The Random House Book of Summer Annuals

bIntroduction/bbrbrThis book is divided into three main sections using the flowering times of plants as a guide. The earliest begins to flower in spring and continues into early summer. The second group also germinates in cool weather and flowers through the summer. The third group, of subtropical annuals, mostly from Mexico and South America, needs summer heat to germinate, and flowers mainly in late summer and autumn.brbrSpring annuals include plants like pansies that are planted in autumn and flower from late winter through to early summer. These plants are especially useful for raised beds and pots, excellent grown near paths and near the house where they can be seen from the windows.brbrThe summer group is an important section for any garden. Annuals really come into their own when most shrubs and trees have finished their spring flowering. If well watered, they will give joy and excitement all through the summer months, months that are too hot for other groups of plants to be at their best.brbrThe autumn section contains the plants that flower from late summer through to the first frosts. These are the plants that will bring your garden alive when you return from your summer holidays.brbrObviously, these are not hard and fast divisions. Some 'summer' plants can be persuaded to flower earlier if they are grown in pots in a conservatory or cool greenhouse. Others may have their flowering period extended into autumn if they are planted late or taken inside when the winter frosts begin. However, the sections will give some indication of what is at its best in each season, and with careful planning you should be able to have colour in your garden from late winter to the first hard winter frosts.brbrbGetting started/bbrbrThe normal, and of course cheapest, way of making sure you have a good show of annuals in the garden is to grow them from seed. There are two principal ways of doing this: the first is to scatter the seed on the f