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Season of interest: Summer
Height and spread: From 20cm × 30cm to 1m × 50cm (from 8in × 3ft to 3ft 3in × 1ft 8in)
Companion plants: As desirable for cutting as for garden use, Zinnias will benefit from softer, more diffuse shapes nearby. Goldenrods add extra summer yellow, with a contrasting texture. Pale mauve or blue varieties of perennial aster will tone down the zinnias’ jazz.
Borago officinalis
Borage Annual
Large, heart-shaped to oval puckered, hairy leaves and thick, fleshy, branched stems carry myriads of small, star shaped flowers which are intense sky blue, with pale centres and dark, spiky stamens. A rapid annual which self-seeds copiously.
Soil preference: Any
Aspect: Any
Season of interest: Summer, autumn
Height and spread: Up to 1m × 75cm (3ft 3in × 2ft 6in), usually smaller
Companion plants: Beautiful anywhere but easily pulled out if not welcome. Herbs such as lavenders, herbaceous perennials, shrubs, large grasses, roses and bedding plants all make great companions.
Phacelia tanacetifolia
Fiddleneck Annual
Handsome American species, often used as a ‘green manure’ crop. The compound leaves, reminiscent of Jacob’s Ladders, create a ferny effect as the branched stems develop and lengthen. Buds are carried on tightly curled scapes, like violin heads, which uncurl and straighten as the violet blue flowers open. A free seeder.
Soil preference: Any, not too wet
Aspect: Sun or part shade
Season of interest: Summer
Height and spread: Up to 1m × 60cm (up to 3ft 3in × 2ft)
Companion plants: Another charming annual to sow in drifts among grasses or naturalistically planted perennials. The soft lavender-blue haze they create is also pretty with creamy or sunset-hued achilleas or among blue cranesbills.
Annuals for containers
Antirrhinum pulverulentum
Trailing Snapdragon Half hardy perennial, grown as an Annual
A compact, but trailing plant with oval, dull-green leaves and a long succession of ‘snapdragon’ flowers whose lips gape when gently pinched. Hybrids include the series ‘Pendula Lampion’ with pale pink, white or purplish flowers and pale yellow markings. Antirrhinum hispanicum subsp. hispanicum has silvery grey leaves and purplish pink blooms.
Soil preference: Any free-draining
Aspect: Sun
Season of interest: Summer and autumn
Height and spread: 15cm trailing 30cm (6in trailing 1ft)
Companion plants: Equally effective in hanging baskets, window boxes or alpine troughs. Their pastel hues blend gently with the grey-green foliage of Helichrysum petiolare or with white-variegated Glechoma hederacea ‘Variegata’.
Celosia argentea
Cockscomb or Wool Flower Tender annual or shortlived perennial
Vigorous, soft-textured plants with pointed leaves and successions of bold, highly coloured plume-like flowers in vivid shades including red, orange, yellow and purple. ‘Fresh Look Red’ has scarlet flowers. The mixed ‘Look Eternal Flames’ has either bright yellow or burning red flowers, accompanied by foliage which is green or deep purple-bronze.
Soil preference: Free-draining but moist and fertile
Aspect: Sun
Season of interest: Summer
Height and spread: from 30cm × 30cm (from 1ft × 1ft)
Companion plants: Their sub-tropical looks and strong flower colour make these plants good companions for Solenostemon (Coleus). Also try cooling with deep blue bedding lobelias.
Nemesia strumosa
Nemesia Tender Annual
J. Swithinbank
A South African member of the foxglove family, whose main features are the massed flowers in bright sunny colours which include orange, red, white, pink and yellow. ‘Nebula Mixed’ has hot, single colours whereas ‘KLM’ is a blue and white bicolour. The series ‘Sundrops’ has a remarkably long flowering period.
Soil preference: Any moisture retentive and fertile
Aspect: Sun
Season of interest: Summer
Height and spread: Variable to 30cm × 15cm (1ft by 6in)
Companion plants: The hot colours benefit from the cooling effect of blue-flowered bedding lobelia or a blue variety of Laurentia.
Phlox drummondii
Annual Phlox Tender Annual
Delicate plants, with rather weedy growth and nondescript simple leaves produce large heads of brightly coloured, disc-shaped flowers, often with contrasting centres. Superb when in full bloom but the flowering season can be brief. ‘Phlox of Sheep’ is an excellent series, with flowers in sunset hues; ‘Silver Blossom’ has mauve, dusky pink and even beige suffusions; and the petals of ‘Twinkle Stars’ are white-edged picotee types.
