A Gift that Keeps on Giving: Hardy Annuals

Photo by Sebastian Sørensen at Pexels.com

After my mother and husband died in 2014 and 2015, I had to have major surgery--a colon resection--to rectify a scar tissue problem with my sigmoid colon. It took me a year to recover completely, but I wasn't out of the picture. I decided to obtain my Master Gardener's certification so I could save the many plants my mother had installed in her yard.

I had to gain that certification quick, because my father was a Round-Up fiend, and he would kill flowers along with weeds with no guilt whatsoever. No matter how much I threatened or coaxed him, he refused to give up that pesticide, and I saw my mother's gardens dwindle in variety and in health.

Considering my growing knowledge about plants and planting, I decided to become a "glorified weed expert," and farmed myself out to folks around my area instead (my parents were in Virginia). Basically, that's all I did, just weed gardens. I had to fight for these client gardens many times re: mulch, planting ideas, and--finally--my last paying gig was with a couple who watched everything I did and learned enough to let me go. No one wants to be more of a gardening expert than the person who hired an expert.

Just as well. I'm enjoying my own yard now as well as one friend's yard, where I grow vegetables and flowers. To generate these gardens, I have purchased seeds, but I've also "stolen" seed from just about every garden I've worked in. Nothing surprises or delights me more than seeds from hardy annuals.

One example is a field daisy. That daisy will return year after year, but always in a different place. Then there's the German Chamomile. That flower is gracious, as it tends to re-grow in the spot where the owner originally planted the seeds. Both flowers are examples of what hardy annuals might do from year to year to survive.

That's why it makes sense to plant hardy annual seeds now. Those seeds can withstand frosts and freezes, but those seeds are especially fond of snow, because snow keeps them 'warm.' The seeds hibernate until spring or early summer, then they get their blooms on. Those seeds that drop or that you plant in fall are the ones that will reward you with the earliest blooms. But you also can plant hardy annuals in late winter and early spring.

The best way to find hardy annuals that thrive in your zone is to look at a map to learn where you are located. Then, look for "hardy annuals zone ___" on a search engine to discover some beauties. Or you can just search for hardy annuals and come up with pages like this one at Floret.

Either way, don't think your planting window closes when summer arrives. You've got plenty more planning and planting to do during summer and especially during fall. Hopefully, you'll plant just once for a lovely return year after year. Unless, of course, you use Round-Up.

What are your favorite hardy annuals?