Long blooming annuals

Cosmos - Perfect for a Child's First Garden

Cosmos is a beautiful and easy-to-grow flowering plant known for its bright and showy flowers. Cosmos bipinnatus (KAHS-mos bye-pin-NAY-tus) come in shades of white, pink, rose, red, burgundy and bicolors. Cosmos sulphureus (KAHS-mos sul-FER-ee-us) are shades of yellow and orange. Cosmos are heat lovers, native to Mexico and Central America. Plants have fine, ferny foliage that grow to heights up to six feet.   

They are easy to start from seed and are an excellent choice for introducing children to gardening. Wait until soil has warmed, then scatter seeds where they are to grow and sprinkle with a little soil or rake lightly. Do not cover too deeply. Keep soil moist until germination occurs. Established plants are drought tolerant; they do not like to be overwatered. Plants readily self-seed.

Avoid planting in areas with strong winds or they may require staking. Should tall plants flop, they can be cut back to 12-15 inches and will rebloom in a few weeks. Cosmos attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, making it a great choice for pollinator gardens.

Lovely Lantana Lures Butterflies

Lantana camara excels in the southeast. It tolerates heat, humidity, and drought. Lantana begins flowering in mid-summer and blooms continuously until frost. Most Lantanas are annuals, but a few are reliably winter-hardy. Plant hybridizers are releasing more cold-tolerant cultivars each year.

Lantana blooms consist of a grouping of small flowers carried together in a form known as an umbrel (think “umbrella”). They are irresistible to bees and butterflies. Though there are some single-color varieties, flowers are usually a combination of colors. The colors appear to change with age as individual flowers open within the umbrel, so a flower that starts as solid red may become red on the outer flowers, orange on the middle ring, and yellow at the center.

Removing spent flowers before plants generate seeds, or at least before the seeds ripen and turn black, will result in many more blooms. Utility scissors are a good tool for this job. Lantanas bloom at the ends of their stems, so they may become lanky as the summer progresses. Prune as part of deadheading to keep the plants compact, cutting back to a lower set of leaves. Like other plants with square stems, Lantana is easy to propagate. Unfortunately, they seem to lure whiteflies into the greenhouse, so I have ended the process of overwintering the tender types.

Grow Lantana in full sun, in slightly acid soil that is well drained, in garden zones 7 through 11.  Provide light irrigation only until roots are established. Wet soil will induce root rot. Plant outdoors in spring after frost and freezes are past. Lantanas are especially salt tolerant, so they perform well in beach gardens as well as adjacent to parking lots where salt de-icer is used in winter.

Some Lantanas grow vigorously to become large, rounded shrubs. Check plant tags to determine mature height and whether the cultivar is upright or trailing. The trailing forms work well in hanging baskets or planters. ‘Miss Huff’ is a cold-hardy, upright variety that grows well in upstate South Carolina. I measured one in a business parking lot at 60 inches tall. Of course, this was in its fifth or sixth year. I am certain that it was not that large in the first year or two. ‘New Gold’ is another cultivar that is reliably cold hardy and shorter than ‘Miss Huff.’ Its flowers are school bus yellow, and pair well with purple Verbena ‘Homestead.’ ‘Santana’ is less floriferous but is clothed in lovely variegated foliage.

If yours does not leaf out in spring, do not automatically assume it died from winter cold. Lantanas are late to wake up after winter’s end, and may only start to show new growth in May. Here is a hint to help keep your Lantana coming back year after year. Do not prune dormant plants in fall or winter. Instead, wait until spring, when the plant has begun showing signs of life.  Yes, this means that it will be a pile of leafless sticks throughout winter. It seems a small price to pay for an amazing show during the growing season.

Lantana leaves are feel rough, and are fragrant when touched or brushed. Sensitive skins may experience contact dermatitis.  Deer or rabbits do not browse it. All plant parts are toxic if consumed. Do not eat or allow your pets to nibble. Birds are immune to the toxins and eat ripe seeds.

Want pollinators? Plant Zinnias.

Zinnias are one of the most common annuals and have been popular since the 1920s. They are easy to start from seed, are undemanding as to soil, and bloom non-stop from spring through frost. They tolerate heat and moderate drought. The only thing they demand is a full sun exposure. Zinnias come in every color of the rainbow except for blue, including bi-colors and even tri-colors.

Zinnias are categorized into three groups: tall, with long stems, best for cut flowers or the back of the flower bed; short, best for mass plantings in beds or borders; and creeping or spreading, which do equally well in flower beds and containers. Tall varieties may reach heights of 36 inches or so. Flowers can be single or double, and may resemble dahlias or cactus. Cut flowers last a long time in the vase, but remove any leaves that will be below the waterline.

My favorite bedding type is the Magellan® series, which I start from seed every year. Magellans are mildew resistant and have the sweet habit of layering new foliage and fresh blooms on top of the spent blooms. Short internodes (stem space between leaves) mean that spent flowers are concealed by fresh blossoms, reducing the need for dead-heading but also means they are difficult to use as cut flowers.

