Have you tried the wishbone flower or torenia for partial shade – or even in the sun if the spot is not too hot? The plants are available from many garden centers. June is too late to sow the seed. The plants are neat and bloom profusely all summer.
Another little annual that deserves wider use is the cup flower. Too bad its other name scares people away, it’s Nierembergia hippomanica. It also should be available in local nurseries. They are either grown from seed or plants are carried over and propagated from cuttings.
Watch for self sown seedlings of hardy flowers. Those who do not use the old fashioned method of cultivating but the modern way of mulching will have plenty of seedlings. Personally I have never cultivated any of the beds in my yard. It is easier to pull the few weeds that come up here and there. I try to get them young before they raise a family.
Try sowing seeds of cardinal flower and giant blue lobelia right in your flower beds. There will be an oversupply of seedlings by fall. This works with a lot of other hardy flowers as well as biennials such as foxgloves.
Zinnias, marigolds, petunias, plumed cockscomb are among some of the more satisfactory annuals to plant in bulb beds, now that the daffodils and tulips are beginning to look like the devil. Tie the bulb foliage to small stakes, cut it back about half or tie knots in the daffodils. Some prefer to braid them.
This is a good time to take cuttings of hardy flowers. Try rooting them in the house insulating grade of vermiculite. It is coarser than the garden grade and does not stay too wet. Some prefer rooting cuttings in sand under mist but the vermiculite is easier to set up and just as good for the beginner. Make the cuttings of tip growth, about one to two inches in length. Put them in the shade and protect with a plastic cover eight inches or so above the cuttings.
In depth articles, information subjects at Plant-Care.com:
Leave a Reply