Fine Gardener
I love annual beds. Why? So many reasons:
1. You can be creative.
Annuals beds are something you can design by yourself and do just as good a job as the best landscape architect in the world. You know what you like, so follow your own instincts and express your creativity for all to see. Lawns all look the same, but each front yard annual bed is unique.
2. They're low maintenance.
Once a bed is installed, it is one of the easiest and lowest maintenance ways to brighten up your yard. Weeds are virtually non-existent, watering is not needed in the winter and it can be done by either drip or spray in the summer, dead-heading (with the right flowers) is not required, and digging the flowers under when the season is over enriches the soil.
3. There's a huge variety of flowers to choose from.
Local nurseries, especially Summerwinds, have an absolutely huge variety from which to choose.
If you are uncomfortable with mixing and matching, just pick one of the many pre-designed mixes and you’re done. Nursery employees are usually pretty knowledgeable about what will work in local soils and conditions.
4. You can change them if you're not happy.
Annuals are not forever. If you decide you’re not happy with a particular installation, don’t worry as you will have a whole new look in just a few months. And if you really loved a particular design, you can always duplicate it next season.
So, my message to you is be bold, take a chance, follow your instincts, and design an annual bed that will stop traffic on the street. You really can do it.
NOT EVERYTHING WORKS THE FIRST TIME
Take a look at the following pics of a client's pool area. Well laid out with sight lines directly from the kitchen, great for pool parties and entertaining, a view to die for, but monochromatic and just kind of "blah."
The clients hated that sago palm you see and wanted some color to liven up the place. What an absolutely perfect place for a flower bed, especially in the winter! So, I put in a colorful array of pansies that will provide constant color for the entire winter without any work. Isn't winter gardening fun? Problem solved, right?
_edited.jpg)
_edited.jpg)
Alas, it was not to be...
​
3 days after installing the annuals, Bambi and her friends paid a visit, and this was the result:
.jpg)
This is a heartbreaking sight both for me and the homeowners and not something we plan to have happen again. You can buy heavy-duty netting (not the worthless junk from local nurseries) and cover the beds after planting. It sort of visually fades into the background so you don't even notice it in a few days.
The deer can't see it, but they feel it with their noses and go somewhere else. This netting is heavy enough to be re-used and it can also be draped over your fruit trees and berry bushes to prevent deer, squirrel, and bird predation.
​
However, if at first you do not succeed, blah, blah, blah:
I use marigolds in raised beds all the time as a natural insect repellent. Hmmm, if they work against small bugs, perhaps they will work against big pests like Bambi and her friends. As you can plainly see, they are doing great and will get much bigger as the summer progresses.
​​​
Call me if you would like this level of knowledge, creativity, and craftsmanship in your yard.
WINTER ANNUALS
Here are the same flowers at the end of the season in October after they have been blooming non-stop for the past 6 months. No fertilizer, dead heading, insect or deer problems, and, maybe, a total of half a dozen weeds that had to be pulled. Being next to a pool, you always have to be concerned about leaves getting into the water, but the clients had no problems at all. Gardening doesn't get much easier than this.
Come back in the future and check out the winter annuals. I think I figured out a way to outsmart Bambi and friends. If it works, you will see a bed full of annuals for the winter. If not, then I will try something else next year. No way am I going to let those animals beat me.​​​
This pic was taken shortly before Christmas and it looks like my idea is working. I've got netting (really hard to see) over the bed and held in place by cobbles around the perimeter. The flowers (Aren't they pretty on a grey day!) will get both wider and taller as the season progresses. Non-stop color without the need to water, fertilize, or pull weeds from Thanksgiving all the way into April. Gardening doesn't get much easier than that.
This is the bed in mid-February and not a single flower has been touched by deer. HA! I finally outsmarted them:-). These are violas and they stay low to the ground and have small flowers - you really have to mass them. However, the colors are out of this world and can see how they liven up a boring winter landscape? Unless we get a rapid warm up in spring, these should continue to bloom into April.
​
If you would like to look out your kitchen window and see a beautiful sight like this all winter, give me a call.
Winter annuals are my favorite because they brighten up a grey time of the year and require almost no water or work. This is a small bed I installed in late December.
TIP: Let me prep and plant your winter annual beds before Halloween. That way, you can enjoy six (6) months of trouble-free color.
When the season is done, I simply dig the plants under and let them rot. This improves the soil and saves you money.
_gif.gif){kind=small}
Cyclamen
Cyclamen add vibrant, neon colors to your shady winter beds. Take a close look at the petals on these flowers. These are the ruffled variety and I just love their classy look as well as being a little bigger than the smooth petals. They can be hard to find, but worth the search.
Primroses
Primroses are a great way to liven up a grey winter day. I like to use the yellow ones because they tend to have more of a scent than the other colors. Place them in an enclosed space such as a this front patio where their scent will not be so easily dissipated.
Elegans
Yeah, I know this is not a winter annual, but I wanted to show that there are other ways to get color during winter. This is a tree I planted several years ago for clients in Santa Clara. In the summer, the foliage is medium green, but, oh my, look at what it does in the winter!
