Old-Fashioned Annuals for the Home Landscape

We gardeners often want to buy this year's new and unusual plants at greenhouses, nurseries, and big-box stores. Impressing our friends with the latest plants is enjoyable, but the older standbys are often overlooked. Old-fashioned annuals still have value and use in the garden due to their colorfulness, ease of growing, and benefit to pollinators. All the plants mentioned below can be started indoors or directly sown after the last frost.

Zinnias (Zinnia elegans and Zinnia angustifolia), in general, are excellent plants due to their variety of shapes, heights, and colors and their attractiveness to bees and butterflies. Growers tend to offer the big splashy varieties, such as 'State Fair.' But one of my favorites is the Profusion Series. For some reason, these smaller zinnias are difficult to buy from growers, but they are terrific zinnias, and I call them the "workhorse of the garden." Small in stature, about 12 inches high, they will bush out to about 12 inches wide, fill in garden spaces nicely, and are available in several colors, including white, shades of yellow, and shades of pink. One plant will continuously have at least a dozen blooms at a time, and deadheading will keep them blooming throughout the summer. Due to their relatively flat flowerhead, they are good sources of nectar for pollinators. They are fairly drought tolerant and thrive in the heat but remember to water them during dry spells. Seeds can be gathered from spent flowerheads or purchased from retailers.

Stock (Matthiola incana) is another often overlooked annual. Another relatively short plant, stock, is a good filler plant in containers and at the front edge of borders. Stock varies in color from red to pink, white, purple, and yellow and has single and double blooms. It has a lovely fragrance, is faintly carnation-scented, and benefits from deadheading. It will take a break during the hottest part of the summer but will rebloom when temperatures drop again. The single-bloom variety is better at attracting pollinators because of the ease of accessing the nectar in the open flowerhead. Stock seeds can be purchased at garden centers or through catalogs, but sometimes rooted plants can be found at garden centers.

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus), a South American annual and member of the Tropaeolaceae family, has several uses in the garden. Nasturtiums are available in a variety of colors, and even the bush varieties generally trail at least a little bit, cascading over the sides of planters. 'Empress of India' has deep red flowers, and 'Jewel' will have double and semi-double blooms on one plant. Some varieties, such as pale yellow 'Moonlight' and 'Trailing' (Trapaeolum majus) can reach lengths of 16 feet, making them good choices for hanging baskets or ground cover. Nasturtiums attract pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, and moths. Nasturtiums are easily started indoors or directly sown and will sometimes self-sow in the undisturbed ground and magically reappear the next growing season. Seeds can be saved from spent plants or purchased from retailers, but catalogs offer a much better selection than brick-and-mortar stores.

Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) is in the Asteraceae family. The edible plant is called "pot marigold" because, in Great Britain, the flowers are used in soups and broths for coloring and their mildly bittersweet taste. Plus, they were an easy herb to grow in containers. Calendula is available in colors ranging from pale yellow (nearly white) to strong yellows to vibrant oranges and attracts bees and butterflies. Although classified as an annual, it readily self-sows and will reappear in the garden, forming dense clumps with many flowers. Seeds are available in stores and catalogs.

Lastly, don't overlook the smaller salvias. Several varieties of bigger salvias, such as 'Black and Blue' and 'Wendy's Wish,' are great additions to the gardens. But another hard-to-find variety is the compact Salvia coccinea 'Lady in Red'. 'Lady in Red' grows to about 12 inches high but doesn't bush out; its stem will have several inches of small bright red flowers. It is an excellent plant to tuck into smaller openings to fill blank spaces. 'Lady in Red' is fairly drought tolerant and thrives in full sun. The seeds can be started indoors or directly sown after the last frost. It liberally self-sows and will reappear the next growing season. It is very opportunistic and will self-sow in gravel and between patio pavers, but it is easy to pull out if it is not wanted. Hummingbirds, in particular, love 'Lady in Red'. Seeds can be saved or purchased through catalogs.

Here are additional Penn State Extension resources and information about annuals:

• Annuals
• Sowing Annual Seeds
• Transplanting Annuals into the Garden