multiple years.

 

However, when it comes to blooming duration, it can vary among different plant species within each category. Some annual plants may have extended blooming periods, providing continuous flowers throughout the growing season. For example, certain varieties of lantana, marigolds, alyssum, or cosmos can bloom for several months, offering vibrant colors and nectar sources for pollinators.

 

 

 

8) Naturally pest and disease resistant

Many annuals are naturally pest-resistant and are unappealing snacks to pesky critters like rabbits and deer, which can help deter unwanted guests from your garden. Here are some examples of annuals with strong natural resistance:

 

1. Marigolds (Tagetes): Marigolds have a strong scent that repels many insects, including aphids and nematodes.

2. Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum): Nasturtiums attract aphids away from other plants and can deter whiteflies and squash bugs.

3. Zinnias (Zinnia): Zinnias are less attractive to Japanese beetles and can deter spider mites.

4. Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima): Sweet Alyssum is known to repel aphids and attract beneficial insects like hoverflies.

5. Petunias (Petunia): Certain petunia varieties, such as multiflora types, have increased resistance to pests like aphids and tomato hornworms.

6. Lantana (Lantana): Lantana can deter many common garden pests, including aphids, whiteflies, and spider mites.

7. Salvia (Salvia): Some salvias, like culinary sage (Salvia officinalis), have aromatic leaves that repel pests such as cabbage moths and carrot flies.

8. Snapdragons (Antirrhinum): Snapdragons are generally resistant to most pests, including aphids and spider mites.

9. Geraniums (Pelargonium): Certain geranium varieties have natural repellent properties against mosquitoes and other flying insects.

10. Dusty Miller (Senecio cineraria): The silvery-gray foliage of Dusty Miller can deter pests like aphids and whiteflies.

9) Fill out bare spots

If you’re noticing that there are bare patches in your garden, then planting some annuals might just be the answer to your problem. Annuals are a notoriously good space filler, and they can buff up any garden that looks a little sparse. They grow easily and expand quickly if you follow their care needs, which will be a huge help if you’re trying to make your outdoor space look fuller and lusher.

 

 

 

10) Add pops of colour

Annuals come in so many different colours that pack a big punch when planted in your garden. Take an otherwise boring section of your yard and transform it with some aesthetically pleasing flowers.

 

11) Fresh-cut flowers for bouquets all season long

Many types of annuals are perfect for hand-cut bouquets, and who doesn’t want to put together bunches of flowers from their own garden? Sunflowers, sweet peas, zinnias, and snapdragons are just some of the annuals that are ideal for fresh bouquets.

 

12) Versatility

Since annuals are seasonal, it means that you can change them up year to year to follow gardening trends and suit your changing tastes from season to season.

 

 

 

Important tips for planting annuals:

 

1) Avoid frost at all costs

It should also be mentioned that annuals are not frost tolerant, so it’s good to wait until the threat of frost has passed. It’s typically recommended to start planting after the May long weekend.

 

If annuals are planted and there is a frost warning, you should bring plants inside or cover them with blankets.

 

2) More shade? No problem.

Begonias are a great example of a shade loving annual, and there are several different varieties. Other shade preferential annuals include impatiens, coleus and many varieties of ivy are shade lovers as well.

 

3) Forget to water your flowers? Then this one is for you.

Mandevillas, which can come in many sizes and containers are an excellent choice for the gardener who forgets to water their plants. These hardy little flowers are drought-tolerant, sun lovers that require very little deadheading. They are also one option that will withstand a weekend without water, if necessary.

 

4) Research heights

 

Be sure to do your research about the height your annuals will grow to. Vining plants will climb up whatever surface they can, and you don’t want to plant them where this will pose a problem.

 

5) Get comfortable with deadheading

Deadheading is self-explanatory. It involves routinely removing the dead flowers from your annuals to make room for new blooms. You’ll want to regularly do this with plants like geraniums, to give your flowers the best chance of thriving all season long.

 

6) Group together flowers with the same light and watering needs

Ivys can go in the sun or shade, which is usually a great additive to combination planters. But it isn’t wise to group opposite-needed flowers together, as they won’t be able to have their requirements equally met. Learn what your flowers need in terms of light and watering before you plant them.

 

 

Conclusion:

As you can see, annuals offer so many benefits for your garden and are the ideal choice for gardeners at any level of experience. If you’re looking to boost the appeal of your garden this season, then be sure to visit Warren Greenhouses to pick out your annuals – you won’t regret it!