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Annual Flowering Plants in Mississippi

No other group of flowering plants provides as much color as quickly and economically as annuals. Annual plants sprout from seed, flower, set seed, and die within one season. Many flowers, vegetables, and herbs are planted every year as annuals. Other plants may live longer in their native lands, but do not survive the heat or cold of the mid-south and are best treated as annuals.

Most annuals are planted in spring and are killed by frost in the fall. However, some, including pansies, ornamental cabbage, and dill are tolerant of our winters and are best planted in the fall for color throughout the winter. These are usually killed by the heat of early summer.

Columbines, such as this Aquilegia Swan blue and white, can thrive in Mississippi landscapes when treated as an annual.Some annuals, such as gomphrena, cosmos, and coreopsis reseed themselves, yielding several years of pleasure with minimal care. Annuals come in a variety of colors, heights, and textures, and their uses are almost unlimited. Unbeatable in masses of solid or mixed colors, annuals are also very effective in small groups or used to soften lines and accent borders.

Many annuals, especially compact varieties, are well suited for containers. Large annuals may be used as specimen or accent plants along the back of a flower or shrub border. Some annuals are vines that may be grown on fences, arbors, porch rails, or trellises.

Annuals are inexpensive, especially when grown from seed. However, they do require soil preparation, fertilization, irrigation, weeding, and pest control. Most are native to semiarid regions of the world and require full sunshine to survive.

Species such as impatiens are native to dark woodland floors and flourish in shady sites, such as covered patios, narrow courtyards, or heavily wooded sites.

Annual gardens are easily established in the smallest and most restrictive of spaces as well as the harsh conditions of a large suburban garden. Their relatively shallow root systems require only a modest amount of soil. Gardeners with sizable yards quickly learn the trick of planting one or two easy-to-grow beds of massed annuals to decorate patios, walks, or pools. Apartment dwellers can achieve a splash of color with a few well-placed pots, wash tubs, or planter boxes of annuals.

Annuals that need full sun, such as periwinkle and marigold, grow and flower best when they receive at least 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. Woodland species perform best under partial to heavy shade.

Prevent root diseases and other problems associated with waterlogged soil by avoiding areas where water stands after a heavy rain. Also avoid areas near large trees and shrubs that may have many greedy, thirsty feeder roots.

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News

A gravel trail cuts through a garden in front of a building.
Filed Under: Flower Gardens October 14, 2024

Children’s learning gardens are a wonderful way to educate young people about plants. They are designed as places for young children to use their imaginations to relate to their surroundings, explore, touch and play as they develop an affection for the natural world. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting the Pearl Public Library Children’s Learning Garden in Pearl, Mississippi.

A patch of yellow flowers blooms in a garden.
Filed Under: Flower Gardens October 7, 2024

I’ve always enjoyed visiting educational gardens across the state, and my recent trip to the Hill Garden in Brandon, Mississippi, was no exception.

Established by the Rankin County Master Gardeners in 1995, this garden is a treasured landmark and one of the oldest Master Gardener projects in Mississippi.

A bush has a spiky red cluster of flowers.
Filed Under: Flower Gardens September 30, 2024

This time of year, my Firespike is putting on a show in my garden. This herbaceous perennial is known for its large, dramatic spikes of bright red, tubular flowers. Each spike features densely packed clusters of 3-inch-long blooms that emerge in a striking, fiery red color, which can deepen to a rich crimson at the tips.

Success Stories

A smiling woman, holding a bowl of rocks in one hand and a bowl of sandy colored dirt in the other, standing in from of paintings hung on a line to dry.
Volume 10 Number 2

Robin Whitfield, who gave the child the paper, stands awestruck, watching her friend’s daughter use the flower to draw and color on the page.

 

A woman smiling and holding a planter full of lettuce.
Volume 10 Number 1

Susie Harmon laughs when she relates her granddaughter’s observation of her favorite pastime.

A woman with a straw hat and round-framed glasses holding a bunch of flowers and smiling.
Volume 10 Number 1

A broken-down car on a Sunday afternoon in 1983 led two attorneys to purchase forestland in Hancock County. Forty years and about 500 acres later, La Terre Farms in Kiln has wide-ranging industries that include a holiday greenery business and cut flowers grown for florists across the Gulf Coast and New Orleans.

Watch

Rosie's Garden, October 2024
Southern Gardening

Rosie’s Garden

Thursday, October 24, 2024 - 5:00am
Garden of Curiosity, October 2024
Southern Gardening

Garden of Curiosity

Thursday, October 17, 2024 - 5:00am
Children's Learning Garden, October 2024
Southern Gardening

Children’s Learning Garden

Thursday, October 10, 2024 - 5:00am
Hill Garden, October 2024
Southern Gardening

The Hill Garden

Thursday, October 3, 2024 - 5:00am
Angelonia Angelface Series, September 2024
Southern Gardening

Angelonia Angelface Series

Thursday, September 26, 2024 - 5:00am

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