I am confused by the terms annual, biennial, half-hardy and so forth. What do they all mean?
An annual is a plant that completes its life cycle from seed to seed within the space of one season. A biennial is a plant that requires two seasons in which to complete its life cycle: it establishes itself in the first year, to flower and set seed in the second. A hardy plant is one capable of surviving outdoors in a particular climate with no artificial protection. A half-hardy plant is one that is quite capable of growing outdoors during the summer but can't be placed or sown outside until the coldest part of the early spring and the danger of frost have passed. Many types of hardy and half-hardy annuals as well as biennials are in our seed catalogue and young plant list.
You will need to sow a fresh batch of annual seed or buy a fresh batch of plants each year; hardy annuals include calendulas, cornflowers, godetias, larkspurs, nasturtiums and sweet peas and half-hardy annuals include African marigolds, antirrhinums, busy lizzies, nemesias, petunias, salvias and tagetes. The best known biennial garden flower is the wallflower, but foxgloves and sweet williams are others. Nonetheless, several of the most important of the plants grown as 'half-hardy annuals', such as pelargoniums and begonias , are not annuals at all but half-hardy perennials. This was perhaps more apparent with pelargoniums when they were all lifted at the end of the summer and stored until the following year, but now that so many are raised from seed each season, we have come to think of them even more as annuals. All biennials, of course, are either hardy or completely tender.
Are annuals and biennials best sown into seed boxes or is sowing them straight into the garden just as satisfactory?
It depends on how much time and space you have. Half-hardy annuals cannot be placed into the open garden until the danger of cold and frost has passed. Thus, to obtain the earliest flowering, it is essential that when they are put out, they are put out as plants rather than as seed. These plants must be raised indoors in pots or boxes. Hardy annuals can be sown outdoors as soon as the soil begins to warm up in the spring
Even with really fast growing half-hardy annuals such as helichrysums and asters , there can be several weeks' difference in the time of coming into flower between transplanted and direct-sown plants. With many others, , like petunias, salvias, tagetes and, of course, pelargoniums , you will be lucky if direct-sown plants ever reach the flowering stage before the autumn frosts intervene. The general rule, with most half-hardy annuals therefore is to sow the seeds under protection earlier in the year. If you have a warm greenhouse or frame , a heated propagator in an unheated greenhouse or even a warm window ledge, a start may be made with some of the plants that need the longest growth period of all (pelargoniums especially), at the end of January. Others may be sown sequentially according to the directions on the seed packets, through until April. If you don't have any heated raising space, it is wise to wait until late March before sowing and, of course, all plants should be hardened off before planting outside in late May or early June.
Biennials should be sown outdoors, but in a seed-bed rather than in their flowering positions, in May or June. Once the plants are about 6 cm high, they should be transplanted to a lining-out bed and spaced at about 15 cm apart. Here they will grow substantially during the summer ready for finally planting into their flowering positions during October and November.
Which annuals or biennials can be relied upon to give colour to beds and borders early in the season?
The most reliable biennials are wallflowers . For early flowering annuals, you must choose hardy types like Alyssum, Asperula, Calendula, Candytuft, Clarkia, Cornflower,
Echium, Eschscholzia, Godetia, Gypsophila, Larkspur, Poppies, Virginia stocks.
A wide range of annuals and biennials is in our seed list.
What annuals can be recommended to give colour all summer through in hanging baskets and window boxes?
It is important that hanging baskets and window boxes contain a blend of plants that will give continuity of colour without the need for any replanting during the course of the season and with the minimum of dead heading or other routine attention. They should also be compact in form and include a range of types covering upright, possibly climbing, prostrate as well as trailing habit. Remember that although you will usually find yourself looking up towards a hanging basket, you usually look down onto a window box and it is important that both appear attractive from all angles for as long as possible.
Although the question relates specifically to annuals, moreover, it is almost essential to include at least one or two perennials to obtain a balance of colour, texture and habit. Nonetheless, annuals will certainly be the mainstay for many people who don't wish to indulge too much expense in the basket. The old faithfuls that will be found most frequently are lobelia, alyssum and dwarf petunias.
