My
friend Joell,
knowing of my supersophisticated (more like pseudosophisticated)
opinion that annuals are tacky, cautiously showed me her garden last
week. Unruly riot of color, sure. More than one yellow in the same border,
yep. Pink and red within shouting distance, check. And it’s the best-looking garden I’ve seen all month.
With regular watering but no fertilization, these beds and the well trained poodle Edgar look good enough for the snobbiest of garden
ers
(that would be me). They sure as hell look better than my own tasteful
beds, where the only blooms on display are the fading purple
coneflowers and a smattering of color on the Knockout roses.
So the fantacizing for next year has begun and I know just the place
for a mass of a
nnual color in my borders – amongst the ruins of early
summer-blooming perennials. Annuals in my garden – not just for pots anymore.
[Have some more photos of Joell's garden.]
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Dear Susan
You might be interested in a blog called “Garden Rant”
) There’s a note over there right now about a magnificent garden in the U.K. called Great Dixter. Christopher Lloyd – one of the great plantsmen and garden writers (my favourite) of the past 50 years used annuals in this masterwork.
Heck, the colour in Monet’s famous gardens at Giverny are almost all annuals (if you don’t count the water lilies).
The list of great gardens, great gardeners and designers who use annuals is a who’s who of the gardening world.
Please tread carefully when you come off the perennial gardening pedestal – you don’t want to crush our still-blooming annual plants.
With all best annual wishes.
Doug
Just coming back from tours of Longwood and Chanticleer – I can attest to the sheer power of annuals to amaze and delight. If they are good enough for these outstanding gardens, they can take a portion in my beds anytime.