WHITBY FREE PRESS, OUTDOOR IJVING, MAY 25, 1988, PAGE A5 Annual-s can provide instant color, some in shade By VERONICA COLANGELO You can't beat annuals,- if, instant color in' your garden is your objective.,Visit any garden centre at this time of the year and you'fl witness a tapestry in every color of the rainbow. An annual's mission is to ensure the continuation of its species by producing masses of flowers which in turn produce huge volumes of seeds. In fact, if you remove the dead blossoms of annual plants, a greater number of blooms will develop. In most cases annuals can be counted on ta provide color from May through ta, the first frost. Most arnhuals are not heavy feeders and do not require very rich soul. They do, however, benefit from a soul that is well-drained. They also benefit from fertilizer. There are *a j number of good fertilizers on the market, and your garden centre can assist you in making the choice. ¶ Most annuals tend to enjoy full sun and are best given as much of it as possible. However, there are a few annuals that are Wildflowers... FROM PAGE A4 Purpie Loosestrife: This plant is actually not a native, but an introduced plant that has become naturalized in the swamps and wet meadows of southeastern Ontario. Even though it grows well in darnp soul, it also thrives in drier soul that is well drained. In July and August the plant is two to four feet high with magenta blooms. Black-Eyed Susan: This one is the easiest ta, naturalize in your garden. Bright yellow petals surround a chocolate-colored centre on one ta two-foot stems. Blooming from June ta, September they thrive in grassy fields. Black-eyed susans are biennials which bloom the second year from seed and easily self sow. Simulating Mother Nature's environment can be challenging. But once established, a native garden can be quite carefree and give years of satisfaction. shade tolerant. As the Iandscape matures around aur homes and the trees and shrubs start ta provide canopies over aur once sunny spaces, we look more and more for flowers and plants that are talerant of these conditions. Shade talerant annuals are particularly valuable when interplanted -amongst the dead and dying foliage of spring bulbs that have flowered when the trees were not yet in full leaf. Because annuals only live for one season, their root systems are for the most part fairly shallow, and this makes themn excellent candidates for container plantings too. Browallia, coleus, impatiens, lobelia and wax begonias are al shade tolerant annuals. Browallia is a bell-shaped flower most commonly seen in shades of blue but also available in a white variety. They make S-CW. NC excellent hanging baskets for a shady area and very nice compact border plants. They grow to about 12 ta 14 inches high (30 cm). Coleus is an annual that everyone recognizes. Many are more familiar with it as a houseplant but it is an excellent bedding plant as well. Grown primarily for its outstanding foliage, coleus is now available in many different leaf shapes and color combinations, ranging from shades of green and cream, to pinks and reds and eévery variation in between. The "Poncho" series has been developed especially for hanging baskets and inight be worth trying. Garden centres usuallv stock a good number of varieties of this popular plant. Impatiens is touted as the most popular annual sold. At the samne time, it is at risk of being used to the point of becoming boring. However,1 new varieties are introduced ail the time, and are available in a wide range of color and heights. Lobelias are one of my favorite shade-loving annuals. I like them cascading from window boxes, providing a frothy frame for geraniums. "Blue Cascade" is particularly attractive with pale Pink geraniums and the silvery-grey dusty miller. The only drawback with lobelia is that about mid-July they start ta look very. tired and need ta be rejuvenated by being sheared back. For about two weeks things look a littie ragged until they, are covered in bloom again. In a shady location under a tree, the white form "White Lady" provides a very cooling effect. Wax or fibrous begonias are also very popular and they bloom reliably ail summer. Both the varieties "Brandy" and "Wiskey" have an interesting bronze color foliage. "Brandy" is white flowering and "Whiskey" is pink. I found them ta, be very compact and quiclçly filled out into very neat mounds. There are other annuals, of course, that will do well in shade. As with most gardeners, personal preference combined with experience usually dictates how choice-s are made. 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