The most neglected aspect of hanging basket planting is the uppermost part; many people forget the potential offered by the chains that actually support the container, but twining plants can be used to wend their way upwards. The best of all for this role is one of the types of plant sometimes known as Black-eyed Susan - Thunbergia alata, a most appealing half-hardy annual that flowers continuously and imparts a rather uncommon rich orange cream colour to the proceedings. It is easily grown from seed but does need full sun and may not be successful in the North of the country. Thunbergia can also, of course, be allowed to trail downwards, but that role is more usually taken with a trailing Lobelia such as one of the Cascade varieties (among which there is now a real red called Ruby Cascade), and with ivy-leaved pelargoniums. Among the latter, (which must still be raised from cuttings, unlike F1 hybrid zonal varieties), the biggest impact in recent years has been with the red and white bicoloured forms. Nasturtiums can be used to trail also but they sometimes fail to produce their best because the compost in the basket is too good! The liquid feeding and constant attention to water that are so important for successful hanging baskets are not really to their liking. Other useful trailing plants are pendulous begonias and some of the trailing campanulas. Remember the value of foliage plants in adding interest to the basket also; there are now many attractively variegated ivies that can be used to trail over the edge and which can, of course, be reused year after year. The greyish leaved trailing ground ivy, usually known as Nepeta is also valuable for it grows rather faster and rather longer than many of the other trailing forms; it will, in fact, almost reach the ground in favoured situations.
In the centre of a hanging basket, pride of place is usually given to a compact zonal pelargonium or to one of the dwarf cascading fuchsias; Cascade or Swingtime for example. Around it may be planted almost anything that takes your fancy, provided it meets the criteria of compactness and tidiness described earlier. Here too, in the 'body' of the basket, foliage plants are useful and grey or silver are particularly valuable; try using Cineraria maritima candicans Dwarf Silver, which you can raise from seed.
Many of the plants that you use in hanging baskets can be used for window boxes too, but some more substantial types such as salvias, more robust fuchsias and, of course more zonal pelargoniums can be included also. Once again, however, experiment with almost any of the compact annuals.
Finally, a note on the establishing and maintaining of hanging baskets. Partly because they are so expensive to buy ready made, but also, hopefully, because of their intrinsic interest, many gardeners are turning to setting up their own baskets for the first time. Many others however are put off because of the difficulty of obtaining the traditional lining material, sphagnum moss. Although this is an excellent lining, plastic sheet with drainage slots cut in it works almost as well. Remember also to use a good potting compost; I prefer a John Innes No 2 to a peat-based one because the latter tend to go from the extreme of being soggy to that of being dry and almost impossible to re-wet. And don't forget that the constant watering needed by hanging baskets during the summer results in nutrients being leached out almost more quickly than in any other gardening situation. Regular application of a liquid feed is essential therefore. And, lastly, do have a secure bracket from which to hang the basket; they can be quite extraordinarily heavy when full and wet.
What easy to grow annuals can be recommended for a child's first garden?
Among smaller growing species, calendulas can always be relied on, together with nasturtiums, nigella (love-in-a-mist), nemesias and, for something different, annual hibiscus , the flower-of-an-hour, which, as its name suggests, has very short-lived individual flowers but blooms over a long period and also produces very attractive inflated seed pods. By and large, especially for young children, choose plants with fairly large seeds that can be sown directly into their flowering positions. There will be plenty of time later for children to be introduced to seed boxes and pricking out.
