English Gardens Tips for Planting Annuals
Nothing beats the continuous color of flowering annuals – they’re one season plants that bloom and bloom. Annuals do well in beds or containers. Here’s some tips for planting in flower beds.
Plant Selection
- For best results, choose the right plant for the right location. Most flowers need six to eight hours of sunlight each day to thrive, but begonias, torenia and coleus do well in the shade.
Planting
- Soil is the key to a great garden. Prepare it properly by tilling or spading approximately six inches deep. Mix in a slow-release fertilizer, such as Osmocote, and soil amendments as needed. Use sphagnum peat for sandy soil to help retain moisture, and soil conditioner to help break up clay soil.
- Plant in mass for a great show.
Watering & Fertilizing
- Water when the soil is dry about 1 1/2 inches below the surface.
- Apply a thin layer of mulch to help retain moisture, but keep it away from the stem of the plants.
- Use a 1-2-3 method for feeding your plants throughout the season.
- 1-Use a starter fertilizer when planting. Products like Bio-tone will give your plants a jump start and help increase root growth to get them established faster.
- 2-Mix a time-released fertilizer like Osmocote into the soil when planting. This will release slowly over the next few months making sure your plants get added nutrients when they need it.
- 3-Use a water-soluble fertilizer like Proven Winners Water-soluble Fertilizer every 10-14 days on garden annuals and every 7 days on hanging baskets and containers. This is especially important if we get a lot of rain which can wash nutrients from the soil.
- The main reasons plants fail to thrive can be traced to improper fertilizing and watering.
Weeding
- Be sure to remove weeds regularly, as they compete with plants for water and nutrients.
For more information on caring for your annuals, visit any English Gardens location and talk with an expert.