The great thing about annuals, given the right conditions, is that they bloom all summer long. Most people know about geraniums, petunias and snapdragons but what about all the new or unusual annuals on the market? Here are 10 plants that are sure to make your garden a conversation piece.
Looking for something dazzling - try the Mesembryanthemum ‘Harlequin Mix’ (Ice plant). It is easy to grow and adds dramatic florescent colors of yellow, pink, orange, salmon, magenta and scarlet to your garden. These 3-4” plants are drought tolerant and great for the rockeries, along sandy banks, or use the iridescent colors to brighten up garden beds. This South Africa plant loves full sun and well-drained soil. The vibrant colored flowers attract butterflies, are very long lasting and stay open when the sun shines. Treat it like other succulents in
your garden and give it room to ramble.
A cutie on the market is the 12-14”Angelonia ‘Archangel Raspberry’. This new variety produces larger, fuller flower spikes than other varieties, is well-branched and has great glossy green foliage. The clear bright raspberry pink flower is the most striking color of all the Angelonias and blooms all summer long. This
plant is native to Mexico and likes lots of heat and well-drained soil.
The bold foliage of Iresine ‘Blazin rose’ (blood leaf), will stand out in your garden or in containers. It grows 12-18” high and has striking multi-colored leaves of dark red and light rose. Pinch regularly to encourage branching and forget about the flower, this plant is all about the foliage. Amazing!
There have been lots of Osteospermums ( African Daisy) on the market for a while now but the new 3D series is sensational. Osteospermum ‘3D Berry White‘ is the only double on the market. It grows 12-16 “ tall and has
white daisy- like flowers with a rose-lavender pompon center. The center allows it to the stay open all day and night making a bold statement in the landscape and great for the moonlight garden. Give it lots of sun and use it in hanging baskets or as a focal point in either containers or in your garden. This award winner will attract
butterflies and everyone else to your garden. Not a new plant but well worth having in the garden is Amaranthus caudatus (Love lies bleeding). It prefers moist but well drained soil and loves full to part sun. It is often called the ‘tassel flower’ or ‘chenille plant’ because the plant grows tiny blood red petal less flowers that bloom in narrow drooping tassellike panicles throughout the growing season. Each tassel can hang straight
down up to 12”. It is wonderfully interesting in the garden as a conversation piece and the flowers can be used for fresh or dried arrangements. The birds love the seed heads so make sure to leave them on into the fall. It makes an exceptional addition to a cottage or wildlife garden. Salpiglossis ‘Bolero’ (Painted tongue) comes in a kaleidoscope of colors: cream lemon yellow, gold, orange, brown, scarlet, violet and near blue. Each 2 ½” wide flower has contrasting marbling color tones with bold veining making them look like stained glass. This native to Chile is like a petunia with its open trumpet face but it is an upright grower reaching 12-18”. Salpiglossis prefer evenly moist but not wet conditions. They love full sun but need protection from high winds.
This beautiful old cottage plant looks fabulous in the garden and needs to be pinched back when young to make it bushier. The bold eye-catching, bicolored blooms attract butterflies. Mulch around the roots to keep moist and dead head spent flowers.
There are so many incredible coleuses on the market right now but two that stand out are Coleus ’Wasabi’ and Coleus ‘Kong Salmon pink’. These plants are low maintenance with high impact in the garden. The 18-24”Coleus ‘Wasabi’ has serrated chartreuse leaves which hold their brilliant color without fading or spotting and looks amazing all summer. It is easy to grow in part sun and the bold color lightens up a dark area. Use it in a large pot or throughout the landscaping. Coleus ‘Kong Salmon Pink’ has incredibly large (up to 9”) leafed foliage
displaying unique patterns of salmon, green and burgundy. It grows 18-24”, prefers moist, well-drained soil and partial sun and truly is fabulous as an accent plant. Mimulus mystic mix (monkey flower) looks so tropical, you would think you are in Hawaii. This mix has an amazing blend of clear bright tropical colors and the funnel shaped flowers resemble a monkey’s grin. How cool is that? Great in the borders of a garden bed or use in containers, Mimulus grows 6-9” in height, blooms throughout the summer and prefers full sun to part shade. It has great outdoor performance and is easy to grow. Bring on the Margaritas!
‘Gartenmeister’ is a German word meaning ‘caregiver’ or ‘head of the garden’ and the Fuchsia ‘Gartenmeister’ lives up to its name. This unusual fuchsia is an upright grower (1-3 feet) producing clusters of long-tubular coral red flowers and dark bronze-red leaves. It prefers part shade and moist but well- drained soil. The showy flowers attract hummingbirds. This award winning fuchsia is great for the garden or in large containers.
The most exotic annual is the Strobilanthes (Persian Shield). Originally from Burma, the stunning foliage is iridescent purple/green/pewter. When the sun kisses its leaves, the color is outstanding. It is great for containers or added to the garden. It reaches 18-36” in height and although it will take full sun, in partial
shade the colors are more vibrant. Make sure you pinch off the insignificant pale blue flower spikes as they appear: the metallic leaves are the main attraction and the flowers weaken the plant. The Strobilanthes can adapt as a house plant, so you can bring it in for the winter. Feed it every two weeks with fertilizer and watch as the extraordinary foliage grows leaves up to 6” long. It is drought tolerant, heat loving and needs good drainage. It really is breath taking.
