The gardening continues! Just when we thought all of our spring planting was over, the heat of the new season now gives us the chance to plant summer-loving annuals. These easy-to-grow beauties will provide you with plenty of time to enjoy the summer while keeping your gardens alive with color!
Angelonia displays a profusion of flower spikes that resemble a Snapdragon. But unlike the Snapdragons that fade in the heat, Angelonia loves our hot Arkansas summers. Although it has the appearance of a delicate, finicky plant, it's actually easy to grow. In fact, it's quite tough. It doesn't need deadheading and keeps blooming from late spring to late summer, even when you take a vacation. With white, pink, indigo, or bicolored purple-white flowers, it's perfect for pots, window boxes, or mass plantings. And it even makes for an excellent cut flower!
Purslane gives you lots of color with minimum care. It spreads its succulent foliage low to the ground, and blooms with vivid orange, yellow, rose, or white blossoms. It's ideal for growing as a ground cover, tucked between rocks, or cascade over the edges of a hanging basket or window box. This is another easy-growing annual that thrives amidst the heat and even likes to dry out between waterings. They close their flowers at night, and open them as soon as the sunlight touches their leaves.
Euphorbia brings clouds of airy, white flowers to the garden all summer long. Similar to Baby's Breath, it appears quite delicate, but it's as tough as any Arkansas native plant. It tolerates drought and heat, and keeps flowering without any deadheading necessary. As beautiful as it is tough, it will gently spill over the edges of a hanging basket and make an excellent companion among other flowers. In fact, she's the kind that makes friends with everyone, tenderly weaving her wiry stems in and out of neighbors' leaves as she reaches her full height and spread of 12-18 inches.
These big, non-stop bloomers glow with bold pink and red color. Like other Begonias, the flowers are only half of the appeal. The other half is in their beautifully textured leaves that come in bronze or green. Like the annuals above, they keep blooming amidst heat and drought with minimum maintenance, giving you the leisure to enjoy the summer months. Rising 20"-28" tall and spreading 14"-16" wide, they are perfect for big pots, along borders, or among your perennial garden. They're stunning on their own and a beautiful compliment to your other summer bloomers.
Even though these annuals are tough, it always helps to treat them well. Before you plant, make sure your soil is rich in organic matter. Dark black or brown color is a sign of top-quality soil. Check out their labels for specific sunlight and spacing needs. When it's time to dig the hole, remember to dig it about twice as wide and deep as the root ball to give them lots of space to unfurl! If you're ever wondering what other annuals grow best in Northwest Arkansas, always feel free to give us a call or stop by our locations in West Fayetteville, Rogers, East Fayetteville, and Springdale. These beauties are just a few of many choices to color your garden this summer!
