Planting Annuals – How and when to plant Annual Flowers?

Have you ever considered planting annuals? If not, I think you should give it a try. Trust me, planting annual flowers is a great idea to add a unique look to your garden; not only that, but they also provide colorful vegetation until the frost sets in.

However, you shouldn’t just start planting annuals without understanding the basics. Before diving in, it’s essential to learn what annual plants are, which annual flowers you should grow, how to plant them, when to plant, and their benefits. It’s important to first do theoretical studies and then apply them practically, which will increase your chances of success in planting.

Don’t worry; in this guide, I will discuss some of the annual flowers that can be planted in your home garden. Let’s proceed to learn more about them.

Key takeaways:

• Perennials are different from annuals, as annuals tend to give blooms till their life cycle.
• It makes a garden unique and you can grow them which will add beauty and new varieties to your garden.
• There was no wide range of annuals, now annuals are infinite.
• Some best annual flowers are Flax, Calendula, Zinnia, Marigolds, Sunflowers, Bachelor’s button, etc.

What Are Annual Plants?

Do you know the exact meaning of the annual plants? They are those plants that tend to finish all the life cycle in just one growing season. Isn’t this amazing? As you know, perennials tend to grow one after one year. Annuals can be a great addition to your garden which will embrace its environment. Annuals are sold in various ways and also people call them bedding plants. In the earlier times, annuals did not have as many varieties as there are today. Annual plants can be brought from the market and can be planted in the garden.  

List of best annual flowers to grow: 

Below are some of the annual flowers that one can grow with the help of seeds easily: 

• Calendula
• Flax
• Cosmos
• Marigolds
• Nasturtium
• Zinnia
• Sweet peas
• Bachelor’s button 
• Sunflowers
• Poppies
• Melampodium Plant

Before planting annuals:

The following are some steps you need to follow before planting the annuals in your garden so that it improves the growth of the plants before spring planting. 

Fall preparation tips:

• You can order the soul test from the nearby store so that you can determine what soil amendment the garden needs to maintain the health of the plant. 
• If you order the test in the fall it takes time to get the result and you need to amend the soil either in late fall or Early Spring. 
• Before planting annuals you need to spread 2 to 4 inches of layer of organic matter over the soil so that it improves the nutrition level and Drainage of the soil. 
• You need to make the opening matter into the soil up to a depth of about one foot so that you can use a spade. 
• If you add the organic matter in the fall it will give the time to work properly by getting mixed in the soil so that the plant roots get rich, nutritious soil for growing in Spring 

Spring preparation tips:

• In case you are growing the plant by planting Seedlings then you need to arrange the plant in a group of 3 plants. If you do a grouping of 3 it will give an irregular clustered shape. 
•  that does look natural to set up in a line and looks denser rather than planting single plants.
• You need to plant them in a way that each plant gets sunlight like full sun, partial shade, or dappled shade. 
• You need to think about the size of the material plant and provide them with accurate space.
• The perfect time for planting the annuals is on a cloudy day or in the evening because at this time the Sunlight will protect the seeds and tender them without giving them Sun stress. 
• In case the planting day is Sunny then you need to cover the area with a piece of cardboard to provide shade in that area. 
• In the case of growing tender annuals, you need to wait so that the Frost is passed before they are planting them outdoors during spring. 
• Moisture the soil using misting of water which will help in the growing of plants.

How to Plant Annual Flowers? – Planting Annuals

As mentioned, annual flowers can be planted easily. You need to put in some effort and you can begin your way from the seeds, transplanting the plants, and seedlings. Everything has its pros and cons. So, let us move forward to understand Planting Annuals: 

The first key is via seeds- 

Folks, one can start his garden journey in annuals, from the seeds. Seeds proved to be an economical method of gardening. It can suit anyone and give you great results. Your plants will mature into adult plants through seeds. 

The second option is to transplant the plants- 

If you want quick results in your garden, then transplants are the best option for that. It even gives results faster than the seeds. But it is not cost-effective and for getting the desired results, you will have to drill a hole in the garden to fit the root ball. 

For more such plant related-articles, you may also read, How to Grow and Care for New Guinea Impatiens? 

Another way is from seedlings- 

You can use this method for your garden and it is a combination of both the above ways. You can plant any seed inside your home and then you can place it outside your home where it will give sprouts. Isn’t it a great way to fulfill the desired needs of the plants? Of course yes. 

When to plant the annual flowers? 

If you have decided to plant the annuals in your home garden, then you also need to know when you should plant these manual flowers. If not, no worries! The plant will depend on some of the factors from its plantation. One of them is the type of flower you are growing and the other is the climatic conditions. 

As we know annuals tend to grow in cool areas. They can survive best in the cooler places. You can plan to grow your annual flowers on frost-free dates as it suits the best for the annuals to grow. You can wait for a few weeks to plant your annuals in the spring. You have to make sure that you give plenty of space when transplanting or anything for your annuals. Try to give at least 1-3 feet of distance between each row. Winter annual can be planted in the early winter so that they will bloom till spring.  

Benefits of planting annuals:

The following are the benefits of planting the annuals in your garden:

Longer blooming season than perennials:

The annual flower is able to Bloom from spring to the first Frost of fall but the perennial plants do Bloom for a short season only.

Many color and pattern choices:

The annual planting is available in Vibrant color then the perennial. They come in different sizes and textures. 

Cover bare patches:

The annual plants can be planted when the plants are killed due to extreme cold then you can fill the space with annual planting. This will make fill the gaps in your lawn with beautiful flowers during spring and perennial plants will get time to recover. 

Experiment with your landscape aesthetic:

Planting animals around your mailbox with different colors and see the change every next year but if you plant only perennials you cannot change the color for at least 3 years unless you transplant the perennial to other places.

Less expensive than perennials:

When we compare the cost of the annuals and perennial plants the annual seeds and the seedlings are cheaper than the perennials. For example, the cost of 12 annual zinnias costs $12 per plant at $1 whereas the perennials cost about $7 per small plant. 

Some annuals self-seed for next year:

There are many annual plants that are used to reseed themselves at the end of the season for example cleome, cosmos, poppies, snapdragons, and sweet alyssum. These plants are used to release 100 to 1000 tiny seeds which are used to grow at the start of the next spring season. So you can enjoy the annual plants in the next year without reseeding them by yourself.

Binding up the context 

In this guide, you come to know about the planting annuals that can be the best addition to your home garden. Before that, you should know about them. Annuals are those plants that tend to finish all the life cycle in just one growing season. Isn’t this amazing? As you know, perennials tend to grow one after one year. Annuals can be a great addition to your garden which will embrace its environment. Annuals are sold in various ways and also people call them bedding plants. So, don’t wait for anyone and start planting annuals in your home garden. 

FAQ’s