July 15th is no time for  garden Bloggers Bloom Day post. Let’s be serious here and realize that to talk about and photograph all that is bloom here on July 15th would take days and the post would be so long even the most dedicated reader would grow bored, so instead I give you some thoughts on the annuals I am growing here ( and loving) this year.

You have probably heard it said that you start out as a gardener planting annuals and then as you learn more ,switch to growing  perennials and as you age replant yet again  with shrubs. While I agree that it does take some time to mature as a gardener and learn what works best in your yard, , costs the least and maybe requires the least maintenance, I don’t think we as gardeners should ever give up on annual plants.

From a cost standpoint, yes, replanting an entire bed with annuals every year can be pricey. BUT if you take the time at the end of the season to collect seeds from your favorites to plant up next year ,or even just buy inexpensive seed packets,  the cost can be minimized.

From a work standpoint, yes starting loads of plants from seed is not easy and takes some space, but a sunny window will work for some things you want to start early and I have found that annual seeds started outside when the soil temp is warm take off like crazy and catch up or surpass any little annual plants bought at the nursery for $$$ .

This year I started some nasturtiums( Moonlight and Cherries Jubliee) I ordered from Renee’s Seeds inside in a large pot set by the slider in the kitchen in late March , and then started some outdoors when it was warm. Honestly, there is little difference right now. The ones I started in the house are blooming in the pot outside now, but the others are very close to flowering, so the 6 weeks or so or growth the early birds got actually only bought me maybe an extra week of bloom. Note to self…plant them outside when soil is warm and save aggravation of tripping over large pot set on kitchen floor for 6 weeks in the spring.

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.And let’s be frank, very few perennial plants can give the sheer volume of bloom annual plants do , and adding just a few in key places in the garden can keep the place looking super swell all season long. I made sure I tucked a few of theses beauties in several garden areas and containers.

Here are a few of my other faves form this year’s garden :

Agrostema githago ‘Milas’  a tall (36 inch) ethereal bloomer that fills the space between other plants beautifully., a must for any cottage gardener, will self seed.

Sweet peas , my favorite is  ‘Cupani but  a new one for me this year  ‘Fire and Ice’ may be stealing my heart.  “Fire and Ice’ has extra large flowers that start out purply- pink and fade gloriously into a denim blue. Add in heavenly  fragrance and we have a real winner here, destined to be replanted every spring

Petunia exserta; this sweet and rare petunia species gets it’s name from the fact that its’ stamens and stigma are exserted (thrust forward) and it is also this quality that makes it a hummingbird magnet. Most petunia hybrids have little nectar to offer these cute little garden friends, but apparently this one has plenty given the rate at which it is visited. This plant was found in the wild in a small area in Brazil in 2007 and slowly seeds have been collected and sold and now  you can buy the plant from Annies Annuals too. I started mine from seeds graciously sent to me by Nan Ondra of Hayfield . It will do well in a shadier location than most hybrid petunias like.

Cerinthe major purpurascens or Blue Honeywort: This steel blue- foliaged charmer is a great addition to containers and I especially love it with bubble gum pinks, like Supertunia ‘ Vista Bubble Gum’ It has tubular flowers the pollinators enjoy and seeds around which is of great benefit to the cost conscious gardener ( or one who has lots of gardening friends)

Lanai Peach Verbena is an annual I bought to use in several containers. here it is with a red and white  Nemesia. No matter what is is paired with it looks awesome.

This container has a petunia hybrid ( name long lost) that self seeds every year both  in the pot it was grown in and the ground around it. This year while waiting for it to sprout I threw in lettuce seeds and have been harvesting it every time I walk by on my way from the grill. The lettuce is getting ready to bolt just as the petunias are filling in.

Convolvulus tricolor   ‘Blue Ensign’, a morning glory relative, is just starting to bloom in the two containers I planted it in. The seeds cost next to nothing but  these cheery blue flowers are worth a million when they greet me on my morning walk down the walkway to the Pink Garden. This plant is a compact bushy one, not a vine at all, and will bloom until frost.  I am posting some other pics I snapped of other annuals knowing that for the most part they are readily available in most garden centers, but it is all in the way you pair them that makes it work. I hope they inspire you to add many annuals to your own garden space !