Were I able to travel back in time and give my younger, less experienced but far more opinionated self some advice, it would be this: plant more annuals. I was a terrible snob as a novice gardener and student — pelargoniums (bedding “geraniums”) were too gaudy, petunias crushingly old-fashioned, busy lizzies plain dull. And their combined effect, the Victorian bedding scheme, that high-water mark of horticultural excess, was redolent of a planting style that seemed as relevant to contemporary gardening as antimacassars are to modern sofas. I was wrong, but it took me two decades to realise it.
The term “annuals” is a catch-all for a range of ornamental plants that are either genuinely annual (they complete their life cycle from seed to death in a year or less), or that are perennial, but, in a cool temperate climate such as ours, can be counted on for only one season. To stave off an avalanche of photographs of elderly pelargoniums that have been cosseted from year to year, it is perfectly possible to get these “perennial annuals” (they’re actually sub-shrubs) through more than one season. It’s just that many of us don’t bother, or don’t have the facilities to do so. So we discard them at the end of the season.
There are many reasons to admire and desire annuals. They are rapid in growth, going from tiny seed to flowering plant in as little as a matter of weeks. Unlike some shrubs and perennials, they are profuse in flower — with only one season to produce offspring from their seed, they have to be. There’s a vast range to choose from, as seed suppliers work hard every year to create varieties with different flower colours and varying growth characteristics. These properties make annuals ideal for filling spaces in borders and for adding flower power at times when other plants have gone off the boil, August being a notorious month for a flowering gap.
Annuals are entirely disposable, too, or rather compostable. This latter point is important to novices and the green-fingered alike. Gardening mistakes can cost money, quite big money if they involve large specimen shrubs or high numbers of perennials. Annuals, however, are cheap. Even if they are bought from a garden centre, rather than grown from seed, they are still fairly inexpensive.
I have about 60 sweet-pea plants grown from seed in my old, slightly draughty and unheated greenhouse, at a cost of slightly less than £6 for the seed and a similar amount for the compost. I already had the pots, rescued from a previous planting session. That’s just 20p a plant if I don’t add the time spent watering, pinching out and potting on — and why would I do that when it’s all part of the pleasure of growing?
Advertisement
I sincerely hope all my sweet-pea plants will go on to do great things, but if I lose a few to pests, diseases or lack of attention, I won’t be too heartbroken. And the cost-effective disposability of annuals means that they’re ideal for experimentation. If you’re unsure whether a flower-colour combination will work with perennials and shrubs, try it with annuals first.
The key to success when growing from seed under cover is to follow the instructions on the packet. For a man who considers the construction of self-assembly furniture to be a test best taken without any outside aid, this is a philosophical challenge. But I urge anyone to do so, because timing, temperature-monitoring, watering and aftercare are crucial, and they are all there on the packet or website.
Sowing annuals in a greenhouse, cold frame or propagator allows a wide range of plants to be grown fairly inexpensively, but if you have no facilities at all, there are plenty of direct-sown hardy annuals to try. These are even easier to grow, as all that’s required is space in a border and a little time and effort to prepare the soil.
As the name implies, direct-sown annuals are precisely that: plants grown from seeds that are sown into the ground where they are to flower. The seed bed should be prepared by digging over the soil or, if sowing between existing plants, working its surface with a hand fork. I usually add a layer of compost, 4in deep, and incorporate it into the soil. After sowing, the seed should be lightly raked in and watered well, using a watering can with a rose attached so it doesn’t scatter everywhere.
After germination, you may need to thin out the seedlings. This is best done in two or three stages, with the eventual aim of having one plant every 18in or so. If you thin too many, too soon, you can guarantee that a slug, snail or other form of pestilence will strike down the rest.
Advertisement
The first sowing for many of these plants can take place the autumn before flowering. At that time of year, the soil is still warm, and germination should take place before winter sets in, leaving the small plants ready to overwinter. Subsequent sowings can be made from late March to early May, giving a succession of flowers through summer.
If only I’d appreciated all the virtues of annuals sooner. At least I’m making up for it now — although I’m still not keen on busy lizzies.
Matthew Wilson is the designer of Welcome to Yorkshire’s 2016 Chelsea Flower Show garden
10 top annuals
DIRECT SOWN
Nigella damascena
Fairly simple to grow, love-in-a-mist has fine filigree foliage and pretty, highly distinctive flowers in shades of blue, white and dark pink. It’s a good choice between established perennials in sun or light shade.
Advertisement
Eschscholzia californica
Sunshine in plant form, the California poppy is impossible not to love. An open, sunny spot on well-drained soil — even gravel — will yield the best results.
Centaurea cyanus
The species cornflower has dark blue flowers, but there are now varieties with white, burgundy and purple-black blooms.
Ammi majus
The bishop’s flower, or bishop’s weed, is superficially similar to cow parsley, but far smaller and rather more graceful and delicate. Its white flowers are held in flat, lacy umbels, perfect for adding lightness to semi-shaded borders.
Hordeum jubatum
Squirrel-tail grass is a wonderfully exotic, tactile plant, perfect for sowing with sun-lovers.
UNDER COVER
Cosmos Sonata Series
This is a classy annual to grow in gaps in your borders, or simply en masse. It has finely cut foliage in bright green and a long succession of saucer-sized simple flowers in dark to pale pink or white, with conspicuous yellow centres.
Advertisement
Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’
The blue-grey foliage alone is enough to warrant growing honeywurt, but it also has attractive purple-blue bracts in nodding clusters.
Lathyrus odoratus The sweet pea is a cottage-garden classic, and remains a favourite thanks to its pretty, highly fragrant flowers. Growing it from seed is fairly straightforward, but remember to pinch out the tops of seedling plants: this will encourage them to produce plenty of flower-bearing side shoots.
Nicotiana sylvestris
The stately tobacco plant is especially effective in groups of five or six towards the middle of a border. The big white tubular flowers really shine against a dark yew hedge or in a semi-shaded location.
Pelargonium ‘The Boar’
After years in denial, I can’t ignore the simple beauty of a big pot full of pelargoniums. I prefer the simpler flowers and subtler tones of species pelargoniums and their near relatives. ‘The Boar’ has delicate salmon-pink flowers and a graceful habit.