Bedding Plant Tips

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Spring bedding plants can be planted when danger of frost is over in the spring.
This is approxmately April 8 in Tuscaloosa .Fall bedding plants can be planted
in October and usually bloom thru the winter in Alabama. These include Pansies,
Snapdragons and flowering cabbages and kale.

Check with a garden center or nursery for the right plant for your garden. There
are many types of annuals to chose from.

To keep Annuals like marigold blooming to their full glory dead head them
weekly. Deading heading is simply removing the spent flowers before they go to
seed. The plant's enegry go into more flower production rather than seed
production.

Using Annuals

Annuals are useful for several reasons. With a little

attention they grow well for most gardeners and provide

almost instant color. Many are purchased in bud or bloom to

begin flowering soon after planting. They continue to bloom

until frosted in the fall. If this year's selections are

not the best choices, they only need to be tolerated for one

year. Next year change the color scheme or plant

arrangement to a more satisfactory design. Well designed

and selected plantings can be changed due to the large

variety of annual types and colors.

The most impressive use of annuals is in large groups

of one color. To mix colors, plant in small groups of one

color. The least effective use is mixing the individual

plants and colors.

Annuals give color to spring flowering bulb beds after

the bulbs have finished blooming. Such beds are often

unattractive while the bulb foliage is maturing and the

annuals are too small to hide it. Most bulbs are planted

deep enough so annuals may be planted over them. Where

bulbs are shallow, plant spreading annuals around the

grouping of bulbs. The bulbs will be covered eventually

even though no annuals are actually planted over them.

.

Annuals for Specific Uses

Easy-to-Grow Annuals

Ageratum Cosmos Portulaca

California Poppy Purple Fountain Grass

Celosia Four-o'clock Sunflower

Cleome Marigold Verbena

Coleus Nasturtium Vinca

Cornflower Petunia Zinnia

Annuals for Shade or Semi-shade*

Ageratum* Coleus Pansy*

Alyssum* Forget-Me-Not* Salvia*

Balsam Impatiens Snapdragon*

Begonia Lobelia* Torenia

Browallia Monkey Flower* Verbena*

Candytuft* Nicotiana* Viola*

Annuals for Hot, Dry Locations

Cornflower Kochia Snow-on-the-Mountain

Cosmos Melampodium Sunflower

Creeping Zinnia Morning Glory Tithonia

Four-o'clock Portulaca Verbena

Vinca

Annuals for Poor Soils

Amaranthus Cornflower Nasturtium

California Poppy Four-o'clock Portulaca

Candytuft Iceland Poppy Purple Fountain Grass

Celosia Kochia Tithonia

Cleome Melampodium Verbena

Vinca

Hardy and Half-Hardy* Annuals

Alyssum* Gazania Petunia

Baby's Breath Phlox*

California Poppy Iceland Poppy Snapdragon*

Candytuft Larkspur Sweetpea

Calendula* Monkey Flower* Verbena*

Dianthus* Ornamental Kale* Wallflower

Foxglove Pansy

Annuals to Sow in Fall

Alyssum Cornflower Pansy

Baby's Breath Cosmos Shirley Poppy

California Poppy Iceland Poppy Snapdragon

Calendula Larkspur Sweetpea

Candytuft

Annuals that May Self-Seed Year after
Year

Alyssum Cosmos Nicotiana

Baby's Breath Forget-Me-Not Pansy

Browallia Impatiens Portulaca

Cornflower Kochia Snow-on-the-Mountain

Calendula Larkspur Verbena

California Poppy Morning Glory Vinca

Cleome Zinnia

Annuals to Direct-Seed

Amaranthus Iceland Poppy Nasturtium

Baby's Breath Kochia Shirley Poppy

California Poppy Larkspur Sunflower

Castor Bean Marigold Sweetpea

Gomphrena Zinnia

Annuals for Use as Cut Flowers

Aster Dianthus Salvia

Baby's Breath Dahlia Snapdragon

Calendula Larkspur Statice

Cornflower Marigold Stock

Celosia Nasturtium Sweetpea

Chrysanthemum Phlox Verbena

Cosmos Zinnia

Annuals Suitable for Drying

Baby's Breath Gomphrena Statice

Celosia Money Plant Strawflower

Annuals Grown for Fragrance

Alyssum Nicotiana Phlox

Dianthus Petunia Stock

Nasturtium Sweetpea

Annual Vines

Balloon Vine Cypress Vine Nasturtium Spanish Flag

Balsam Apple Moonflower Scarlet Runner Bean

Canary Bird Vine Morning Glory Sweetpea

Cup-and-Saucer Sweet potato vineThunbergia

Annuals Grown for Colorful Foliage

Amaranthus Dusty Miller Polka Dot Plant

Basil Kochia Purple Fountain Grass

Coleus Ornamental Kale Snow-on-the-Mountain

Annuals Used for Edging

Ageratum Dusty Miller Petunia

Alyssum Lobelia Snapdragon (dwarf)

Begonia Phlox Torenia

Candytuft Portulaca Verbena

Coleus Marigold (dwarf) Zinnia (dwarf)

Dianthus Pansy

Annuals Suitable for Containers

Ageratum Geranium Phlox

Alyssum Impatiens Portulaca

Balsam Lobelia Torenia

Begonia Marigold Thunbergia

Browallia Nasturtium Verbena

Coleus Pansy Vinca

Petunia

Annuals Suitable for Backgrounds and
Screens

Amaranthus Cosmos Marigold (tall var.)

Castor Bean Hibiscus Purple Fountain Grass

Celosia (tall var.) Sunflower

Cleome Kochia Tithonia

Coleus Zinnia (tall var.)

Annuals Suitable for Use as Groundcovers

Alyssum Creeping Zinnia Verbena

Candytuft Portulaca Vinca

Annuals that Should Generally Be
Deadheaded

Aster Foxglove Purple Fountain Grass

Calendula Geranium Salvia

Cosmos Snapdragon

Dahlia Marigold Tithonia

Zinnia

Annuals that Attract Birds

Cornflower Petunia Salvia

California Poppy Portulaca Sunflower

Calliopsis Zinnia

Annuals that Attract Hummingbirds &
Butterflies

Phlox Salvia Verbena

Lobelia Tithonia Zinnia

Recommended
Annuals

Uncommon

Annuals