Five new colorful annuals for 2014

Annuals play a big part in the home garden, they can be that added touch of color, take that temporary home above fall bulbs while your waiting for them to spring up, become a filler plant when you can not decide just what you want in a particular area or annuals can be planted in pots to be moved around at random. Whether you use annual in the fore-mention way or like to plant an annual garden of color the following new 2014 annuals will brighten up your garden.

Coleus  Photo by

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Coleus have been known for their showy foliage color and I think you will delight in their 2014 “Olive Mosaic”, as they bring with them blue and white nettle-like flowers in late summer. This multicolored plant with its green to pale green shade with just enough burgundy color to make it stand out grows around 26” high with a 22” spread. It can take full shade or sun and is very tolerate of humid summers. 

“Ms. Mars” sunflower is not your typically sunflower as far as color goes, it boost a dark red-to-purple flower head that turns to a pretty pink in the end. And although it only stands 20-30 inches tall with around a 24 inch spread, this sunflower shows promise to be a real head turner throughout its six week blooming period. 

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Not a big fan of petunias, but PetuniaPerfectunia™ Sun might just change my mind if they come up looking as promised. It is said to sport “glowing golden blooms are bright yellow at the center, turning to creamy white just at the edges.” The blooms are said to be three inches wide, with the plant growing in a mound shape, eight inches high with a 18 inch spread. This care free blooming, disease, pest resistance, butterfly loving, hopefully, pure yellow petunia will definitely be on my list of must have plants for 2014. 

Lantana are known for their continuous blooming and their resistance to drought and heat but now there is one more reason to plant Lantana – for great color. “CherrySunrise” Lantana changes colors as they mature, from end-to-end deep red cherry color to gold and/or yellow centers and all the way to frost. It stands about 20 inches high with a 20 inch spread, it semi-trailing habit makes it a great choice for hanging basket or trellis growing. 

Here is a new Park Seed annual that can fill your need as an annual ground cover. “Candy Showers” Red Snapdragon, the first-ever trailing Snapdragon from seed. It grows in full sun but its blooms can last to early winter in warmer climates. Growing just eight inches tall with a 12 inch spread, the blooms are 1-2 inches wide, this strong well branched plant also makes a great hanging basket plant. This plant not only provides a flowery red mound of color but produces a subtle sweet scent. 

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New and hot 2014 perennials

Flower Garden/Photo by GerFes/Public Domain/Wikimedia

With the Eyes of March upon us; what gardener is not looking forward to a warm sun and the feel of rich black soil in their hands? Hopefully winter is at its end. This is the time of year that most gardeners really look forward to their planting season and begin to look for new and exciting plants to grow. If you are like me you like to let your imagination go wild during this time and envision your garden in all its splendor.

The 2014 season looks very promising with new shades of color, easier to maintain plants and more varieties of favorite plants. Whether you are planting in solid ground or in pots, the 2014 season will let your creativity shine as bright as the sun.

Let us start off with a native perennial, the Echinacea or Coneflower. This easy to grow native plant is drought tolerant and easy to grow whether its throughout your garden, as a border plant or in containers. The new head turner this season is called “Supreme Cantaloupe,” a double coneflower that is amazingly the color of ripe cantaloupes, plus it is a carefree repeat bloomer for color all season long. Its grows 26-29 inches tall with a spread of about 15 inches, will grow in full sun or partial shade.

For an outstanding blue in your garden the “Black and Blue Salvia” is your ticket if you live in the 7 to 10 Zone area. This full sun to partial shade plant is a midnight to steely blue that shows it glory in summer and fall. It stands 30” to 36” high and is 2” to 3” wide. Although it has no fragrance it attracts Hummingbirds and Butterflies. This hardy plant is resistant to drought, mildew, deer, and foot traffic.

Black and Blue Salvia/Photo by Heather Abounader/CCA 2.0G/Wikimedia

No garden would be complete without one variety of Oriental Poppy growing in it and one with the most color for your buck would be the “Harlem” with it's deep burgundy-red color. A lover of the sun this red beauty is 28” to 30” in height and 18” to 23” wide. It tolerates drought conditions and is a repeat bloomer, summer and fall. “Harlem” grows in zones 3 to 5.

For those interested in a ground-cover, the Chrysogonum “Quinn'sGold” will do you nicely. This drought resistant, full to partial shade plant grows in Zones 5-8 and can be evergreen where winters are mild. It's cute small white to yellow zinnia-like flowers produce from early spring to summer on leafy runners. The plants stands only 6” high and has about a 24” spread and infrequently is bother with pest or disease.

To add a whimsical fairy-like air to your garden or along your border I think you would be happy with Geranium “DragonHeart.” This hardy geranium does best in Zones 4-8 in full sun or partial shade. The two-inch flower color varies from magenta to a ruby-magenta with black centers. It grows 12” high with a 18” spread and blooms from early summer to mid-fall.

Geranium/Photo by Jan Baker/CCA SA 2.0/Wikimedia

Whether you enjoy planting what's trendy or like to try your hand at growing some new perennials, be on the lookout in 2014 for its many offers of new plants for color and shape.

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Reduce your plant risk

To reduce the risk of plant problems, one must practice good garden hygiene. Providing the right amount of water and maintaining the right levels of nutrients in the soil will keep your plants growing, healthy and strong; but to keep them growing that way, maintaining your garden throughout the season is required. Annual or biannual rotation of planting materials can lessen the buildup of pests and diseases.

Controlling weeds

Most weeds produce seed, freely or reproduce from bits of roots left in the ground, tubers, rhizomes. Controlling weeds requires the use of hand pulling, hoeing, mulching, or planting specimens close enough together to prevent weeds from growing. The use

of herbicides can be tricky to use in a vegetable or prized flower garden and must be used with great caution and is not really recommended. A far better way would be the use of mulch, laying down a fresh layer every four months, as a very effective way to keep weeds down; if you use organic mulch you will be adding nutrients to the soil as it breaks down.

Any plant can become a weed, yes, even your most prized specimens. A plant is considered a weed when it becomes invasive and starts taking over your garden or area that you do not wish it to; there are several very well known invasive plants that one would not consider a weed in most cases; Norway maple, some varieties of honeysuckle, purple loosestrife, ostrich fern, to name a few. These types of invasive plants should be identified early on in the growing season in order to prevent them from taking over any or all areas.

Pests

Pests can devour any part and in some cases the entire plant. You have your insect group, such as sowbugs, mites, millipedes, and nematodes. In your larger animal group-rabbits, deers, raccoons, and squirrels. Once again, prevention is the key. There are many organic controls one can use to reduce the risk to plants. You can handpick eggs or slugs from the soil, there are also sticky paper, collars and other easily constructed organic traps. Remedies also include biodegradable soaps, dormant oils, diatonaceous earth and pepper-garlic solutions. Organic solutions for larger animals include fencing off the area, don't plant any plant they would desire or use automatic deterrents as solar powered water spray or sound with a motion detector.

To maintain a healthy garden always remove dead and/or diseased plants and debris. It is important to evaluate any garden problems and effectively take care of the problem in a timely manner. Whether you use biological or chemical solutions always read the instructions before using and always take all necessary precautions as per instructions.