I noticed a question about annuals in another thread, and it got me wondering
about whether I am the odd one out in having an almost exclusively perennial
garden.

I just don't have time to spend on setting out annuals every year, as my
gardening hours are already over-subscribed by other more pressing matters
(weeding, mowing, carving out new beds etc.)

Other than a few favourite annuals, I just don't bother much with them any
more. Are there others who do the same?

Bill
Vancouver

Not at all Bill I too tend to plant Perennial's, takes a bit longer to
get a display but in the long run they seem to be more tolerant of
climactic stress, guess the more extensive root systems would account
for that.

the one exception being Pansy's/Annual Violas..am addicted to them!

Fortunately so is the wife....

And the Biennial Bronze Fennel which actually seems to be a perennial,
and a freely self seeding one at that!

Dave

On 08 Jun 2003 14:25:55 GMT, (Bill Spohn) wrote:

I noticed a question about annuals in another thread, and it got me wondering
about whether I am the odd one out in having an almost exclusively perennial
garden.

I just don't have time to spend on setting out annuals every year, as my
gardening hours are already over-subscribed by other more pressing matters
(weeding, mowing, carving out new beds etc.)

Other than a few favourite annuals, I just don't bother much with them any
more. Are there others who do the same?

Bill
Vancouver

Dave Fouchey, WA4EMR
http://photos.yahoo.com/davefouchey
Southeastern Lower Michigan
42° 35' 20'' N,
82° 58' 37'' W
GMT Offset: -5
Time Zone: Eastern

Bill Spohn wrote:

I noticed a question about annuals in another thread, and it got me wondering
about whether I am the odd one out in having an almost exclusively perennial
garden.

I just don't have time to spend on setting out annuals every year, as my
gardening hours are already over-subscribed by other more pressing matters
(weeding, mowing, carving out new beds etc.)

Other than a few favourite annuals, I just don't bother much with them any
more. Are there others who do the same?

Other than a few window boxes and a couple of seasonal containers, I never plant
annuals, certainly not in the ground. First, flowers are not the primary element
in my garden - form, foliage and texture are and few annuals can meet this
requirement. Second, they are expensive when considering the required seasonal
replacement, and I 'd rather invest in permanent plants. Finally, they require
too much attention in terms of frequent fertilizing, constant watering and
deadheading to maintain their appearance - there are only so many hours in the
day!

FWIW, I also tend to be not very heavily invested in perennials, either. Most
don't offer the year round appearance I am shooting for and they also tend to be
high on the maintenance schedule. I do indulge my favorites, but over the years
my garden has evolved into much more of an evergreen and/or mixed shrub garden
with a few (okay, quite a few!) perennials thrown into the mix for color and
seasonal fillers. Besides, trees, shrubs, groundcovers and vines are so much more
interesting!

pam - gardengal

In article ,
(Bill Spohn) wrote:

I noticed a question about annuals in another thread, and it got me wondering
about whether I am the odd one out in having an almost exclusively perennial
garden.

I just don't have time to spend on setting out annuals every year, as my
gardening hours are already over-subscribed by other more pressing matters
(weeding, mowing, carving out new beds etc.)

Other than a few favourite annuals, I just don't bother much with them any
more. Are there others who do the same?

Bill
Vancouver

For me, #1 are the woody shrubs; #2 are the perennials.

I grow almost no annuals, unless one counts tender perennials that turn
out to be defacto annuals, but I always at least have a HOPE those might
return.

A few people who've visited our place have thought big patches of it were
strangely devoid of flowers, being primarily green, as to some people
purple-brown jack-in-the-pulpits, or asarums with flowers hidden under
leaves, or stuff that blooms in autumn & winter, just doesn't make as much
sense as a bunch of stuff that is going to bloom its little heart out
spring & summer then drop dead. To such people, a garden is FLOWERS,
nothing else, & the strongest Power of Flower is going to be to great
extent among annuals.

I have many long-flowering things like bush sages & hyssops, crane's-bills
& gaura & sun roses, but there are many annuals that would show most of
them up if color is the only thing that matters. And I've shade zones are
filled with things that either don't bloom at all (ferns), bloom very
briefly (bloodroot), or have very small blooms (toad lilies), & to me all
those are as fascinating as the showiest corydalis or bleeding heart also
in these gardens. But it surprises me how huge & gaudy flowers have to be
for most people who just don't have the capacity to look at other things
going on.

I like how things grow & change through the years; beauty of the leaves or
the limb structure when not in bloom counts for a lot with me; & the
appearance of what remains in the garden even at the height of winter is
important to me. I can work around die-back perennials so that gardens
don't look too empty in winter, but a bed of annuals is simply a bed of
nothing out of season.

To some extent those who love annuals foremost have given up a great deal
that is beautiful in exchange for the gaud alone. Others, I suppose, may
find a tragic beauty in the ephemerality of life, whether our own human
lives, or our gardens.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

Other than a few favourite annuals, I just don't bother much with them any
more. Are there others who do the same?

I keep adding a few perennials every year with the goal of a perennial garden,
but you know it just doesn't seem right without sunflowers, zinnias, marigolds,
allysum,red salvia and petunias. Oh yea, and impatients. And coleus. And I
have to have pansies and in this area they are pretty much annuals though once
in awhile one will come back. So despite my intentions I end up with new
perennial every year, plus the same old annuals (with less and less room for
them)

Oh yea and morning glory...

Joelle
If you want to make God laugh, tell him what you are doing tomorrow
Father Mike

I have no annuals. I have a very shady yard with many trees and have used
hostas, ferns, rhodos and azaleas almost exclusively as plantings around the
house and the stone wall beside the driveway. It works for me.
Joan
PS - Daffys, tulips and crocuses still come up each spring in the beds on the
south side of the house.

