Caring for Annuals and Tender Perennials in the Summer

Caring for tender annuals in the hot months.

Salvia x Indigo Spires
Item # 84795 		Salvia Indigo Spires
Indigo Spires Sage

each $7.99
3 to 6 plants $7.79
7 or more $7.59
  • Topic: Summer Care
  • Author: Steven Hanchet
  • Keywords: annuals, heat, sun, bloom, Annuals
  • Date: July 2002

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Well, here it is already, the middle of July! The long, hot weather has probably started taking its toll on some of the annuals in your yard and containers, especially things like petunias and pansies. Remember that annuals are, by nature, short-lived plants. Although many remain growing and blooming throughout the summer months with minimal attention, others may need some work—deadheading, cutting back or replacing altogether.

Deadhead

Many of these long-blooming plants are actually tender perennials—they’ll be zapped by the first frost. Treat them as annuals in most respects, and keep the spent blossoms pinched off “deadheaded” to prolong the bloom and to increase the number of flowers. Remember when pinching or snipping off flowers to take the flower stem off near a leaf node—don’t leave a one or two inch ‘stick’ where the flower used to be!

  • African Daisy
  • Dahlias
  • Geraniums
  • Marguerite and Cobbity Daisies
  • Salvias

Cut Back

Just about everything in your annual garden can be cut back or pinched when they become too tall and leggy. Pinching not only creates more attractive plants out of rangy or tired looking specimens, but also promotes branching, compact growth and a second flush of blooms later in the summer. Use scissors or shears for a clean cut just above a leaf node.

  • Alyssum
  • Pansies
  • Petunias
  • Violas and Johnny-Jump-Ups

Mid-Summer Replacements

Sometimes the best thing to do when an annual is no longer aesthetically pleasing is to simply replace it. Although there could be cultural reasons why the plant went downhill (too much or too little water, too much sun, not enough sun, etc.), some annuals (and herbs) simply won’t last all summer long. Plants that are evolved to grow and bloom quickly may not have anything left after their reproductive (flowering) stage is over (Bachelor buttons, Cilantro). Try replacing these early season show-offs mid-summer with more heat tolerant or later blooming plants. Look or larger sized plants that can go out and make an instant impression!

  • African Daisy
  • Geraniums
  • Lavenders (try these tender varieties: ‘Goodwin Creek’ and L. stoechas)
  • Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco)
  • Salvias (Check out our great selection of salvias including ‘Germander Sage’, ‘Indigo Spires,’ ‘Lady in Red’, ‘Pineapple Sage,’ ‘Santa Barbara’ and ‘San Carlos Festival.’)
  • Scaevola
  • Verbena

The ‘Wild’ Garden

There’s another option to consider when looking at all those annuals in your yard with spent flowers and rambunctious growth habits. Leave ‘em alone. Many annuals (especially those in the amily Asteraceae) readily re-seed and will naturalize if you let them. Be aware though of what’s happening in your yard—a little seed can go a long way! I like to leave just a couple of spent flowers on some of my favorite annuals to supply the next generation. Here are a few of the more prolific (or at least dependable) re-seeders:

  • Alyssum
  • Calendula
  • California Poppy
  • Cleome
  • Marigolds
  • Zinnia

Final Tip

In an ideal garden situation, most annuals don’t require a lot of supplemental fertilizer. But let’s face it, we live in New Mexico where the native soil can be rather lean and mean. Regular (twice month or so) fertilization is a good start, and PLEASE use mulch in your beds! Bark, cotton-burr compost or gravel will greatly reduce the loss of soil moisture due to evaporation, and keep the ground cooler as well. Mulch also keeps weeds in check and those that do grow will be easier to pull. And organic mulches, such as bark and especially compost, break down and improve the soil structure, giving future generations of plants a nicer home to grow in!