Hi there! I want to plant a garden with annuals. This is my very first proper garden so I'd love to get some advice. Would someone be so kind as to offer their thoughts on the following?
1. Would you recommend starting from seed or are starter plants better when planting annuals? I'd love to have some blooms by the summer and I'm not sure if that is possible if I start from seed in May (when planting season starts in my zone).
2. If starting from seed, is it okay to plant them directly into the ground or do I need to start them indoors?
3. From your experience, what are good "start-from-seed" annuals that you would recommend for a novice gardener like me? I'm in Zone 7 and the garden plot has partial to full sun.
First update your profile with your location and zone. It helps us make appropriate suggestions.
We would also need to know how much sun this garden is going to get. Different plants will have different light requirements. Some plants I cannot grow because of where I live.
Most annuals do not actually live a full year. Many will be done in 3-4 months. Some will live longer if they have multiple blooms and some would actually qualify as a tender perennial like impatiens and begonias which like moist shade. Sunflowers come in singles and multiheads from 1-8 ft tall, but only the multiheads will continue to bloom. Once the single sunflower blooms, it makes seed and dies. Alyssum is one of my favorites since it is drought resistant and blooms in 6 weeks from seed. It is usually direct seeded because it does not transplant well. Zinnia, petunia, marigolds can all be purchased or grown from seed. Unless you want an instant garden it is always going to be cheaper and you will have more choices if you grow them from seed. The online seed catalogs are good place to look for what is available. Most annuals are not that pretty when they are growing so you might want to start them and then transplant them out. Some do better direct seeded. You will need to dead head repeat bloomers and replace the annuals that are done.
BHG has some garden plans. Even if you do not recognize the plants you can use the plan by substituting a plant with similar characteristics like height, color, leaf form as long as the plants all like the same growing conditions.
https://www.bhg.com/gardening/plans/
We would also need to know how much sun this garden is going to get. Different plants will have different light requirements. Some plants I cannot grow because of where I live.
Most annuals do not actually live a full year. Many will be done in 3-4 months. Some will live longer if they have multiple blooms and some would actually qualify as a tender perennial like impatiens and begonias which like moist shade. Sunflowers come in singles and multiheads from 1-8 ft tall, but only the multiheads will continue to bloom. Once the single sunflower blooms, it makes seed and dies. Alyssum is one of my favorites since it is drought resistant and blooms in 6 weeks from seed. It is usually direct seeded because it does not transplant well. Zinnia, petunia, marigolds can all be purchased or grown from seed. Unless you want an instant garden it is always going to be cheaper and you will have more choices if you grow them from seed. The online seed catalogs are good place to look for what is available. Most annuals are not that pretty when they are growing so you might want to start them and then transplant them out. Some do better direct seeded. You will need to dead head repeat bloomers and replace the annuals that are done.
BHG has some garden plans. Even if you do not recognize the plants you can use the plan by substituting a plant with similar characteristics like height, color, leaf form as long as the plants all like the same growing conditions.
https://www.bhg.com/gardening/plans/
Lemon, All of the above!
Some from seed inside or in ground. some bought.
When is your last frost date? That will give you some clues, and don't buy the annuals at the garden center until then as tempting as they are.
If you start all from seed now, will have flowers in 2 months at best. That's a reason to buy a few starter plants.From seed, marigolds, zinnia and sunflowers safe bets. Most people do sunflower direct, but I do in starter pots so the birds don't think they are lunch!
Many of the annuals you love for color and all are hybrids and cultivars, and can't be done from seed. Buy and enjoy!
Looking forward to pics of your garden!
Some from seed inside or in ground. some bought.
When is your last frost date? That will give you some clues, and don't buy the annuals at the garden center until then as tempting as they are.
If you start all from seed now, will have flowers in 2 months at best. That's a reason to buy a few starter plants.From seed, marigolds, zinnia and sunflowers safe bets. Most people do sunflower direct, but I do in starter pots so the birds don't think they are lunch!
Many of the annuals you love for color and all are hybrids and cultivars, and can't be done from seed. Buy and enjoy!
Looking forward to pics of your garden!
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HoneyBerry
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1216
- Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 1:10 pm
- Location: Zone 8A Western Washington State
You already have some very good expert advice from other members. When I was a kid, my Dad and I had gardens. He would pick out seed varieties for me that were easy to grow. And they were easy to grow. I had a great time. Some of the easy-to-grow seeds that I remember were Zinnias, Snapdragons and Nasturtiums. The memories are good. Although, I did not like being the designated garden weeder. We had a perimeter garden that surrounded the lawn in front. I would have to weed that garden. I asked my Dad why I had to do it and not my younger brothers. He said it was because I did such a good job. Life's not fair in so many ways. I wasn't all that good at keeping the dirt off of me. I would end up covered in dirt from head to toe whenever I gardened.
I also had an easy time growing Pumpkins when I was a kid. That was because my pumkin garden was in a 3'x3' square hole in the patio. The leaves grew onto the patio and didn't touch dirt, so they didn't pick up powdery mildew. It was a great way to grow pumkins. I don't find pumpkins to be as easy to grow now because I don't have a patio cutout to grow them in anymore.
Sunflowers are easy to grow from seed. I just let tge bird seed sprout and grow under the tree in the shade. I like shade grown sunflowers because they are shorter and don't need to be supported.
I also had an easy time growing Pumpkins when I was a kid. That was because my pumkin garden was in a 3'x3' square hole in the patio. The leaves grew onto the patio and didn't touch dirt, so they didn't pick up powdery mildew. It was a great way to grow pumkins. I don't find pumpkins to be as easy to grow now because I don't have a patio cutout to grow them in anymore.
Sunflowers are easy to grow from seed. I just let tge bird seed sprout and grow under the tree in the shade. I like shade grown sunflowers because they are shorter and don't need to be supported.