No-Care Annuals
Plant and Forget
No "pinching", No "deadheading", No attention needed. Plant these flowers, water them in well with "Miracle grow" or "Peters",(half strength) as soon as they're planted, and they'll bloom all season with no care other than occasional watering. (It is best not to use the plant food full strength until the plants are well established.)
Each type of flower has many different "varieties", the different varieties are bred for color, size, growth habit, and other characteristics. A variety is sort of like a "brand name". Although they are the same flower, they have some differences. I have listed my favorite varieties of some of these. Different varieties may be better in different situations.
BegoniasBegonias are very dependable, and not at all picky. That is why they are the most popuar flower for commercial plantings. Begonias are happy in sun or shade. Just about any spot is a good one for begonias. They bloom from early spring until frost gets them with no care at all, other than an occasional watering. They come in white, pink or red. Their thick, shiny, reddish foliage is almost as pretty as their flowers. (There are a few varieties with green leaves.) They are available in small, medium, or large varieties. The "cocktail" variety makes a great low growing border, at 6-8 inches tall. The Cocktail Begonias are: Pink=Gin (or Brandy), Red=Vodka, White=Vodka The "senator" variety is a bit larger, at about a foot tall. Its a good "medium-sized" choice. The "Encore" is an extra large variety, which makes an impressive show at up to 3 feet tall. Everyone will wonder how you grew them so big! You don't have to tell them that its just an extra large variety. There is a variety suitable for just about any situation.
Vinca
Vinca used to come in only white or lavender. There are now many new varieties in many wonderful shades of pink and purple, as well as white, usually with contasting centers. My favorite is the "cooler" variety. I planted several beds of vinca last year, (cooler variety) at a shopping center, that never got any water, other than the very little bit of rain we got last summer, and it stayed beautiful all summer! It was literally completely ignored after being planted, and watered in with "Peters". (Peters is a plant food similar to Miracle grow. Use 1/2 strength on newly planted flowers.) Vinca likes to be hot and dry, and doesn't mind poor soil. It is happy in sun or part shade. Water it well when its first planted, but once its established it needs very little water. It doesn't like to be wet, and doesn't like a lot of fertilizer. It is the flower we generally use on properties without irrigation. Vinca gets my vote for "the" most ignorable annual.! If your vinca doesn't do well you probably need to ignore it more. It seems to do better the more its ignored. It is great for hanging baskets too. It is a low growing flower, 8-12 inches tall.
PetuniasPetunias are an old favorite. They prefer lots of sun. They don't mind poor soil, and once esablished, don't mind being a bit dry.
The "Wave" Variety is absolutely amazing. A proffusion of blooms from early spring until frost. A low grower, great for hanging baskets. The Wave petunias get only about 6 inches tall, but the purple will spread up to 5 feet, growing up to 2 inches a day. The other colors,(Pink, rose, & lilac) are a bit more restrained, reaching only 3-4 feet across. A little water is all they ask for a summer long show. There are many other colors and varieties of petunias, all low maintenance, but I've found none as dependable and ignorable as the "Waves". I just planted 10,000 of the pink and lilac waves on one property, as well as several thousand on other properties. I'll have some pictures of them here soon.
The Wave petunia even has its own Website! Click Here to check it out.
A company called "Proven Winners" has a new hybrid petunia variety from Australia that they call "supertunias" They are available in 7 colors and claim to be exceptional. I am going to try them out by planting about 300 of the on one of my properties. I'll let you know how they do. They claim to grow 1 inch a day, which is good, but still not as good as the amazing purple waves.
Proven Winners also has a website. Click Here to check it out.
Note:After 3 weeks the supertunias are nowhere near as impressive as the "waves". They aren't bad; they just aren't keeping up with the waves.
Impatiens
Impatiens are the most colorful and dependable annuals for shade. They do not do well in full sun, but can handle some morning sun. They will begin to droop when direct sunlight hits them, but will perk back up as soon as the sun is gone. This is why I have seen some impatiens suffer because of too much water. When they droop in the sun, it does not necessarily mean they need water. Check first, too much water is as bad as too little. They come in almost every color except yellow, and are usually 12-15 inches tall, but I've seen some reach 3 feet. As long as they don't dry out too much, and have some shade, you can otherwise ignore them and they'll bloom till the frost gets them. They'll likely drop some seeds before they go that will come up the next year. I like the "Accent" variety. For a little larger plants, try "super elfin" variety.
Pansies
Here in zone 7 we plant pansies in October to bloom all winter and up to the time we plant our summer annuals. They will bloom at temperatures as low as 15 degrees. In colder areas they can be planted in very early spring, as soon as the ground thaws. They do not like the heat. As the temperatures rise, the plants get leggier, and the flowers smaller. They will eventually die in the heat. They are not a summer flower unless they are where the temperatures do not regularly get over 90 degrees. Pansies come in almost every color imaginable. They like lots of sun, and get about 6-8 inches tall. As long as they don't get too dry or too hot, they need no care at all. Every year I have to explain to people who see me pulling them in April-May, to plant summer annuals, That they like cool, and sun. Putting them in the shade may be cooler, but they won't like it. Pansies just won't do in the summer in the south, but they'll brighten up the winter. There are many different varieties. I haven't noticed any one to be noticably better. The varieties with smaller blooms tend to have more flowers, than the one with larger blooms.
Melampodim
Looking for something different but very easy? Melampodium forms mounds up to 2 1/2 ft tall, covered with small, long lasting, yellow blooms. It likes sun, but will tolerate some shade. Its not very picky about its soil. Its perfect if you are looking for a change, but have no time to care for your flowers. An occasional drink of water is all they need to put on a show till frost. It will often drop seeds that will come up the next year. "Derby" is a more compact variety.
Many times problems with annuals are caused by over-doing their care. Too much water, too much fertilizer, too much handling. Plants still like plain old dirt. Unless your soil is unusually poor a lot of additives are not necessary. Of course the people who sell these additives won't tell you that. If you have problems with any of these flowers, you are probably trying to hard. Try ignoring them, and you may be suprized how well they do. About the only other thing you could do wrong is not to water them at all.
There is only one other problem that occasionally effects annuals. That is "fungus" If your flowers just don't seem to be growing, and everything else is right, try applying a "fungicide".
