Annual Flowers – Underused Annuals

March 20, 2012

Annual Flower Bed with Cosmos & other Varieties

Are you tired of seeing the same old overused annuals? Change the routine process by planting underused annuals in your garden. These will make your garden standout with a style of its own during the summer with fragrance, color and texture. There are some great underused annuals you can consider for your garden with long lasting blooms that will add color and interest in your garden throughout the season.
If you have never tried any these underused annuals in your garden then try visiting some nurseries where they are grown and you may be surprised how beautiful they truly are and select some for your garden. Watch the number of these varieties gradually increase in your garden as you learn more about them. Some varieties of these annuals are summarized below.

Ageratum Blue Horizon Hybrid:

This is one of the old beloved garden annuals. With its hundreds of soft, charming, cushions of color this flower is fantastic as an edging, or border, plant.  Grows up to 30″ tall and gives your garden an elegant look. This flower blooms for 12 weeks and should be planted in full sun.  This annual is also an excellent flower for cutting.

Amaranthus:

This impressive annual is not only a flowering plant, but also yields healthy grains called as amaranth grain. The grains of these flowers are powdered and various dishes can be made from them. It is very easy to harvest this annual. Amaranthus grow 3-5’ tall and should be positioned according in your flower garden.

Black Knight Pincushion Flower:

One should definitely praise the person who discovered this plant.  In deep red wine like color among the black flowers, this annual gives a good appearance to your garden borders. This plant prefers partial sun and grows 12″ to 14” tall.   Pincushion flowers are also known for attracting butterflies.

Cosmos:

This wonderful annual is a prolific bloomer, easy to grow and tall.  Cosmos can be selected for your garden in different shades like red, orange, yellow, rose, pink and white. You can plant this in your garden with less soil and in direct sunlight. It also requires less water.  This graceful flower has seed heads that attract birds, makes beautiful backgrounds, borders and bouquets.

Dusty Miller:

An all time trendsetter in the garden. Its cut is so fine if you grow this annual with pinks, blues, purples and even whites get nice contrast and gives an attractive look. Dusty Miller’s are slow-growing and will be a perfect companion for other low growing annuals. This annual is often used as a border.

Four O’ Clocks:

This annual starts opening its flowers in the late evening around four O’ clock. These flowers require little soil, but do need a lot of water for their survival. From far or near distance you can stand back and watch this unmatched breathtaking experience. These flowers come in different bicolor including yellow, magenta, white and striped combinations. They are well known for attracting hummingbirds by day and moths by night. When planted at the borders of your garden gives a dynamic view.  This flower earned its name by opening their flowers late in the afternoon and typically stays open until early morning.

Gomphrena: 

Looking completely unique this has been one of the best underused annual for years. It has a quality of growing into full and dense specimen, with flower heads that are excellent for drying. These showstoppers should be planted in full sun to light shade in your garden. When variety that is absolutely stunning Gomphrena Fireworks that quickly grows 3-4’ tall and into a true specimen with exploding bursts of hot pink yellow tipped flowers.

Strawflower:

Strawflowers are very colorful, papery and stiff. They are everlasting even when they are dried. These flowers are very popular for dried bouquets and as fresh cut flowers.

Zinnia:

With plenty of brightness in them Zinnias come in a variety of colors and sizes. They are high heat and strong sun lovers. It won’t be surprising if other flowers in the garden lift their necks for having a look at this stunning annual. It looks attractive around beds, in containers and at the borders of your garden.

If you would like help with your annual flowers and color program, please contact us, Niwa Design Studio, at 952-470-1882.

Posted in Annuals, Flower Gardens, Garden Types, Plant Materials