Soil preference: Free-draining but fertile
Aspect: Sun
Season of interest: Summer
Height and spread: Variable to 30cm × 30cm (1ft × 1ft)
Companion plants: Best when backed up by the strong characterful foliage of Plectranthus or when planted with such annual grasses as Briza maxima and Lagurus ovatus.
Sanvitalia procumbens
Creeping Zinnia Tender Annual
Trailing stems with simple, deep-green leaves and a summer-long succession of abundant small daisy flowers with broad, orange or yellow sterile ray florets and deep green or dark centres. The variety ‘Irish Eyes’ is golden yellow with glowing green flower centres. ‘Orange Sprite’ is dwarfer, with bright orange semi-double flowers whose centres are dark.
Soil preference: Any fertile and free-draining
Aspect: Sun
Season of interest: Summer
Height and spread: 15cm (6in), spreading 30cm (1ft)
Companion plants: Good in a bold colour scheme with perhaps compact varieties of nasturtiums and purple-leaved basil. Excellent contrast with dark blue trailing lobelia.
Dorotheanthus bellidiformis
Livingstone Daisy Tender Annual
A South African member of the ice plant family with small, fleshy leaves, mealy in texture, and a long succession of bright, daisy-like flowers in day-glow colours. ‘Apricot Tutu’ has pinkish sunset-hued flowers, but ‘Sparkles’ has a wider range including pale cream, purplish pink and orange, many flowers being bicoloured. The flowers will only open in full, direct sunlight.
Soil preference: Free-draining, not rich
Aspect: Full sun
Season of interest: Summer
Height and spread: To 15cm × 25cm (6in × 10in)
Companion plants: Good on their own in a hot, dry container in the sun or to add colour to such succulents as echeverias, sedums or sempervivums.
Annuals good for cut flowers
Rudbeckia hirta
Half hardy perennials grown as annuals
Dwarf, intermediate and tall hybrids of this North American genus have dark stems and simple leaves, lightly covered with short hairs. The daisy flowers, with their conspicuous ray florets and dark central cones, come in warm tones from yellow through to mahogany. Good cutting varieties include the double-flowered ‘Cherokee Sunset’, spidery-bloomed ‘Chim-chimenee’, and the green and golden ‘Irish Eyes’.
Soil preference: Fertile, moisture-retentive and heavy but drained
Aspect: Sun or part shade
Season of interest: Summer, autumn
Height and spread: 15–60cm × 30cm (6in–2ft × 1ft)
Companion plants: Use these plants to extend summer displays and blend with late flowering blue and purple salvias and perennial asters. They are also bewitching with soft, flowing grasses or sedges such as bronze leaved Carex and Stipa arundinacea.
Antirrhinum majus tall varieties
Half hardy to hardy perennial, usually grown as an annual
Familiar snapdragons such as ‘Axiom Series’ which have been bred to grow as tall plants, each with a straight, single stem ending in a long spike bearing the flowers in a broad colour range, including red, pink, yellow and bicolours. Plant in a sheltered spot or raise under glass.
Soil preference: Fertile, well-drained
Aspect: Sun, often raised under glass
Season of interest: Constant, depending when planted
Height and spread: To 75cm (30in)
Companion plants: Pretty plants for a summer kitchen garden, along with such cutting flowers as marigolds, larkspurs, dahlias and Gladiolus.
Helianthus annuus
Sunflower – pollen-free varieties Hardy annual
Single or branched stems may grow from a single seed, furnished with broad, slightly hoary, simple leaves and massive flowerheads with bright yellow, orange or maroon ray florets. Selections for cutting include pollen-free ‘Bees Knees’, whose flower colours include orange, lemon yellow, rich gold and deep reddish brown and orange, as well as the powderpuff-like ‘Double Shine’.
Soil preference: Fertile, free-draining
Aspect: Sun
Season of interest: Summer
Height and spread: Variable to 2m × 30cm (6ft × 1ft)
Companion plants: Too dominant to harmonize with other annuals, but very effective when planted as short-term screens or along walls or hedges. Pollen-free varieties are NOT GOOD for wildlife.
Dianthus barbatus ‘Summer Sundae’
Annual Sweet William Hardy annual or biennial
An annual form of the familiar sweet William described here (#ulink_0eeed4f2-e69d-5674-8b6b-635c0957c6b6). Although spring-sown seed will produce flowers the same season, autumn-sown plants will grow a little larger and flower for longer. A valuable variety, though, for speedy cut flowers. The multi-headed flowers are sweetly fragrant and last well in water.
Soil preference: Any free-draining
Aspect: Sun
Season of interest: Summer
