Annual Flowers
Annual flowers bring beauty and mark the change of seasons in both the residential and commercial landscape. Annual flowers bring to life the front entry of a home, create light and excitement to shrub boarders or can accent a water feature or restful area in the yard. Color can bring a positive image to a commercial building that can signify attention to detail and class. Whatever the application annual flowers bring beauty and sophistication to a home or business.
Annual Color Selection
It’s important that annual flowers be selected to make a bold impact. Residential and commercial flowers planted as a mix of all colors often times come across as a riot of different colors. We approach annual flowers the same as a landscape design; we focus on their layouts, unique patterning as well as simplified design. Complimentary colors, simple contrasts of textures and flowers make a great statement. Sometimes just varying two different types of flowers is enough. There is a big difference between mediocre mixed annual flower borders and annual color combinations that are bold, powerful and simple.
Annual Flowers for Houston
In Houston, annuals and perennial flower combinations can be chosen that last from early winter through spring and then from summer through the hot fall. Although with unpredictable heat and drought, it’s more the case that annual and perennial flower combinations are changed out quarterly. Some examples are as follows and also take into consideration sun conditions:
Spring-petunias, geraniums, dianthus
Summer-heat tolerant tropical perennials and annuals to include: lantana, plumbago, impatiens, begonias, caladiums, salvias and shrub rose varieties
Fall/Winter-cyclamen, pansies, violas, alyssum, cabbage and kale
Successful planting of seasonal color plants
Bed preparation, good drainage and water coverage are all important to being successful with annual and perennial flowers in Houston. Be sure to have the proper drainage system so the planting bed doesn’t hold water. Be sure that the ground is not solid clay, amend with compost and soil. Also, make certain that there is good irrigation system that covers the area. During times of drought especially, if your irrigation system is not getting the proper coverage it will show. Fertilization and chemical treatments are the next important step in being successful with annual color and should also be a part of the landscape maintenance program providing a boost to healthy plants and preventing disease or infestations common to the Houston area.
Fertilization is the next important issue to attend to. For continual blooms, flowers should be fertilized every six weeks or so in the Houston landscape. Also, dead heading which is simply pinching off the flowers that have died should also be done to encourage profuse blooming. Regular landscape maintenance ensure that the flower beds are weeded weekly. It is also a good idea to turn the mulch every two weeks so that you keep the exchange of air and water flowing into and out of the soil. To optimize the growth and bloom cycles of seasonal flowers, they also should be regularly pruned.
Being successful with annual flowers takes knowledge and experience of color combinations, sun conditions, seasonal color plant section, proper amending of the soil as well as maintenance to be successful in our difficult Gulf Coast Climate.
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