Melampodium, impatiens, four o'clocks,

Karen

Thanks Karen :-) I was thinking after I posted this question...I am asking winter sowers which are the best annuals that don't need deadheading?! lol

pm2

I WS the melampodium and 4:00, but not impatiens.

Karen

Karen, I didn't get to winter sow four oclocks this year, I started them direct sown in late may I think. They are just setting buds now. Did you soak bf wintersowing? Do you remember when you put them out and when they sprouted?

I didn't think you could winter sow impatiens.

Thanks

My WSown ones were actually done in spring, around mid March I think. They've been covered in blossoms all summer. The ones I planted in jugs bloomed much earlier than the volunteers, but I actually composted many because I had so many. I gave a lot of the volunteers to friends, too.

All my neighbors now have 4:00, verbena bonariensis, melampodium, and a lot of my other stuff, too. In spring it was like a "you dig" farm. I let so many people come and dig stuff out that I ran out of compost to fill those area and had to go buy bagged compost!

These photos taken last night
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Yep, you can spring sow them.

Karen

I don't nick or soak. Just plant like everything else.

Maybe I've just been lucky but this is my 2nd year and they've done great both times. No problems.

Karen

I did impatiens but I waited until it was warm - it took a while for them to bloom, but they are so much more hardy than the store bought packs.

Carrie

Karen, you have a LOT of four oclocks! :-)
Nice and full too and covered with blooms. Thanks for the photos. I am waiting for some bloom to take a few pics but I have maybe 2 large pots of them with another two that have one plant added to each. I tried some different colors this year and not sure which germinated, so I am excited to see which I get. Better labeling next year.

Carrie, yes, it seems everything winter sown seems sturdier but you say you did them in warm weather, so it is just your own home grown that do better for you. Well that makes sense. The greenhouse raised plants are more fragile I think.

Thanks..

I think the theory on 4:00s is that if you winter sow, you do not need to nick and soak because ma nature does that for you with the freezing and thawing.

My problem with 4:00s is that I can't find a good place to grow them. Where I am trying now is simply too much afternoon sun and not enough water - particularly this crazy spring/summer.

Yes, mine get about half day sun and they do wilt if they get too dry. Part sun works pretty well for me, though.

The watering is getting impossible. You just can't overcome an 8 inch deficit in sustained 95 degree heat.

Karen

Have you considered putting them in a pot somewhere in part shade? Maybe close to the water spigot or back/front door?

I hear you about the dryness. I am watering one bed every morning for about an hour, trying to keep up with it.

I have some 4:00 in pots in part shade which need water twice a day. Too much work. They might soon be compost material.

They do much better for me in the ground

Karen

Profusion Zinnias. Have ignored them all year and they are perfect mounds o' blooms. Haven't needed much extra water either and they are in one of my hottest, driest, against the house beds. Not one leaf has wilted in 90+ heat.
The Thumbelina Zinnias are also full of blooms despite no deadheading though it probably wouldn't hurt if I went over them once soon.
Fantasy mini Petunias are still looking pretty good and blooming well. Other petunias I've had usually stopped blooming by now and need wacked back. Only thing I did to these was trim some long branches to tidy them up.
Becky

I'm with you prairiemoon I planted out way too many annuals this year and most of them need a lot of tending. I have a big group of Petunias, Pholox and Portulaca. I spend about 2 to 3 hours a day dead heading just these 3 groups. Next year I plan on planting more perennials along with the following annuals; Daybreaks, Salvia, Marigolds, African Daises, Heliotrope, Gomphrena and my favorite this year was my Pentas. All of these plants benefit from some dead heading but it is very little. I'm sure that I could clean up a whole yard full of these in just a couple of hours a week. Especially the last 4 these would probably take less than 2 hours a week to keep large groups of them in shape with very little dead heading.

Strouper

Karen....I am afraid of the reseeding possibilities if I put them in the ground, I know they can still drop from the container, but I still feel more in control. I did that last year and I got 2 volunteers and that was it.

You must be getting hotter weather than we have all summer. I am only watering my 4 oclock pot twice a week. It gets about 2 or 3 hrs of sun in the morning and that is all. It has been in the 90s for a few days, but cooler before that.

Becksyard.....You don't deadhead the profusion zinnias? Do yours get mildew? I haven't tried the shorter zinnias but my tall ones in the beds do get mildew and some years I have ended up pulling them out.

Strouper2....Are you talking about the short annual Phlox? Are you deadheading Portulaca? I haven't deadheaded my portulaca all summer and every morning when the sun hits them, all new blooms open up. They have been gorgeous and completely carefree. After initial watering to establish them, I haven't watered either. You must have some great annual displays to have to spend that long deadheading..lol.

What are Daybreaks? I am thinking of doing Sweet Cream marigolds next year. I tried salvias one year, and they didn't bloom until very late in the season and I just can't look at a plant in my containers that takes that long to bloom. And those were from nursery six packs. African Daisies...do you mean osteospermum? I have seed to try next year. Don't they need deadheading?

I posted to the Annual forum too and someone there suggested more foliage plants in containers. I thought that was a good idea too. Elephant ears, ferns, etc. I hadn't thought of that. I dug up a little bit of lamium and broke it up into 6 pieces this year and added it to the edge of 3 large containers. You wouldn't believe how it just took off. No deadheading with that either. Did we mention begonias don't need deadheading?

