Confessions of an Annual Lover

Confessions of an Annual Lover

Every season, when it is time to put the sweaters away and break out the tank tops, I take stock of my closet. Though I have many a pair of sandals, a stack of beloved cut offs and shorts, the truth is: I want something new. So, friends and fellow gardeners, who may share this proclivity for a fresh start, I give you the joy of planting annuals. Annuals are like fast fashion, a satisfying hit of color to make your garden feel new.

Annuals are planted newly every spring (vs perennials which survive the winter and grow stronger each year). They come to flower quickly and provide a long season of flashy blooms. Whatever look you are going for with your garden, whatever your weather, location and length of your season, you can grow annuals - ‘zones’ don’t matter to annuals, just plant them after your last frost no matter where you live. Annuals are shapeshifters and can be happy in a tiny backyard garden, a balcony or pot high above the city street or lolling along a country lane. This is akin to the hoodie that fits everyone and makes everyone look cool and nonchalant. 


You can create a wave effect by starting with some early bloomers like violas, those daring harbingers of spring that signal warmer days ahead (just a tee shirt under a leather jacket. No scarf, no hat!)  and then roll through the warmer months when zinnias and marigolds sing their high summer song, queue Ella saying the livin is easy. These darling flowers allow you to change your mind, change your mood and change your style every season and we love that. Annuals are dear to our ever evolving, onward and upward toward the sun hearts.

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