Mother’s Day last weekend probably gifted many of you with outdoor hanging baskets or planters, and I want to stress the word “outdoor.”
These annual plants require a lot of sunlight to produce the energy they need to keep the flower buds developing. Keeping them indoors to “protect” them is not a good plan. If the temperature is expected to drop to freezing, setting them in overnight is OK, but not indoors for more than a day or two.
Water them only when the soil feels dry to the touch, and at that point give them a thorough watering. The frequency of watering depends on the temperature and how fast the wind dries them out.
As we move more into summer weather, they will require more water, and as they develop more plant mass, they will require more to “eat”. A diet of just plain water for the plant will have the same effect on the plant as it would have on you.
I absolutely love the fragrance of lilacs, and although their season is short, I cut a handful to use in a vase indoors so we get to enjoy their color and aroma up close.
Let me remind you to remove all leaf stems if you want to use them as cut flowers. The combination of heavy flower trusses and leaves transpire water faster than the woody stems can absorb it, so they will wilt prematurely. Also, as with any cut flower arrangement, setting the vase in a cool place overnight will certainly lengthen their vase life.
Another favorite annual flower I want to encourage you to try is lisianthus. This is perhaps the most difficult of the annual flowers we grow from seed because the seedlings grow so slowly in the cold short days of January, but we have to get them started then to have them available for you in May.
Lisianthus love the heat of summer and grow to about 12 inches tall. The flowers resemble an open rose. Not only beautiful, the flowers last on the plant or in a vase for a long time. They will work well in planters or can be planted in open ground beds. Colors range from rich, dark purples, to pinks, yellow, and white.