Of the creeping type, the Profusion® series is well named, with a multitude of small blooms on plants that are resistant to Powdery Mildew. Mildew doesn’t affect the flowers, but can make the foliage spotted and ugly. Combat this problem by planting all varieties in locations with good air circulation. Keep the foliage dry when watering – a perfect application for soaker hoses. Avoid boggy soils and over-fertilization, which can result in more leaves and fewer flowers. 

Zinnias do not tolerate frost. Seed can be direct sown once weather has warmed in spring. Plants will grow rapidly to flowering size. I prefer to start mine in peat pots so that I can space them exactly in my flower beds. Why peat pots instead of plastic 4-packs? The baby plants dislike root disturbance.

Some seed catalogs sell Zinnias by separate color, while others only offer a mix. I like to select specific colors, reflecting a different color scheme each year. It is hard to select my favorite combination. Red, pink, and white looked spectacular in the Mary Snoddy garden one year, but then salmon, yellow and purple looked fabulous the next. Seeds can be saved from year to year, but hybrids rarely mimic their parents.

Zinnia flowers are beloved by butterflies and bees, so I filled all the empty spaces between perennials in my new pollinator garden with mixed colors of Magellan. The pops of color will last until frost.

A butterfly enjoys a green and pink bicolor Zinnia, ‘Queen Lime’. Photo by jggrz from Pixabay

A butterfly enjoys a green and pink bicolor Zinnia, ‘Queen Lime’. Photo by jggrz from Pixabay

A composition of assorted Zinnia colors.. Photo by MrGajowy3 from Pixabay

A composition of assorted Zinnia colors.. Photo by MrGajowy3 from Pixabay

Tall Zinnias, grown for cutting, can look a little gawky. Site them at the back of the border to conceal their lower sections.

Tall Zinnias, grown for cutting, can look a little gawky. Site them at the back of the border to conceal their lower sections.

Mexican Sunflowers for summer and fall color

Shrubs and perennials encompass the backbone of my garden, but a few annuals ensure that there is something in bloom throughout the entire season. Tithonia, Mexican Sunflower, is a gorgeous annual for the back of the border. It starts blooming mid-summer and flowers all the way to frost.

Tithonia is great for a pollinator garden.

Tithonia is great for a pollinator garden.

Tithonia (pronounced tie-THO-nee-ah) can be started indoors to get a jump on the season, but is easily grown from seed. Baby plants resent root disturbance; use peat pots to reduce transplant shock. When peat pots are planted into the flower bed, be sure that no part of the pot extends above soil level since any portion above ground will wick moisture away from the roots and into the air. Tear off a strip around the top if needed. Plant in full sun. These Mexico natives love the heat and are drought-tolerant. Tithonia does best in well-drained, infertile soil. Rich soil will produce floppy, weak plants with few flowers.

Tithonias grow very rapidly, reaching heights of 3 to 6 feet, with a width of half that. I received my first 2022 seed catalog this week, and was delighted to see a new, dwarf form. ‘Fiesta del Sol’ is supposed to top out at two and a-half feet, which will make it easier to incorporate into flower beds. Most cultivars have flowers with deep, rich orange petals around a yellow center. Red or gold-flowered varieties are available, too. Cut flowers will last a long time in the vase if care is taken to avoid crushing the stems. The fuzzy stems are hollow, which means they can break if sited in an especially windy area. The ease of culture, the bright flowers, and the fuzzy stems mean this is a great choice for a child’s first garden. As a bonus, the flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and a host of pollinator insects. They are not plagued by diseases. Deer rarely dine on them.

Tithonia used as an annual hedge, along with other fall-blooming flowers.

Tithonia used as an annual hedge, along with other fall-blooming flowers.

Tithonia seeds are large enough for children to handle easily.

Tithonia seeds are large enough for children to handle easily.

Marvelous Melampodium

Melampodium is one of the hardest working plants in the Mary Snoddy garden. Its butter-yellow bloom color is not at the top of my favorites lists, but all of its other characteristics make it a winner.

It starts blooming when it is only a few inches tall.
It blooms all summer and fall.
It does equally well in beds or containers.
The spent blooms drop off without the need for deadheading.
No need to stake. The strong stems keep it erect.
It thrives in heat and humidity.
It will forgive a little bit of drought.
The plant branches as it grows, making a nice round shape.
It is deer resistant.
It is fairly easy to grow from seed, but plants are widely available in nurseries during April and May. When left alone, it will reseed all by itself.
Bees and butterflies love the blooms.
It is rarely bothered by insects or diseases.

Several cultivars are available. Labeled height range from 10 inches to 24 inches, although mine usually grow a littler taller than the label predicts.

The only drawback to the plant is that the warm yellow color of its flowers does not mix well with pastels. Instead, pair it with bold reds and strong purples. Perhaps I am biased, but I think it looks pretty wonderful with purple-leaf Perilla frutescens here at New Hope Farm.

Melampodium makes an impressive companion to Perilla (left) and Ironweed (right).

Melampodium makes an impressive companion to Perilla (left) and Ironweed (right).

Melampodium in container (4 plants).

Melampodium in container (4 plants).

A single yellow Melampodium makes the colors of Gomphrena, Zinnia and Liatris POP.

A single yellow Melampodium makes the colors of Gomphrena, Zinnia and Liatris POP.