Whatton House Garden: Annuals for Summer Colour
At the moment horticultural fashion is focused on herbaceous perennials and the naturalistic planting movement. Some 'plants people' are calling for change and singing the praises of woody plants, which I am in favour of. But on this occasion, I want to focus on annuals and biennials. I am not advocating a return of carpet bedding as you may find in your local park. I use annuals as a quick and economic way to fill in gaps and top up summer colour in a mixed border.
Carpet bedding is not favoured at the moment as it is one of the most expensive and labour-intensive forms of planting, where the whole planting area has to be cultivated and re-planted at least once a year if not twice, along with frequent irrigation. Most of the planting is done in blocks of one colour/variety and is mostly flat, like a carpet. The mixed border on the other hand mostly consists of permanent planting. Shrubs will mostly be in place for decades, but may require annual pruning. Herbaceous perennials may need dividing every 2-7 years but at least you do not need to buy to many replacements. Perennials may also need supports, and dead-heading/cutting back. Finally, in many cases annuals are used to take up the batten from early summer perennials. With a new planting scheme, I use them as temporary fillers for the first couple of years while the perennials and shrubs are still establishing. I also like to use self seeders, partly for some spontaneity and a more natural effect, but also because self-seeders can put themselves in places I find difficult to plant. Lastly there are some annuals and biennials I simply cannot do without, mainly foxgloves.
Plants like peonies and oriental poppies are incredibly flamboyant in May-June but can leave rather large holes when they go over. My favourite annual filler in this case is Cosmos. These come in the form of daises in shades of white-pink-purple. You can now get them in orange and pale yellow. With some dead-heading these should get you through the rest of the summer. I tend to sow these during April indoors. Earlier sowings tend to struggle from lower levels of light and heat and April sowings soon catch up and make better plants. Cleome and Helianthus (Sunflower) are other candidates. I am particularly fond of Helianthus annuus 'Valentine'. It does not get too tall at 120-150cm, and has soft primrose yellow petals that go well with other pastel colours.
For border fillers as part of a new scheme you cannot go far wrong with poppies. Papaver rhoeas and P. somniferumcome in a wide range of colours and shapes. In the case of P.somniferum (Opium poppy) I am not suggesting you grow your own morphine, they are purely there for ornamental value! California Poppy (Eschscholzia) is a favourite for a dry sunny spot. I am also found of pot marigolds (Calendula) and Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus). All of these and other hardy annuals can be direct sown in drills in April-May. Leave a space wide enough to hoe between each row to keep on top of weeds. These annuals will soon fill out and form drifts of colour.
Two of my go to plants for dry shade are biennials. Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) particularly 'Sutton's Apricot' and 'Pam's Choice', along with Honesty (Lunaria annua). If they are happy they will self-seed and fill in any gaps whilst providing much needed colour in a shady spot. As they do not flower until their second year, you will need to sow seed this year and the next, to ensure successional flowering.
Now we just need to find the time to get sowing!
William Stanger of Four Winds Horticulture is a local Garden Consultant and international writer. He is advising Whatton House on the garden’s regeneration. He has worked at various gardens in the U.K and New Zealand including The Savill Garden and Dunedin Botanic Garden. He has a M.A. in Historic Designed Landscapes and a BSc Hons in Green Space Management.