Floral Summer Lovin - all about Annual flowers

Flowering annuals shouldn’t just be all about spring. Flowers of all shapes, sizes, colours, and lifespans are important aspects to any garden in every season. Besides adding vibrant colour to gardens and pots they are a vital food source for many bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.

These days growing flowers to eat is very on trend but just remember not all flowers are edible. Ask your local garden centre horticulturist for advice or do some research beforehand.

Annuals to make your summer garden pop and festive flower choices for gardens, baskets, and beds. Here are some of your Annual Flower species: Alyssum, Amaranthus, Begonia, Aster, Dahlias, Cosmos, Dianthus, Marigold, Petunia, Snapdragon, Sunflower, Statice, Vinca, Zinnia, Torenia, Salvia, Gomphrena, Lisianthus, Portulaca, Begonia, Impatiens.

How to grow your annuals:

Location: Most flowering annuals require a sunny position with the exception of begonias and impatiens that will happily tolerate semi-shaded locations too.

Soil preparation: Add good quantities of Rocky Point ActivGrow Soil Improver and or Rocky Point Cow Manure Plus to the soil preferably a few weeks before planting and water in well.

Planting: Water your seedlings or established plants in with a fish emulsion or seaweed based liquid fertiliser as this will reduce transplant shock.

Fertilising: To get the best out of your summer flowering annuals fertilise often with a liquid fertiliser for flowering plants and every 6-8 weeks with Rocky Point ActivGrow Fertiliser Pellets to deliver more flowers and blooms.

Mulching: Mulch will help to stop soil moisture evaporation, suppress weeds, halt erosion, slow heavy rainfall, keep the soil surface temperature more even and add organic matter to the soil as it breaks down. The best mulches to use for flowering annuals garden beds are Rocky Point Sugar Cane, Rocky Point Pea Straw and Rocky Point Lucerne Mulch.

Deadheading: This task is the removing of spent flowers. Pinching off dead flowers of your annual flowering plants means that they will then continue to produce more buds and then flowers instead of going to seed. Extending the flowering season.

Potting mixes: When growing flowering annuals in pots use Rocky Point Coco Pro Potting Mix or Rocky Point Premium Potting Mix for best results. Remember potted plants will require more watering than garden beds.

Potted Combos: Why not do some pots of colourful flowers up as gifts for teachers, friends, family, neighbours…. maybe even make it festive colours of red and white. Or why not pot up a mix of herbs and edibles flowers for the productive garden gift. The combinations are endless.