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Treat As Annuals: MANY BIENNIALS flower in early and midsummer, thus usefully filling an awkward gap that can occur between the spring and summer flowers. Like annuals, they are temporary plants which should be pulled up and put on the compost pile when they have finished flowering. Also, as with annuals, though it's easy enough to save seed of most kinds it is usually impossible to prevent cross-fertilization of different varieties, as a result of which home-saved seed produces only a mongrel population. The distinction between annuals, biennials and herbaceous perennials is not always clear-cut since sometimes varieties of one group can be treat as annualsed as if they belonged to one of the other groups; hollyhocks (Alcea), for example, can be grown as annuals, biennials or short-lived perennials. However, to be sure of a regular succession of biennials it is necessary to sow seed every year at the correct season.
Half-hardy annuals (HHA) are usually damaged, set back, or killed by frost, but they stand up to wet and cool weather without rotting.
Tender annuals (TA) come from the warmer parts of the world and need warm soil to germinate. They are killed immediately by frost.
Added to the classification of annuals are perennials, either hardy (usually from a temperate climate) or tender (generally from the tropic parts of the world), that will bloom the first year from seed.
Most seed packets today give full instructions for care and note any special treat as annualsment required. Most catalogs do the same.
Limoniums (Limonium spp.) are a large family of plants (usually called sea lavenders) from the Mediterranean regions. Florist's statice (L Bonduellii or L. sinuatum) comes from North Africa (Limonium means 'meadow' in Greek and refers to the salt meadows where many of these plants are found) and produces 2-foot stems with clusters of tiny flowers each surrounded with bright, papery wraps. They are fine either fresh or dried. The plants have basal rosettes of scalloped leaves and need to be spaced 8 inches apart. Many cultivars are available. treat as annuals as half-hardy annuals. They will withstand frost to 26°F. |
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