Planting annual flowers

The temperature reached 90 degrees this past Tuesday and I opened every window in the house for a breeze. By Wednesday night it had dropped to 40 and I had to close everything up once more. My anxiousness to get the vegetable garden planted in a hurry quickly subsided. It is still May and there is lots of time to begin a garden.

Few plants can add as much color to a landscape in such a short time as annual flowers. There are annual flowers suitable for just about every location around your home, from deep shade (try impatiens or coleus) to the hottest, driest spot imaginable (try portulaca or celosia). Visit your local garden center and ask them for advice as to specific plant selection. In general, the workers at these local businesses are very knowledgeable. I stopped at a local nursery today to buy some seed potatoes and spied a beautiful shrub in full bloom that I did not recognize. I asked a young woman who works there, who appeared to me to be about 15 years old, what type of shrub it was and she told me it was a variety of viburnum. Of course I would expect her to know what type of plant it was, but she then went on to explain that, unlike many viburnums, the flowers of this one did not have a bad smell. That extra bit of friendly information from this worker impressed me! Hopefully, the following guidelines will help you to have a successful annual flower garden this year.

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