How to Grow Annuals

Choosing Annuals

• 1

  Determine if you want to start your annuals from seed or from established plants. Established plants are fastest and easiest but cost much more and are available in a limited variety. Starting from seed takes a bit of skill and more time, but you can have hundreds of flowers for what you'd spend on just one flat of established annuals.

• 2

  Browse the catalogs or display racks carefully when buying seeds. Beginners should choose annuals that are touted as being especially easy or that perform especially well. Also look for fast germination times. A plant that germinates in 4 or 5 days is easier to grow than a plant that germinates in 20.

• 3

  Look for short, stocky (not leggy) established plants that don't have flowers on them and don't have roots coming out of the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot. Blooms indicate that the plant is putting too much energy into flowering when you want it first to put energy into root development at planting time; roots coming out of the bottom of the pot are a sign that the plant has been in the pot too long.

• 4

  Read the label or packet carefully and note the plants' needs for sun, soil, water and other conditions. Make sure you're able to provide those conditions.

Planting Annuals

• 5

  Prepare the planting area well, as described in 'eHow to Design and Prepare a Flower Bed.' Also work a little slow-release granular fertilizer into the planting area if desired. Fertilizer can help fast-growing annuals reach their maximum height and bloom. Follow the package directions exactly.

• 6

  Pinch off any flowers on the plant. (There will be some in most cases.) This will help the plant get established and produce more flowers in the long run.

• 7

  Plant annuals about 25 percent closer than what the label recommends. Those distances are recommended for maximum plant health, not for the best visual effect. Plant in groups. Most annuals look far better when grouped in plantings of 12 or more.

Caring for Annuals

• 8

  Mulch most annuals (see 'eHow to Mulch Flowers'). Use a mulch such as grass clippings, wood chips or pine needles. Mulch suppresses weeds, conserves moisture and prevents some soil-borne diseases. Apply a layer 1 to 3 inches thick.

• 9

  Keep annuals appropriately watered (see 'eHow to Water Flowers'). Most annuals are fairly thirsty - they'll need about 1 inch of water per week, either as rainfall or watering. It's better to water them deeply and occasionally rather than giving them just a little water here and there.

• 10

  Deadhead most annuals regularly (see 'eHow to Deadhead Flowers'). This means trimming or pinching off spent blooms every few days. This not only keeps the plant tidy-looking, but it encourages more flowers.

• 11

  Fertilize regularly during the growing season, using food formulated for flower production; follow label directions.

• 12

  Tear out annuals when they're spent. For cool-season annuals, this usually means that hot or very cold weather has hit. For warm-season annuals, this usually means a heavy frost has blackened their leaves. Dispose of healthy annuals in a compost heap. If disease has been a problem, put them in a separate area or in the garbage.