M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 5
15
GARDENING
Perennials or Annuals? … Yes!
Each has unique attributes and
advantages
by Frank Kourt,
Staff Writer
Early in the gardening season, we
are often confronted
with the question of whether to
plant perennials or annuals.
The fact is, each have their own
unique advantages, so many wise
gardeners come up with a combination of both to provide a nice, wellbalanced look to their garden.
There are not, for example, many
perennials that can add color to a
shade garden, since most shade-loving plants (in these parts, anyway)
tend to lack the bright vibrancy of
annuals. Impatiens, which come
in a wide variety of colors and add
a great deal of interest, are annuals
that like shade. Likewise, begonias
can add color to shady spots. Caladium is another good annual choice,
as is coleus.
Of course, annuals like these have
to be replanted every spring, but it’s
easy to do. And the way they spread
during the summer, especially the
impatiens, you get your money’s
worth.
While on the subject of shade gardening, it helps to add a few hostas,
which are also perennials. While
not particularly colorful plants, the
purple blooms that form later in the
summer very definitely add color
and interest. Add ferns at your own
risk, since these tend to be very prolific and, given their own way, will
soon crowd everything else out.
There are some colorful perennials that take well to the shade, so I
intersperse them with the annuals,
using plantings like various colored
astilbes that should return year after
year. Full-sun locations also benefit
from a mixture of annuals and perennials.
We’ve taken an old wheelbarrow,
drilled holes in it for drainage and
filled it with soil. Nothing brings
that old barrow so colorfully back to
life as planting wave petunias of various colors. Again, the petunias must
be planted every spring, but nothing
matches the sight of these lush flowers spilling out over the sides of their
container.
A good choice for our whiskey
barrel planters are brightly colored
dahlias, which may or may not be
perennial in this climate. About the
only luck we’ve had with dahlias as
perennials is when we plant them
relatively close to the house, which
helps them winter over. Whether
you have to re-plant them or they
come back of their own accord, the
large colorful flowers that form on
dahlias are dazzling. Ours get so top
heavy that we often have to stake
them up, but it’s worth the effort.
A great bet for perennials in sunny
places is knockout roses. These
beauties come in a variety of colors,
bloom all season long and are so
disease-resistant they require almost
no fussing at all except to keep
them watered. We usually get three
bushes of the same color and plant
them close together for a stunning
presentation.
Lilies are perennials that tolerate partial sun, come in a variety of
colors and bloom at various times
during the summer. They can be
counted on to make an annual appearance and add a lot of interest to
shady spots with partial sun.
Finally, a pair of great and colorful
perennial shrubs for full sun are rose
of Sharon, also known as althea,
and crepe myrtle. The crepe myrtle
can be especially stunning, as it
comes in a variety of colors, ranging
from scarlet red to pink to white
to purple. They make great shrubs,
sometimes growing into trees, and
are perfect for the climate in which
we live.
This summer, be a little daring and
plant a combination of annuals and
perennials to bring color and variety
to your garden all season long.
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