Gardens
Annuals add splashes of colour to your garden all year long, but you must choose plants that are suited to your climate in order to have lush thriving flowers.
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any gardeners, that have a hot and dry climate to deal with, often shy away from colourful annuals, as they think they will not do well without constant watering, and will require too much maintenance. There are, however, many annuals that love just such a climate. The table below shows a sample of annuals that can take the heat. A combination of the varieties of annuals, listed in the second table to the right, can be a great choice for those people living in hot, dry climates. These heat and drought tolerant annuals provide a wide variety of colours, sizes, shapes and textures, enough to meet the needs of any gardener. Even with annuals that like a hot, dry climate, gardening in such conditions can be challenging. Water restrictions can thwart efforts to provide adequate moisture to your plants so you need to be cognitive of the usual restrictions in your area. No matter what your climate, matching the types of flowers you plant, to the climate in which they will be growing, is one of the best ways to ensure a healthy garden and a healthy environment. Annuals provide season long colour to your garden, and can be started from seed, or purchased pre-grown from your local garden centre. Most types of annuals can be started from seed, by using seed boxes. Start your seeds indoors, in well drained soil, and make sure they have plenty of light, as well as enough water. After the seedlings have had a good start indoors, they are then replanted outside
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Annuals for hot climates
in the garden. For those who do not want to grow their annuals from seed, seedlings can be bought and transplanted immediately. This approach is generally more expensive, but after planting your flowers, you get to enjoy them sooner. When it comes to putting your annuals in the garden, make sure they are planted with the tops of the roots just below the soil surface. If you have bought pre-grown plants, make sure that the entire container is removed, along with any paper or plastic. If your seedlings are in peat pots, then remove the top edge of the pot before planting. If the seedlings have any buds or flowers on them, they should be pinched off when the seedlings are planted. This will promote greater branching, and help the plant grow stronger. After the seedlings have been transplanted, the plants should be given a good watering. It is particularly important to provide lots of water in the first few weeks, since the plants are still developing their root structure during this time. It is essential to provide adequate moisture to get the plants off to a good start. Even after planting, most annuals require from 2.5 to 4 cm of water every week to thrive. Even more water may be needed in very hot climates. Annuals need to establish a deep root system, and they can only do this, if they receive a sufficient amount of water. Deep root growth comes from thorough and deep watering and will produce lush thriving plants. The best methods for achieving this deep and thorough watering, are soaker hoses and drip irrigation. In addition, these methods of watering avoid
water splashes on the foliage, which can serve as pathways to fungal infections. Another important aspect to healthy annuals is proper mulching. Mulch the bed before you put the plants in with 5 to 7.5 cm of pine bark or pine straw. Mulching serves to conserve the moisture contained in the soil and to reduce the growth of weeds. A good layer of mulch will shade the seeds of weeds and prevent them from sprouting. Mulch provides a natural form of weed control and thereby eliminates the need for hand weeding or harsh chemicals to control the growth of weeds. Different annuals have different fertilization needs. When you buy your seeds or plants, find out what those are and make note. Then, during the growing season, make sure you provide the fertilization that is necessary for each type of plant. One of my favourite plants to grow in a hot climate is the African daisy, which is the name commonly used to describe a group of different bedding plants. All those which come from South Africa, sport a mass of daisylike flowers (unsurprisingly!), and require similar conditions to grow successfully. Daisy flowers, typical of the Asteraceae botanical family, create a clear mood and design direction. They appear out of place in lush, tropical settings, typified by plants with massive leaves and large garish flowers. They are more suited in my view to the sparser, restrained style of a Mediterranean, dry climate garden. At least three genera answer to the name of African daisy, with a number of species and varieties belonging to each genus. These are
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