Question about bloom Longevity
 

I was considering planing snapdragons, gerber daisies and pansies in my
small garden this year however, the nursery hand told me that these
plants bloom early in the spring and do not remain in bloom for the
entire summer. Is this correct?

I really liked the look of these flowers and wanted to add them to the
mix of marigolds and impatient that I plan to plant in a bed and a pot
but if they do not stay in bloom for the majority of the summer, I have
no interest in investing in them. There is already plenty of greenery in
the area, so color is what i'm looking for.

Any suggestions out there?

Thanks
Darby

Question about bloom Longevity
 

In article , Darby Wiggins wrote:
I was considering planing snapdragons, gerber daisies and pansies in my
small garden this year however, the nursery hand told me that these
plants bloom early in the spring and do not remain in bloom for the
entire summer. Is this correct?

Snapdragons can bloom all summer if the're in a somewhat shady spot.
Pansies are definitely a cool-weather bloomer. (I haven't grown
gerberas.)

cheers,

Marj

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Question about bloom Longevity
 

You don't say what zone you're in. In our southern zones, the person who
told you that these plants bloom early was absolutely correct. In fact, we
plant pansies, snapdragons, dianthus, kale, and cabbage in October and they
pretty much grow a little in winter and then go crazy in early spring. As
soon as May arrives, they start to fizzle out from the heat.

Impatiens in our zone also go in a shady spot, while marigolds do best in
full sun. Which situation do you have and maybe I can help recommend some
plants that are very pretty and hardy to your zone.

Penny
Zone 7b - North Carolina
"Darby Wiggins" wrote in message
...
I was considering planing snapdragons, gerber daisies and pansies in my
small garden this year however, the nursery hand told me that these
plants bloom early in the spring and do not remain in bloom for the
entire summer. Is this correct?

I really liked the look of these flowers and wanted to add them to the
mix of marigolds and impatient that I plan to plant in a bed and a pot
but if they do not stay in bloom for the majority of the summer, I have
no interest in investing in them. There is already plenty of greenery in
the area, so color is what i'm looking for.

Any suggestions out there?

Thanks
Darby

Question about bloom Longevity
 

Pansies are a cool weather bloomer, so it partly depends on where you live
and what the conditions are like in your summers. Personally, I consider
them a good investment, because they can be planted now, long before I can
put out most other annuals. They will be cheerful for months before the
heat does them in.

There are few, if any, plants that will give you continuous color over three
seasons. The reason plants bloom is to reproduce sexually, and to do if for
9 months straight is asking a lot 8-). Hybridization and plant breeding has
extended the display times of many plants; giving them optimal conditions
also helps. "Wave" petunias are a good example. They might be a good choice
for you. And you can't beat salvias for bright color, which is why you see
the red ones everywhere; there are also some newer pastel shades that are
quite nice.

Impatiens bloom very reliably; they are also self-cleaning, meaning they
drop the spent flowers without any fuss. They need shady conditions.
Marigolds need a lot of sun, and they also need to be dead-headed--you need
to clip the spent flowers, so that the plant continues to put its energy
into flower production, not seed production. The snapdragons and gerbera
daisies also benefit from deadheading.

And then in the fall, when, frankly, you'll be getting a bit tired of
looking at marigolds and gerbera daisies, it's time to plant pansies again.
If your winters are mild, they will overwinter and give you a bonus of
flowers in the spring.

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


"Darby Wiggins" wrote in message
...
I was considering planing snapdragons, gerber daisies and pansies in my
small garden this year however, the nursery hand told me that these
plants bloom early in the spring and do not remain in bloom for the
entire summer. Is this correct?

I really liked the look of these flowers and wanted to add them to the
mix of marigolds and impatient that I plan to plant in a bed and a pot
but if they do not stay in bloom for the majority of the summer, I have
no interest in investing in them. There is already plenty of greenery in
the area, so color is what i'm looking for.

Any suggestions out there?

Thanks
Darby

Question about bloom Longevity
 

Oh, sorry. Not sure what zone i'm in, but I live in Arlington VA, just outside
of Washington DC

Thanks
Darby

Penny Morgan wrote:

You don't say what zone you're in. In our southern zones, the person who
told you that these plants bloom early was absolutely correct. In fact, we
plant pansies, snapdragons, dianthus, kale, and cabbage in October and they
pretty much grow a little in winter and then go crazy in early spring. As
soon as May arrives, they start to fizzle out from the heat.

Impatiens in our zone also go in a shady spot, while marigolds do best in
full sun. Which situation do you have and maybe I can help recommend some
plants that are very pretty and hardy to your zone.

Penny
Zone 7b - North Carolina
"Darby Wiggins" wrote in message
...
I was considering planing snapdragons, gerber daisies and pansies in my
small garden this year however, the nursery hand told me that these
plants bloom early in the spring and do not remain in bloom for the
entire summer. Is this correct?

