annuals

Annuals are an excellent way to ensure colour in your yard all summer long.

 

Any plant that grows, flowers, produces seeds and dies over the course of one year is considered an annual. Annuals are an excellent way to ensure colour in your yard all summer long. They are used for borders, in beds, and to fill open spaces between immature shrubs and trees. They over flow hanging baskets and window boxes, as well as creep up walls or trellises. The variety of uses and colour combinations is endless.

 

Annuals are available in both seed and seedling form. Seeds are either sown indoors or outdoors. This will depend on the growth requirements of the individual plants. Annual seeds that require a longer period of growth should be started indoors. These plants are identified in the chart portion of the Annual section. In many cases, with Calgary's short growing season, annuals should be planted in seedling form after the last chance of frost. These seedlings can either be grown from seeds indoors or purchased in seedling form.

Note: When choosing a spot to plant, consider the annual's growth habit. Tall plants may be best positioned at the backs of beds where they will not block the view of smaller plants.

 

Image	Plant Name	Botanical Name	Height / Spread	Colour	Sun / Shade	Planting Date	Description
	AFRICAN DAISY	Arctotis	12/18 in. 30/45 cm	various	sun		Some hairy, smooth, or trailing leaves
	AGERATUM	Ageratum houstonianum	6/10 in. 15/25 cm	mauve, blue, red, white	sun to part shade	Feb. 20-28/May 1-15	Compact plant with wispy flower clusters, remove spent flowers
	ALYSSUM, SWEET	Lobularia maritima	8/10 in. 20/25 cm	purple, white, lavender, rose	sun to part shade	Mar. 15-30/May 1-10	Compact plant with dainty flowers; good edging plant, very fragrant; blooms from spring to frost
	AMARANTHUS	Amaranthus caudatus	24/18 in. 60/45 cm	red	sun	Feb. 20-28/n/a	Drooping red tassel flowers; dramatic accent plant
	ASTER, CHINA	Callistephus chinensis	6-24/8 in. 15-60/20 cm	white, blue, red, purple, pink	sun	Mar. 15-30/May 1-10	Blooms late in the summer with daisy and pompom flower forms, good cutting flower
	BABY'S BREATH	Gysophila elegans	8-24/12 in. 20-60/30 cm	white, pink	sun	Mar. 15-30/May 1-10	Plentiful clusters of delicate flowers, good for drying
	BACHELOR'S BUTTON	Centaurea cyanus	18/10 in. 45/25 cm	blue, pink	sun	Feb. 15-30/Apr. 15-30	Truly blue flowers that readily re-seed, frost tolerant
	BACOPA	Satura cordata	3-24 in. 7.5-61 cm	blue, white, pink	part shade		Low spreading annual, tiny flowers
	BEGONIA, WAX	Begonia semperflorens	8/6 in. 20/15 cm	red, pink, white	shade	Feb. 1-20/n/a	Colourful clusters of flowers; green or bronze fleshy leaves and fibrous roots
	BEGONIA, TUBEROUS	Begonia tuberhybrida	14/12 in. 35/30 cm	red, pink, yellow, white	shade	n/a	Large showy double flowers; available as plant only
	LOTUS VINE	Lotus maculata	24-30 in. 60-75 cm	yellow	sun	n/a	Trailing, silvery grey foliage, long, thin flowers, good for containers
	MOON VINE	Ipomoea alba	10 ft. 3 m	white	sun	Mar. 15-30	Large fragrant flowers that open at night; available as seedling only
	MORNING GLORY	Ipomoea purpurea	10 ft. 3 m	blue	sun	Mar. 15-30	Large trumpet-shaped flowers; great for screening
	ORANGE TRUMPET	Pyrostegia venusta	10/20 ft. 305/610 cm	orange	sun	n/a	Creeper. Flowers from May to August
	PURPLE BELLS	Rhodochiton atrosanguineus	3-5 ft. 1-1.5 m.	purple	sun or part shade	Mar. 20-31	Good for hangers, planters; tubular flowers; available as seedling only
	PURPLE CLIMBER	Cobaea scandens	12 ft. 4 m	violet	sun	n/a	Bell-shaped flowers with green sepals; great for hanging baskets
	SCARLET RUNNER BEAN	Phaseolus coccineus	7 ft. 2 m.	red	sun	n/a / May 25	Vine has red, flower clusters, edible beans; seeds can be planted directly outdoors
SPANISH FLAG	Mina lobata	5-6ft. 1.5-2m.	red, orange, yellow	sun	April 1	Twining climber; 3 flower colors same time
SWEET PEA	Lathyrus odoratus	10 ft. 3 m.	pink, white, blue, red, cream, purple	sun or part shade	n/a / April 20	Old-fashioned favorite with fragrant flowers; seeds can be planted directly outdoors
SWEET POTATO VINE	Ipomoea batatus	2-3 ft. 60-75 cm.	purple foliage	sun to part shade	n/a	Used primarily for hanging baskets and ground cover, grown for colourful foliage