Annuals bring beauty all summer long.Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and the nurseries are stocked full with annual flowers. Here at Horizon Landscape, Debbie is busy keeping her list up to date preparing for our yearly order. The varieties and colors or annuals are seemingly endless, but the time to buy them is relatively short.
Why plant annuals?
Because they add a flourish of color all summer long. Most perennials and flowering trees have their bloom period and then are done, but annuals continue to bloom from early May straight through the first frost, which in Northern NJ usually occurs around Halloween.
My favorite variety of annual flower is the humble Impatiens and her sister, the New Guinea Impatiens. No matter how much I ignore these lovely beauties, they continue to grow in spite of me – and if I actually pay attention to them, they explode in a symphony of color and foliage that keeps going all season long.
Some of our customers’ other favorites are geraniums, marigolds, begonias, petunias and salvia. They range in color from white to various shades of yellow, red, pink, blue, purple, and orange. Many have blooms that are even more than one color, called variegated. They can be planted in garden beds, planters, window boxes and pots, and look good pretty much anywhere on your property. They are sold by the flat or by the pot for planting, or by the hanging basket, ready to display.
If you’re not sure what kind of flowers will tickle your fancy, your local nursery is the best place to start. Not only are the flowers of great quality, but the nursery employees are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to choosing the right plant for the right location. The internet is a great place to look too, but keep in mind that if you buy online, you must remember to chose plants appropriate to your growing zone.
Our landscape design staff will be happy to work with you to design a floral color palette for your home. But be sure to call soon if you want a choice – a good selection of annuals is only available until around Mother’s Day.