Since big and bold will be a theme you'll be hearing about and seeing in magazines and in garden centers this year, I would like to suggest some worthy new (and old) annuals that have caught my eye in the last few years. My favorite, a truly new annual available only in the last two years (so maybe you haven't tried it yet) is a plant called Diascia or Twinspur. This is a non stop bloomer that is so frost tolerant it will bloom right through November. Diascia is a great spreader in the rock garden or trailing out of a container, and is available in many shades of pink to coral. Now for drama – try planting Diascia with Castor Bean in a whiskey barrel. Castor Bean has been around a long time but is making a comeback because of its huge leaf size and general girth and uniqueness. It can grow 6-9 feet in one summer. Try 'Carmencita Red' with splendid burgundy foliage and bright thorny seed pods (note: the beans or seeds are poisonous).
Other large annuals worth growing are: Nicotiana sylvestris (not the small bedding type) which grows easily to 4 feet and provides wonderful scented, white tubular flowers; Tithonia or Mexican Sunflower also creates a brash shrub-like statement for the vegetable garden or back of the border. Another great plant from neighboring Mexico is Salvia leucantha (Mexican Bush Sage). It's a late bloomer, but judging from the many comments we received last year about our specimen in the herb garden, it is certainly worth the wait. Datura or Angel's Trumpet has been increasingly popular and still merits a spot on our patio, or in your night garden.
To my mind one of the best new trends in the annual market is the addition of many new foliage plants that add texture and interest to both containers and perennial beds. There are literally hundreds of varieties of Coleus of every leaf shape and color combination, which tolerate both sun and shade. Another fabulous and under-used annual is Alternanthera also known as Cooperleaf or Joseph's coat, with deep burgundy foliage that weaves it's way through the garden. Persian Shield or Strobilanthes has also been a great performer for us and is a neat substitute for those tired of Coleus.
Believe it or not the last plant I'd like to recommend is that tough old standby – the Geranium! Of course we will have thousands of the zonal types we are all familiar with, but this year we will also offer a neat variety of fancy-leaf types with wonderful variegations of white, green, chocolate and pink, some all on the same leaf. Some have maple-like leaves, but like their cousins they all have white, pink, or red flowers. Look for these little gems and other plants mentioned in this article under our Open Air Market from Mother's Day on through the summer.