June is finally here. Meowmie has been working in her flower gardens. She has placed some annuals in her window boxes and in her pots on the front porch and back deck. The porch and deck are alive with color. She likes to place pansies in the front window boxes and bright red geraniums in the pots on her front porch. On her back deck she hangs fuschia to attract hummingbirds. Some indoor plants like our several pots of coleus are moved from the sunporch to the front porch. The front porch has a roof and the houseplants do not bake in the sun. We kitties still enjoy some houseplants left in our sunporch. Meowmie likes to buy flats for her pansies, ready hanging pots for her fuschias, and seeds for cosmos, sunflowers and cleome. In her shade gardens she plants flats of wax begonias and inpatiens.

ANNUALS
What Is an Annual? The term annual is applied to garden flowers that complete their life cycle in the span of one growing season. This means they come up in the spring, grow, flower, set seed and then die after the frosts in the fall.
There are many plants used as annuals in northern climates that are in fact perennial if planted far enough south where they do not experience the damaging effects of frost. These are termed tender perennials used as annuals. These include such plants as geranium, impatiens, vinca, coleus, and lantana. If one wants to save these plants from year to year, they would need to be dug up, potted and brought indoors or cuttings taken from the plants, rooted, and the resulting plants overwintered indoors.
There are a number of annuals that may act like perennials because of the large amount of seed they drop in the fall. This seed remains viable over the winter and new plants emerge in and around the area where the annual was planted the previous season. Plants like cleome, snapdragon, amaranth, cosmos, and petunia are examples.

Planting Annuals Bedding plants are sold in a variety of ways. Depending on the grower and the size of the plant, you may buy them as "cell packs," in flats, or individual pots. If it is not possible for you to plant them right away, keep them in a lightly shaded area and be sure to water them as needed. Just prior to planting, water the bedding plants well to thoroughly moisten the soil. Ideally, the garden bed should also be slightly moist prior to planting.
Don't get in a hurry to plant too soon. Most annuals prefer warm soils and stable temperatures to grow well. When you are ready to plant, lift plants from the cell packs or pots. The best way to do this is to either gently squeeze or push up the bottom of the container if pliable, or turn it upside down, tap it lightly, and the plant will fall into your hand.
Plants should be set in the garden at the same level or just slightly lower than they were grown in the container. Carefully firm the soil around the plant and water well to wash soil around the root ball and eliminate air pockets. An application of a liquid fertilizer with a high phosphorous content such as 10-52-17, also called starter fertilizer, may prove beneficial at this time. Use about two tablespoons per gallon of water and apply a cup or two around each plant.
Water plants as needed to maintain uniform soil moisture around the roots. Using organic mulches will help conserve soil moisture as well as retard weed growth.

Your activity for June is to mew about annuals. Please mail us graphics or pictures from your own gardens and/or research by clicking on the mail button below. Remember to send in your biographies and pictures of yourselves for our "Getting To Know You" page. Happy Annual Planting!

Jessie sent this about her catnip plants...
Your email came at such a time. Meowmie had a little planter full of catnip started for us, she had it out on the porch because our yard is all sand and catnip doesn't do well here. It was growing and flourishing and we were all so excited untill......... some critter gobbled up all the little plants but two ....... now she has the planter inside, now it has us to contend with, poor catnip plants don't stand a chance. But if you want me to send you a picture of our devoured little catnip plants I will be happy to.

Well, here is the picture. Yesterday it was full and lush, today it is stomped, chewed and almost gone. We think that Mr. Straycat who lives in the neighborhood was the culprit. Meowmie put it outside to get some sun and a little rain, she forgot and left it out overnight, and this is what she found when she brought it in. The big white fellow is my cousin Left, he lives with us too, but he doesn't like catnip. Purries Jessie

Butterfly Floater script from Dynamic Drive
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