I have Penta this year and it is doing nothing. I love Heliotrope. It just takes so long from seed to get to blooming size, it won't winter sow, right? Last time I tried to buy it at the nursery I go to, they only offered it in the large six packs for $18. !! I was in shock. I would really love to figure a way to grow them without using a light setup in the house.

Hey prairiemoon I didn't realize you were just looking for annuals that you could WS because I grew some Osteospermum (aka African Daisies)from seed this year and they took a long time to bloom. I guess they should be deadheaded but they are no where near the work of something like Petunias. I kind of think that most plants benefit from being deadheaded but I wouldn't think that it was a requirement in most cases. For instance most of my neighbors don't touch their Petunias all summer and they still look respectable. I think the same could be said for Portulaca I'm sure that you don't have to remove the spent blooms but I do. I like to think that I get more blooms by doing so.
Daybreaks are the same as Gazania. I love their daisy like flowers. I purchased all of mine this past year but I think that they're suppose to be very easy to grow from seed so next year I'll be trying to WS them.
I'd have to say that I agree with you about Heliotrope it does seem to take a while to come to bloom and the only place that sells them around here gets $3.50 a plant, mind you they are very nice plants. I always have to purchase a few for my patio because I just love the smell.
That's strange about your Pentas mine are going like gangbusters. In fact I have an area with Asters in it and I'm going to replace all those with some Pentas that I just got for 1/2 price, end of the season sale. They seem to really thrive in full sun. Are yours getting enough sun?
Another plant that I purchased at the same sale is Evolvulus. It has real pretty blue flowers and so far it hasn't needed anything. This is the 1st time I've ever had it and I haven't had a chance to look up any information about it online.

Strouper

I deadhead everything....whether they need it or not LOL!

Can't help it

Vera

prairiemoon2, Nope the profusions don't need deadheaded. As they say, these aren't your Grandmother's zinnias. They stay as neat mounds, perfect for the border, and new blooms just smother over the old. And very resistant to mildew. They didn't take off until it got hot but now they are thriving in the heat.
My thumbelinas are 2' and not as dwarf as I expected but they show no sign of mildew yet and are butterfly magnets right now. I do have them in the front of the bed so that may have kept the mildew down. We just recently got into a spell of hot, humid weather so I'll see how they hold up with that.

I agree, no deadheading on the profusion zinnias. Mine are in part sun this year and are doing well, tho the plants are overall staying pretty small so far. I have, in past summers planted them in full sun and they became huge, 3 ft shrub-like plants. I prefer them a little smaller, like mine are as of now. I hope they don't get that big as the season progresses.

My thumbelinas are also in part sun and much bigger plants than I expected. They're just starting to mildew. Lots of blooms but each small and pastel colors, not going to be favorites of mine.

Karen

Hi Strouper....I was thinking of trying the osteospermum next year from seed. Tell me, when did you start them? You didn't winter sow them, right? I guess you are right, that some annuals you don't have to deadhead, but you might want to. I, for one, am one of those people who if I have the energy and time would love to pull off every ugly leaf and dead blossom. I will even go under the plant and pull off dead or pale yellow leaves that you can't even see. That is just the way I am. So, I guess what I was asking was, if there are any plants that will drop their blossoms and not leave a mess and still keep blooming without deadheading. If they look ugly with dead blossoms on them, or if the blooming comes to a stop when you don't deadhead, then it probably won't do me any good.

As for portulaca, did I mention yet, that I discovered my portulaca bloom just as well without deadheading? I haven't pulled one blossom and every morning they are covered with new blooms and you can't see the old blooms through all the flowers. I also have them along the street in the front, so I am not up close and personal with them for it to bother me if they did. Everytime I have walked over and looked at them up close, they look great to me! That has been a very happy discovery this year.

I saw an island display outside an office building recently and it was the prettiest I had seen in awhile. It had petunias, next to million bells, with geraniums here and there, and gazanias with that silver foliage all around the perimeter. Might have been a few other things I am forgetting but it was very well done and I liked the silvery leaves all around the perimeter.

As for my Pentas, I did buy them late at the nursery, so I am wondering if they just got pot bound and stopped growing and it took them awhile to acclimate themselves. They are maybe not even double the size that they were when I put them in and only now are just starting to show more buds. I always thought they were late bloomers anyway, no? Yes, the Pentas are in the only area I have that is full sun. From morning to sunset.

I did look up that Evolvulus and it is very pretty. I haven't seen that around here yet. Also haven't seen any 1/2 price annual sales yet either. I have a few pots that could use a refill.

Vera...... you have more energy than 2 people! [g]

becksyard.....your zinnias sound very interesting. I didn't know you didn't have to deadhead. I like neat mounds too. I will have to see what colors they have available when I order more seed. I have never tried the shorter zinnias and would love the mildew resistant varieties. Butterfly magnets too. I have a couple of places I can think of putting them. Plus heat resistance, quite a combo, sounds like a perfect plant. :-) Can they be winter sown too? I will have to try the shorter ones next year.

Karen...I find that too, that depending on how much sun they are in, most annuals perform differently. I have two large pots on each side of a gate that faces west. They are shaded for a few hours in the morning but then they are the last place the sun hits. I have nicotiana in them by mistake. I lost the labels and thought they were petunias when they were seedlings. [g] They are doing okay, but I am watering twice a day sometimes. I think the nicotiana would like a different position better. So I need to figure out what to put in those pots for next year. I don't want to do portulaca there, which would work well, but I need something fuller and about the 2ft range. It sounds like the profusion zinna might be one possibility.

Here is a link that might be useful: Evolvulus