Mimeo HO-72-6
yard'n garden.
Cooperative Extension Service
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
Lafayette, Indiana
growing ANNUAL FLOWERS
Department of Horticulture
Gardens and borders need annuals --plants that grow and bloom in one year.
They supply bright color in mid-summer.
And since annuals are easy to grow, you needn't have a green thumb to have success with them.

PLAN BEFORE YOU PLANT
You can use annuals in many places, such as in window boxes and planters, as a covering for spring bulbs, and in the vegetable garden for cutting. But by far, the greatest use is in a flower border, either by themselves or with perennials.
If possible, plan the flower border for a sunny area where the soil is well drained, fertile and level. You will probably enjoy a border more in the backyard. Keep it to the side or rear, so your lawn area will be larger for recreation. A stone wall, building, trellis, fence, hedge or shrubs make an attractive background. Plan a border at least 4 feet or, even better, 6 feet wide. And allow at least 4 feet between border and background for easy care and cultivation. An informal design--perhaps a slightly curved front edge --is usually more attractive.

Have taller plants to the rear, medium-height plants in the middle and low-growing ones in front (see tables). You’ll find that a few tall-growing annuals in the middle will overcome monotony in a long border. Complementary color combinations and informal groupings or "drifts" are better than small splotches of individual colors. (Note: annuals frequently come in several colors; see commercial catalogs for specific ones.)
Most annuals bloom from early summer until frost. Cornflower, larkspur, sweet peas, calendula, California poppy and pansy bloom primarily in the spring.

STARTING FROM SEED
You can start many of the annuals outdoors from seeds. The following table shows some that are easy to start this way:
Annual flower	When to seed
Tall (2 1/2’plus)  Cosmos Cornflower Larkspur Marigold (tall) Sweet Pea Zinnia (tall)	  Late spring Early spring/late fall Early spring/late fall Late spring Early spring/late fall Late spring
 Medium (1-2 1/2’) Calendula Zinnia (dwarf)	  Early spring/late fall Late spring
 Short (under 1') Calif, poppy Marigold (dwarf) Nastursium	  Early spring/late fall Late spring Late spring

Before you prepare the garden and sow seed, add 2 to 3 pounds of general purpose fertilizer, such as 12-12-12, per 100 square feet. If possible, mix in organic matter like peat moss or compost at the same time. Then level the soil. Don't work the garden soil when it’s wet or too dry.
A general rule is to plant seed no deeper than two times its diameter. Sow rather thickly in rows. Later, thin tall and medium plants to 1 foot apart and short ones to 6 inches apart. Sweet pea is an exception; plant seed about 1 inch apart and don't thin.

STARTING FROM PLANTS
Start the following annual flowers from plants: