Summer Care for Annuals

Most annuals need minimal attention and by nature most are short lived. Still, by mid-summer some may need a bit of attention to make it into fall.

  • Topic: Annuals
  • Author: Cindy Bellinger
  • Keywords: annuals, deadheading, cutting back
  • Date: July 2006

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Most annuals need minimal attention and by nature most are short lived. Still, by mid-summer (and here we are already!) some may need a bit of attention to make it into fall. Following is a guide to keep the color and fragrance of annuals up and running.

Deadheading and Cutting Back

Deadheading is pinching off spent blooms to prolong and increase the number of flowers. When snipping off flowers, take the whole stem off near a leaf node. Don’t leave a ‘stick’ where the flower used to be.

Just about everything in annual beds can be cut back when they become tall and leggy. It not only creates more attractive plants, but promotes branching, compact growth and a second flush of blooms later in the summer. Use scissors or shears for a clean cut. Here is a sampling that responds to some tightening up:

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

The following long-blooming plants are actually tender perennials, which mean they’ll be zapped by frost. So treat them as annuals and keep the spent blossoms deadheaded to prolong the blooming.

  • African Daisies
  • Dahlias
  • Geraniums
  • Marguerites
  • Daisies
  • Salvias

Do Nothing

Another option for all those annuals with spent flowers and rambunctious growth habits is leaving them alone. Many annuals (especially those in the family Asteraceae) readily re-seed and will naturalize. Below are a few of the annuals that like to re-seed:

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

Fertilize

You can fertilize annuals about twice a month. They like a little more enrichment than other plants. And since most like their soil a little moister, don’t forget to keep them mulched.