Gardening with Allen Wilson: Begonias top pick for long-lasting blooms

Bedding begonias have become my favorite long-blooming annual flower. They come in shades of red, white and pink. They grow 6 to 12 inches high depending upon variety, and bloom continuously from when planted in the spring until the frost kills them in the late fall. They will thrive in sun or shade and have few if any pest problems. The old flowers drop off and new ones continue to take their place.

Impatiens also require very little maintenance, but some varieties do not tolerate sun well. They grow to similar heights to begonias and come in a range of colors from white to pink, lavender and purple shades to bright red.

Sweet alyssum is a sun-loving, edging flower with no pests or other maintenance requirements. Alyssum grows about 4 to 6 inches high and comes in white and shades of lavender and purple. It will also cascade over the sides of containers.

Red salvia and related pink and purple shades grow from 8 to 16 inches. They also have non-stop bloom with little maintenance. Salvia will grow in sun or light shade.

Dahlias, both bedding and bulb types, also have a long bloom period but need to have dead blooms removed for best appearance. Dahlias come in a wide range of colors and prefer sun.

Cosmos is a great old fashioned wild flower that is easily grown from seed. Once established it comes up from the seed year after year. I prefer the 2 to 3 feet tall cosmos that has white, pink, lavender and purple flowers. A dwarf strain of cosmos has yellow and orange flowers. Cosmos likes full sun and needs little maintenance.

My perennial hardy fuchsias are still in good bloom and require little maintenance.

Perennial fall flowers

Chrysanthemum and fall asters are usually planted in September for fall bloom. Both can still be purchased in bud and bloom for October and November color. Japanese anemones with pink and white flowers also bloom reliably in the fall. They are typically spring or summer planted.