Pacific Northwest Gardening: Favorite Annuals?, 1 by susybell

susybell wrote:
My nasturtiums also get aphids but either I'm deliberately blocking the memory or it's not that bad where they grow now. I remember the first time I ever grew them I got black aphids I'd never seen before-freaked me out!!! My nasturtiums grow around my compost pile, so maybe there are enough other insects in the area that it's a tiny little war zone for the aphids.

Love heliotrope! I haven't had that for a couple of years. I think I'll have to get some this year-it smells great. I know it's toxic-do dogs ever eat it?

And, uh-oh, I was starting some seeds in trays last night and came across some geranium seeds from last year. I decided to go ahead and try them, but it sounds like they probably won't work out very well. Oh well, they're in a tray now, I'll just have to wait and see what happens. That's a lot of the fun for me, anyhow, just seeing what will happen. I am doing all my seeds late and am happy to hear Coleus start easily. I'm hoping to be able to give my mom lots of starts this year and save her some money on annuals-can anyone say mother's day gift??? (lol) Well, OK, considering how late I'm starting, more like Memorial Day, but that's OK too...

Kosk, That's a great crop of squash/pumpkins-what kinds did you grow? (Your little boys are very cute, too-I wanted to make a joke about special blonde pumpkins but couldn't make it work...) How well do the poppies do when you start them inside-I mean actual annual Papaver, not the California poppy(Escholzia?) I was told not to start papaver inside. I don't remember why now, though--either they needed cold, or they have a taproot and don't like being disturbed? I wouldn't mind being able to control where they are just a bit better if they will start OK inside.

Y'know, seems I remember when I was a kid that Coleus were just considered houseplants. My mom had one for quite a long time and she never put it outside.

I love sunflowers, but either the last batch I tried was no good or something ate all the seeds. The only ones I've had work out for me are Black Oil sunflower (hmmm, now where did those seeds come from, lol). They're a little boring, though. I want to try some of the "fancy" ones again.

I'm in a tired of Nicotiana phase. I got some "perfect mix" seedlings from Pixy a couple of years ago-wow, they're awesome. 6-7 ft tall, fragrant, reseed, perennial. Yes, perennial. I tested it last year to see if I was nuts, and Pix confirmed it. I planted them somewhere they like a lot. They grow too well and take over. I am probably going to need to go into the bed and dig up the roots until they are back in control where I want them-again. The stems are also prone to breaking so every time I go back into the bed I break a bunch of stuff off. However, they are fantastic to plant around tall lilies to sort of hide the stems after the lilies are done and they bloom until frost-yay!

Other than the perfect mix, I do like the shorter nicotianas. Perfume Dark Purple is a favorite, and the green one is pretty neat.

Sharon, I hope you are successful with the Bells of Ireland! I am trying some in my deck pots this year-if the seeds come up--if we ever really get spring. I'm hoping that they'll make a neat accent right in the middle. The lobelia seeds are tiny, tiny! How much seed did you plant for the four trays? It's one of my mom's favorites but the seed in the one packet I had didn't seem to go very far.

I don't know what I want to do in my big green shade pot this year. It's off in a corner under a tree and I just look at it from a distance. Impatiens are very happy there and bloom forever without a lot of fussing. Coleus are OK, some did well, some didn't. How well do the fibrous begonias tolerate benign neglect-ie infrequent deadheading? I've had the big-flowering ones-some don't do much, others are fabulous, others hide their blooms. Not what I want in a pot I look at from 20-25ft away.

I like the purple alyssum better than the white. I think it's a little less vigorous and doesn't come back quite as much. (hm, purple again-anyone else see a trend here, lol!) I think it's recommended for beneficial insects but I don't feel like looking anything up today. Seems like I've seen it recommended, though.

aaagh! snow! Nooooooo... not in April, not here, anyway....


cough,,, if anyone has ever wondered if the Park's giant nasturtiums really get big, here's mine from '09. This is the very back of my yard behind the garage near the pot ghetto (and plant graveyard) The compost bin is made from pallets. By the end of the season it had grown all the way around the corner, across the path, across the cement pad, over the compost.....