Annual Flowers - Lipstick for the Lawn

Are you wanting to add a pop of color to the sea of green around your house? The easiest way to add season long color is to incorporate annual flowers. Annuals bloom continuously throughout the season to add the finishing touches or lipstick to the landscape.

When searching for annual plants you need to keep in mind location, soil and how committed you are to care. Is the location full sun and exposed to our south winds? Is the soil clay or sandy, does it hold water? How much time will you have to dead head, water, or even fertilize?

I am a lazy gardener and enjoy hardy plants. Some of my favorite low maintenance annuals are petunias, lantana, and zinnias. These all provide vibrant colors all summer long with minimal care. Ask your local greenhouse what they recommend. They will get feedback from customers on what did and did not work in the past.

Every year new hybrids are being developed. Just because you purchased purple petunias last year the ones in the store this year may be different. They may also be different from store to store.

I like to keep my plant tags, then I know the exact name of the ones that met my expectations. You can use this information next year when you go to purchase plants.

Reading the plant tag is also important to determine the size of the mature plant. If you want to fill a large space, you need to select plants that will spread or plan to purchase many plants. The tag will also include preferred conditions for optimal growth.

If you would like more information on annual plants reach out to me at jlcarr@ksu.edu or 620-842-5445.