I am tired of the most common annual flowers such as petunias, marigolds and alyssum. What other annual flowers would be less common but also dependable?
Your word dependable suggests that you want to plant varieties which produce lots of color with a minimum of problems and maintenance. The very reason petunias, marigolds and alyssum are so popular is because they are very dependable. They look very nice all summer with a minimum of maintenance. Here are a few of my favorites with similar performance.
Sanvitalia or Creeping Zinnia is a low creeping annual with small daisy flowers in shades of yellow and orange. You are more likely to find Sanvitalia with the basket stuffers or container flowers because it creeps over the edge of containers and hangs down. It is excellent in beds as well as containers.
Diascia or Twinspur is another very popular container flower which makes an excellent show in flower beds. It grows 8 to 18 inches high with flowers resembling snapdragon florets. It comes in shades of pink to coral. The orange variety is quite striking.
Salvia farinacea has spike flowers in shades of blue and white. Varieties range in height from a foot to 2 feet. It makes a nice background plant behind shorter flowers. It is also an excellent choice for the center of tubs and boxes.
Nicotiana or Flowering Tobacco is a cousin of petunias which grows very similar to them, although some varieties are taller. Flowers are similar to petunia except they are more star shaped. Nicotiana also comes in the same color range as petunias.
Lavatera or Rose Mallow is a relative of hollyhock. Flowers are similar to hollyhock except they are not on spikes. Varieties range in height from 2 to 5 feet. Flowers come in white and shades of pink.
Godetia is another flower which makes a good substitute for petunias. Purchase compact plants which have not started to bloom. Godetia has some rather striking colors in a range similar to petunias.
Impatiens and Fibrous Begonias are great in shady areas. They do not tolerate hot afternoon sun, but are OK with morning sun. Begonias have double rose-like flowers. Although there are double varieties of impatiens, the single varieties are the best performers.
Verbena has also become popular because of new varieties developed for containers. It has clusters of flowers similar to geraniums. Color range and plant size are similar to petunias.
All of these flowers are as dependable as petunias and marigolds.
Allen Wilson is a Vancouver gardening specialist. Email Allen Wilson at allenw98663@yahoo.com.
