How to Grow Annuals

Planting annuals in season can bring color and vibrancy to your garden and make your landscaping the envy of the neighborhood. With just a little work, and after learning how to grow annuals, you can have a beautiful assortment of colorful flowers blooming in your own yard.

Seeds or Seedlings

First, you need to decide if you are going to grow your annuals from seed or plant established seedings. Buying established plants is more expensive than starting from seed, but it is also much easier and will give you your desired results quicker. Growing flowers from seed takes a little more skill and patience, but can be very rewarding when you have hundreds of flowers for the same cost of a dozen established ones.

Choose Your Flowers

Annuals by definition are flowers that have a lifespan of one season only, as opposed to perennials, which bloom again and again year after year. If you choose to grow from seed, look carefully at the seed packets to find the plants that are right for you. Those with shorter germinations times are easier to grow than those with longer germination periods, and some seed packets will be marked as a beginner level plant.

If you are using established plants, find some that do not have roots growing out of the bottom of the container and do not have many flowers already on them. While ultimately you want flowers, you want plants that will first put their energy into establishing strong root systems. Plants that are already flowering are already putting more energy into that than into developing roots.

Plant Your Flowers

Plant the annuals following the directions on the package, with one exception. For premium visual effect, plant them about twenty-five percent closer together than the label recommends. The recommended distance is for optimal plant health rather than best visual effect. Use fertilizer or other soil treatments depending on the needs of your soil and your plants. Pinch off any existing blooms to encourage a better root system. This will produce more flowers in the long run.

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