There is no better way to introduce children to the joy of gardening that to let them do it for themselves. And, best of all, is to let them have their own small garden where, under supervision, they can experiment with almost anything that they choose. Nonetheless, the one virtue that most young children lack is patience and the one attribute that almost all possess is the ability to become bored very quickly. Thus, guide them towards trying plants that grow quickly and give results as dramatically and as soon as possible. And this, of course, is where some of the annuals come into their own. Few grow as quickly or as dramatically as sunflowers but do exercise supervision in the number of seeds that are sown; a dozen or more sunflowers can leave very little room for anything else. Almost as satisfying and certainly producing big plants from single seeds is Tithonia, the Mexican sunflower, a plant that is grown far too little. It produces masses of rich orange, daisy-like flowers over a long period on a 1 m high bushy plant. Another good choice is borage, a big bushy annual herb that, once established, will self-sow for years and has masses of flowers of quite fascinating shape and electric blue colour. Whilst on the subject of children's gardens, however, don't forget to include some of the quick growing and dramatic vegetables. Lettuce is always a good bet, as are radishes, of course, but a helping hand to raise one or two tomatoes and marrows will also be well rewarded.
Why do pansies refuse to grow in my garden?
The problem is often called pansy sickness and it is rather similar in cause to the difficulties sometimes experienced when an old rose bed is replanted with fresh stock. Pansy sickness is specific to pansies and violas and it is thought to be the result of the build-up in the soil of certain parasitic fungi, specifically able to attack this group of plants. Try raising your plants in pots and then transplanting them.
Many people find just this problem when they move to a new garden and attempt to grow pansies or some of the other species of Viola for the first time. Varieties that grew well in a previous garden simply fail to establish satisfactorily and eventually the plant fade away and die. If the plants are pulled up, the roots are usually seen to be decayed and blackened. The same symptoms are sometimes complained of after pansies or violas have been grown for many years in the same bed or border. Where they grew well previously, they now fail. Unfortunately, there is no simple chemical treatment that will eliminate the problem, but there are two ways around it. One way, like the treatment of the rose replant disease, is to replace the soil in the part of the bed where the pansies will be grown with fresh soil from a site that has not previously grown pansies. If this is impracticable, however, it may be possible, to achieve success by raising each plant individually in a peat pot containing fresh potting compost. A pot of about 10 cm diameter should suffice and, once well established, the plant may be planted out in the entire pot. This should provide a disease free base in which it can grow.
What is the secret of growing sweet peas?
A rich, free-draining soil and a sunny spot, well sheltered from the wind. Sweet peas like the sunshine. Always choose a site in the garden that affords them as much light and air as possible therefore. Avoid any position overhung by trees or shaded by buildings but these should be combined with shelter, for sweet peas are not happy in a windy position. Try to choose a spot with a good depth of top-soil and good drainage; sweet peas appreciate an extensive root run and are very prone to root rotting in waterlogged conditions. If the plants are to be grown in rows, try to ensure that the rows run North-South, in order to maximise of the amount of sun that they will receive. Provided no disease problems or waterlogging have been experienced, there is no need to change the site for sweet peas every year; indeed, in many gardens this is impossible for there will be only a limited number of ideal positions.
Prepare the soil as early as possible, preferably in the autumn; dig in well-rotted farmyard manure to a depth of 45 - 60 cm and add two good handfuls of bone-meal to the square metre as it is incorporated. As always when adding manure, ensure that it is incorporated uniformly through the soil and not deposited in layers like a sandwich. Many gardening books advocate laying manure in the bottom of a trench. This is bad advice; a trench is fine, but add manure to the soil as the trench is filled to obtain uniformity of soil conditions. Allow about 60 cm width for each row of plants and a circle of about 60 cm diameter if they are to be grown in clumps. The seed may be sown outdoors in the autumn, in pots or boxes in the autumn and overwintered in a cold frame for spring planting, under protection in the early spring for transplanting later, or they may be sown directly into the garden in April. The latter is generally the least satisfactory and should really be a last resort. Germination of the dark seeded varieties especially may be improved by nicking the seeds on the side opposite the 'eye' with the tip of a sharp knife. There are several ways in which the plants may be supported; bamboo canes, 2.5 m long, either in a double row or a tripod group for clumps of plants, are the most popular. Nonetheless, for simple garden culture, within a mixed border for instance, sweet peas look very effective simply allowed to scramble up twiggy branches. Allow one cane or branch per plant.
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