Create some excitement in your garden this year. Try something different and always have fun! Happy Gardening.
Looking for something dazzling - try the Mesembryanthemum ‘Harlequin Mix’ (Ice plant). It is easy to grow and adds dramatic florescent colors of yellow, pink, orange, salmon, magenta and scarlet to your garden. These 3-4” plants are drought tolerant and great for the rockeries, along sandy banks, or use the iridescent colors to brighten up garden beds. This South Africa plant loves full sun and well-drained soil. The vibrant colored flowers attract butterflies, are very long lasting and stay open when the sun shines. Treat it like other succulents in
your garden and give it room to ramble.
A cutie on the market is the 12-14”Angelonia ‘Archangel Raspberry’. This new variety produces larger, fuller flower spikes than other varieties, is well-branched and has great glossy green foliage. The clear bright raspberry pink flower is the most striking color of all the Angelonias and blooms all summer long. This
plant is native to Mexico and likes lots of heat and well-drained soil.
The bold foliage of Iresine ‘Blazin rose’ (blood leaf), will stand out in your garden or in containers. It grows 12-18” high and has striking multi-colored leaves of dark red and light rose. Pinch regularly to encourage branching and forget about the flower, this plant is all about the foliage. Amazing!
There have been lots of Osteospermums ( African Daisy) on the market for a while now but the new 3D series is sensational. Osteospermum ‘3D Berry White‘ is the only double on the market. It grows 12-16 “ tall and has
white daisy- like flowers with a rose-lavender pompon center. The center allows it to the stay open all day and night making a bold statement in the landscape and great for the moonlight garden. Give it lots of sun and use it in hanging baskets or as a focal point in either containers or in your garden. This award winner will attract
butterflies and everyone else to your garden. Not a new plant but well worth having in the garden is Amaranthus caudatus (Love lies bleeding). It prefers moist but well drained soil and loves full to part sun. It is often called the ‘tassel flower’ or ‘chenille plant’ because the plant grows tiny blood red petal less flowers that bloom in narrow drooping tassellike panicles throughout the growing season. Each tassel can hang straight
down up to 12”. It is wonderfully interesting in the garden as a conversation piece and the flowers can be used for fresh or dried arrangements. The birds love the seed heads so make sure to leave them on into the fall. It makes an exceptional addition to a cottage or wildlife garden. Salpiglossis ‘Bolero’ (Painted tongue) comes in a kaleidoscope of colors: cream lemon yellow, gold, orange, brown, scarlet, violet and near blue. Each 2 ½” wide flower has contrasting marbling color tones with bold veining making them look like stained glass. This native to Chile is like a petunia with its open trumpet face but it is an upright grower reaching 12-18”. Salpiglossis prefer evenly moist but not wet conditions. They love full sun but need protection from high winds.
This beautiful old cottage plant looks fabulous in the garden and needs to be pinched back when young to make it bushier. The bold eye-catching, bicolored blooms attract butterflies. Mulch around the roots to keep moist and dead head spent flowers.
There are so many incredible coleuses on the market right now but two that stand out are Coleus ’Wasabi’ and Coleus ‘Kong Salmon pink’. These plants are low maintenance with high impact in the garden. The 18-24”Coleus ‘Wasabi’ has serrated chartreuse leaves which hold their brilliant color without fading or spotting and looks amazing all summer. It is easy to grow in part sun and the bold color lightens up a dark area. Use it in a large pot or throughout the landscaping. Coleus ‘Kong Salmon Pink’ has incredibly large (up to 9”) leafed foliage
displaying unique patterns of salmon, green and burgundy. It grows 18-24”, prefers moist, well-drained soil and partial sun and truly is fabulous as an accent plant. Mimulus mystic mix (monkey flower) looks so tropical, you would think you are in Hawaii. This mix has an amazing blend of clear bright tropical colors and the funnel shaped flowers resemble a monkey’s grin. How cool is that? Great in the borders of a garden bed or use in containers, Mimulus grows 6-9” in height, blooms throughout the summer and prefers full sun to part shade. It has great outdoor performance and is easy to grow. Bring on the Margaritas!
‘Gartenmeister’ is a German word meaning ‘caregiver’ or ‘head of the garden’ and the Fuchsia ‘Gartenmeister’ lives up to its name. This unusual fuchsia is an upright grower (1-3 feet) producing clusters of long-tubular coral red flowers and dark bronze-red leaves. It prefers part shade and moist but well- drained soil. The showy flowers attract hummingbirds. This award winning fuchsia is great for the garden or in large containers.
The most exotic annual is the Strobilanthes (Persian Shield). Originally from Burma, the stunning foliage is iridescent purple/green/pewter. When the sun kisses its leaves, the color is outstanding. It is great for containers or added to the garden. It reaches 18-36” in height and although it will take full sun, in partial
shade the colors are more vibrant. Make sure you pinch off the insignificant pale blue flower spikes as they appear: the metallic leaves are the main attraction and the flowers weaken the plant. The Strobilanthes can adapt as a house plant, so you can bring it in for the winter. Feed it every two weeks with fertilizer and watch as the extraordinary foliage grows leaves up to 6” long. It is drought tolerant, heat loving and needs good drainage. It really is breath taking.
Create some excitement in your garden this year. Try something different and always have fun! Happy Gardening.
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