Choosing the Right Mix of Annuals and Perennials

Perennial flowers in our gardens are like old friends. We eagerly wait for them to wake up in the spring from their long winter nap and begin to produce growth, foliage, buds, and finally the gorgeous blooms we’ve grown to love and rely upon. But just like in social circles where meeting new friends is a pleasure, too, many gardeners will enjoy adding annuals to their garden each spring or summer, to enhance the beauty of the garden. Some flower enthusiasts leave space among the perennials so that they can select annuals each year to fill in the gaps and create variety in their gardens.

Choosing the right mix of annuals and perennials is largely a matter of choice, though a few guidelines will produce results you’ll enjoy throughout the season.

First, start with perennials, since they will provide the permanent residents of your garden. See other guides on this site that address choosing the right perennials for your garden. In short, choose perennials that will bloom sequentially throughout the growing season so no section of the garden is ever bereft of blooms. Select perennial blooms in colors that complement and blend without clashing. If miscalculations do occur and you are faced with a bloom-free section of the garden, add instant color by picking up some complementary annuals at your local garden center.

Once you have a well-established perennial garden, you’ll know where annuals are needed. The great thing about annuals is that you can choose different varieties each year. Annuals come in so many different colors that you’ll always have a good selection to choose from, even if certain annuals are in short supply in a given year, which seems to happen due to climate issues where annuals are grown.

Add annuals that go well with your established perennials, both in color and shape. Time honored annuals like begonias and impatiens bloom for months, to provide a colorful transition from early blooming annuals to later bloomers. Marigolds and zinnias are found in enough color options to mix with any perennial garden, and provide hardy, enduring blooms well into autumn. Petunias, geraniums, nasturtium, and lobelia also offer rich tones to complement their perennial neighbors. These new friends will enhance the overall look of your flower beds and enrich the enjoyment you take from them.

Let’s conclude with a few words of advice. When selecting annuals from the nursery or garden center, make sure you are choosing healthy plants. Examine them carefully for signs of disease, pest infestation, or rot. The last thing you want to do is to bring home problems to introduce into your garden. Choose plants with leaves that are lush and firm, not showing discoloration or wilting. One option for annuals is to start them from seed indoors during the winter, then setting them out once your perennials begin to show new growth. However you choose to proceed, nurturing perennials and annuals together can produce a more vibrant, more colorful, more enjoyable garden from the first blooms of spring until you say good-bye to your garden in autumn.

Related posts:

1. Mixing Flowers – Colorful Flower Garden Design
2. Perennials Flowers
3. Choosing perennial plants for your garden
4. Seasonal Flowers
5. How to Deadhead Flowers