I really liked the look of these flowers and wanted to add them to the
mix of marigolds and impatient that I plan to plant in a bed and a pot
but if they do not stay in bloom for the majority of the summer, I have
no interest in investing in them. There is already plenty of greenery in
the area, so color is what i'm looking for.

Any suggestions out there?

Thanks
Darby

Question about bloom Longevity
 

In article , Darby Wiggins writes:

I was considering planing snapdragons, gerber daisies and pansies in my
small garden this year however, the nursery hand told me that these
plants bloom early in the spring and do not remain in bloom for the
entire summer. Is this correct?

I am not sure about those daisies, and think they may be right about the
pansies but have 'the knack' for stapdragons. Here is a recent post regarding
keeping them in bloom:

Snapdragons are one of the flowers that you can keep in bloom by removing
the spent blooms. Once the petals fall, snip off the flower at the stem. I
usually just use my thumb and first finger as the shears. You want to remove
the flower's ovary as well. Usually by the time the flower falls some bee has
pushed it's way into the dragon and fertilized it, and that causes a round
swelling (the ovary) at the base of the flower. You want to be sure to remove
this too! Once a few of these appear, the plant thinks that it's work is done
and happily goes to seed, and dies.

If you are good at keeping after the old flowers, you can keep them blooming
partially till the next freeze, though the flower stalks can get to look a
little leggy after a while, but you can snip them off and others will appear
too.



David Giunti email: unity
What is the question? Gertrude Stein's last words
No one mouth is big enough to utter the whole thing. Alan Watts

On Display in the UK http://www.web-gallery.co.uk

Question about bloom Longevity
 

On Wed, 02 Apr 2003 11:19:37 -0500, Darby Wiggins
wrote:

I was considering planing snapdragons, gerber daisies and pansies in my
small garden this year however, the nursery hand told me that these
plants bloom early in the spring and do not remain in bloom for the
entire summer. Is this correct?

Pansies will fail in summer heat. They are best planted in the fall,
and will often flower throughout a mild winter and into early spring.
Many (most?) annual flowers benefit from regular cutting. This means
getting out there and snipping spent blooms (or cutting for indoor
display.) There was a meticulous gardner in my neighborhood (SE
Virginia) who had *something* blooming 11 months of the year, but she
was out working at it nearly every day.

I really liked the look of these flowers and wanted to add them to the
mix of marigolds and impatient that I plan to plant in a bed and a pot
but if they do not stay in bloom for the majority of the summer, I have
no interest in investing in them. There is already plenty of greenery in
the area, so color is what i'm looking for.

Regular Impatiens flourish in part shade (a little sun in the morning,
shade in the afternoon) except for specific sun-tolerant varieties.
Marigolds are full sun flowers. Both do, however, have flowers for a
long time.

For color, I always think Zinnias and Cosmos -- easy to grow from seed
and very generous bloomers ('though Zinnias generally get mildewy
after a while). I've successfully grown 2 crops of Cosmos here --
seeds from the early ones have time enough to come up and bloom later.

Question about bloom Longevity
 

Okay, so pansies are out but I've gotten mixed messages on the
snapdragons.....some say if you deadhead them they will stay in bloom all
summer and some say they don't.....which is it???

I live in N. Virginia, just a stones throw from DC....don't know what zone
that is.....I don't want to invest in the flowers, if they are going to just
"go green" on me...

Also, out front where I get morning sun and then in the afternoon, the
building shades the area, I have some bushes (not sure what kind) and wanted
to plant some flowers. Money is tight but I do have asylum and forget-me-not
seeds and thought about planting them. How deep do I plant them and would
they work here? I'm looking for a "carpet" affect so how much area does a
packet of seeds cover and how long till I see results?

Thanks for all of your help....I'm really enjoying reading about the various
plants
Darby

Darby Wiggins wrote:

I was considering planing snapdragons, gerber daisies and pansies in my
small garden this year however, the nursery hand told me that these
plants bloom early in the spring and do not remain in bloom for the
entire summer. Is this correct?

I really liked the look of these flowers and wanted to add them to the
mix of marigolds and impatient that I plan to plant in a bed and a pot
but if they do not stay in bloom for the majority of the summer, I have
no interest in investing in them. There is already plenty of greenery in
the area, so color is what i'm looking for.

Any suggestions out there?

Thanks
Darby

Question about bloom Longevity
 

Darby Wiggins expounded:

Okay, so pansies are out but I've gotten mixed messages on the
snapdragons.....some say if you deadhead them they will stay in bloom all
summer and some say they don't.....which is it???

I hate to see you give up on pansies, they're one of my favorites, and
if you give them some afternoon shade and plenty of water they last
fairly well, cut them back in the heat of the summer and they'll bloom
again for you in the fall. As for snaps, yes, keep them deadheaded
and they'll bloom all summer....and since they're a half-hardy
perennial, they may overwinter for you. They have for me a couple
times, although not this past winter.....way too many sub-zero and
single digit days.

--
Ann, Gardening in zone 6a
Just south of Boston, MA
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