And the Biennial Bronze Fennel which actually seems to be a perennial,
and a freely self seeding one at that!

Me too - lovely plant!

Makes a great background plant, with the added benefits of attracting
Swallowtail Butterflies and just plain tasting good.

Dave


On 09 Jun 2003 01:13:19 GMT, (Bill Spohn) wrote:

And the Biennial Bronze Fennel which actually seems to be a perennial,
and a freely self seeding one at that!

Me too - lovely plant!

Dave Fouchey, WA4EMR
http://photos.yahoo.com/davefouchey
Southeastern Lower Michigan
42° 35' 20'' N,
82° 58' 37'' W
GMT Offset: -5
Time Zone: Eastern

I'm not into planting flats and flats of annuals, so my solution is to plant
seeds of annuals that will self-sow in years to come. Through this method I
have permanent annuals in my garden, including california poppies, opium
poppies, shirley poppies, bachelor buttons, fleabane, allysum, larkspur,
cosmos, godetia, lavatera, four-o-clocks and this year have added some new
ones for me, including scarlet flax, linaria, nemophilia, and limnanthes. I
don't think the larkspur germinated for me, and neither did the annual
phlox, so I might need to try sowing those at another time of year. The main
trick is to remember what the seedlings look like, and not to be afraid to
thin ruthlessly when they are growing too close together. Also to weed them
out of the perennials and shrub areas.
I will plant the occasional small groups of petunias, lobelia, rock
roses, and impatiens - but not enough to qualify as major expenditures of
time, effort, and money.
"Bill Spohn" wrote in message
...
I noticed a question about annuals in another thread, and it got me
wondering
about whether I am the odd one out in having an almost exclusively
perennial
garden.

I just don't have time to spend on setting out annuals every year, as my
gardening hours are already over-subscribed by other more pressing matters
(weeding, mowing, carving out new beds etc.)

Other than a few favourite annuals, I just don't bother much with them any
more. Are there others who do the same?

Bill
Vancouver

I have perennial beds that are interspersed with annuals.

Ya can't beat annuals for fall lcolor-zinnias, marigolds,etc.(along with my
dahlias, of course!)



"Come into my garden, my flowers want to meet you!"

I love annuals. I have a container garden on the balcony and use annuals
almost exclusively. I especially love those new guinea impatiens.

I find the selection of perrenials overwhelming. You never really know what
you're going to get. I find the plant hard to picture strictly from the
tag. Which makes it hard to make good combinations. I've started to
experiment with some of the most basic perrenials. But, even the basic ones
only have a limited bloom period. And you have to wait several years for
blooming. Yes, stunning when they bloom, but I've had to wait 3-4 years to
get a decent show out of a bunch of daylillies!

I prefer the instant gratification of annuals. Never claimed I was a
patient woman.

S.

"Bill Spohn" wrote in message
...
I noticed a question about annuals in another thread, and it got me
wondering
about whether I am the odd one out in having an almost exclusively
perennial
garden.

I just don't have time to spend on setting out annuals every year, as my
gardening hours are already over-subscribed by other more pressing matters
(weeding, mowing, carving out new beds etc.)

Other than a few favourite annuals, I just don't bother much with them any
more. Are there others who do the same?

Bill
Vancouver

I'm with you, Bill.
I think one of the most gratifying thing as a gardener is to watch the
perennials come back to life each spring. I've gotten immense pleasure from
starting some by seed and watching them grow stronger each year.
Annual flowers are great fillers and I grow many from seed each year to give
away as gifts (including herbs), but I am most fond of my "family" of
perennials :-) Just don't tell my tomato and peppers I said that!

Erin

Pam wrote:

Bill Spohn wrote:

I noticed a question about annuals in another thread, and it got me wondering
about whether I am the odd one out in having an almost exclusively perennial
garden.

I just don't have time to spend on setting out annuals every year, as my
gardening hours are already over-subscribed by other more pressing matters
(weeding, mowing, carving out new beds etc.)

Other than a few favourite annuals, I just don't bother much with them any
more. Are there others who do the same?

Other than a few window boxes and a couple of seasonal containers, I never plant
annuals, certainly not in the ground. First, flowers are not the primary element
in my garden - form, foliage and texture are and few annuals can meet this
requirement. Second, they are expensive when considering the required seasonal
replacement, and I 'd rather invest in permanent plants. Finally, they require
too much attention in terms of frequent fertilizing, constant watering and
deadheading to maintain their appearance - there are only so many hours in the
day!

FWIW, I also tend to be not very heavily invested in perennials, either. Most
don't offer the year round appearance I am shooting for and they also tend to be
high on the maintenance schedule. I do indulge my favorites, but over the years
my garden has evolved into much more of an evergreen and/or mixed shrub garden
with a few (okay, quite a few!) perennials thrown into the mix for color and
seasonal fillers. Besides, trees, shrubs, groundcovers and vines are so much more
interesting!

pam - gardengal

Hehe. Chiming in late here, but... You sound like me. I like
trees, bushes, groundcovers, etc. I MIGHT put in a few flowers,
but then I want things that can basically take care of
themselves. (So, I'm sure you can imagine how I felt when the
landscape designer, after my written description of what I was
trying to achieve, and many discussions, finally came up with a
flower garden!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was a couple years ago now, but
I still have not regained my confidence enough to hire anyone to
help me achieve my goals.))

Jean B.
--
Jean B., 12 miles west of Boston, Massachusetts, USA