What annuals will you not buy again?

I tried a few new ones this year and I was not at all happy with Gazanias. They really didn't flower much at all and when they did, although the bloom was pretty, it was not at all satisfying. I like annuals that are more floriferous like million bells and torenia.

Which annual did you try this year that you probably will pass by next year?

Evolvulus since it needs lots of warmth and sun to flower; here I think it is to far north. And it was always closed when I was back home from work so it was deceiving. I had the same problem with anagallis, but I just loved the vibrant blue of this last one (the orange one is not worth it though, smaller flowers, not as showy).

Celosia. I wanted it for an accent in my containers on the front porch, but it didn't get tall enough to be noticed. And it was cuter when it was little.

mg

I tried a thing called ursinia. I have seen it now and I am glad I tried but not again. zarancat, I love the evolvulus and anagallis. I think you are exactly right. It needs plenty of sun. I tried celosia too and it is ok.

I wasn't crazy about Angelonia (summer snapdragon), they are way too leggy. I'll take a regular snapdragon anyday.

I tried the osteospermum in containers and in the ground both did awful. Also I tried the fiber optic grass, can't think of the proper name but I wasn't happy with it either. one more, trailing verbena didn't have any luck with it so next year I will use good ole impatiens, for my part sun area. I'm also hooked on coleus now, so I will looking for that too!
shelly
mvespa- I love snapdragons, they smell so good. They have always been one of my favorites.

Won't be trying Cobaea scandens, Gazanias, or Tidy Tips.

Love the Cobaea (Mexican Ivy) but Seattle doesn't get the sun that it needs.

Gazanias - just general disappointment.

The Tidy Tips, all of them, germinated but had leggy stems.

Snapdragons have a scent? I never knew that!
What are Tidy Tips?

Actually the only osteospermum that I know that keep flowering all summer long if deadheaded are the following cultivars which are almost trailing : lemon symphony and orange symphony. All the beautifull pinks and whites ones stop blooming when weather gets warm up here in Canada so I imagine what it does in south. Pictures bellow.
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/department/faculty/wmiller/bglannuals/2004.html

Snapdragons do have a scent, I don't think it is necessarily the flower just the plant. I like growing the F1 rockets as they are great pickers. I keep referring everybody to Stokes seed and I would recommend them for snaps too because you can buy packets by colors. They have such good germination tips for their seed too.

Another annual I have tried and wouldn't do again is nolana. Maybe it needs more heat than I can give it.

Jade Sunflower. Read my review of the little bugger if you want to know the story.

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/73593/index.html

Other than that I have been happy with everything I grew this year. Mexican Sunflower is growing slowly though I think its due to the fact we havent had the hottest of summers and will try again next year.

Hibiscus, I love. However, some critter nibbles away at the leaves. I never get any flowers.

mornin_gayle, I have had some beautiful celosias this year. I just posted one of them. I've been trying to grow some like my my mom and grandparents had for years but this year I got the right ones.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/542684/

I won't grow "paprika" coleus. Some are maroon and rose but some are just brown, not very pretty.

barbur, those are pretty. Mine just didn't get tall enough in my container to get the look I was after. I wanted them to take the place of the spiky stuff everyone else plants. I may plant them in my annual bed next year, tho. I have the irridecent fuschia colored type, and I did like them when they were smaller so maybe if I plant some together I'd like the look better.

mg

westocast73 - I couldn't agree more on Jade Sunflower. A big disappointment. I finally yanked them too.

Erick

Calendula. Took me five years to get rid of it.

Yep Erick it is by far the worst Sunflower ever. Hardy Green Sunflower my foot. =O

I moved into my home in June 1994, planted 4o'clocks in the spring of 1995 and have never planted them again. Every summer one lone deep pink/red plant bursts through the stand of cannas and sprawls all over like a sloppy drunk. I had no idea they could form a tuber and overwinter until I found the tuber when I was planting some tulips.
I planted gomphrea one year too and it went crazy so never again. Well, I did buy one pack on sale called Pink Pinheads, I liked the name:)
Mornin_Gayle, if you still might be willing to give celosia a chance I fell in love with a plumed variety called Apricot Brandy I got from T&M. The stems and leave sort of remind me of golden swiss chard and the tops are a gorgeous orange. I think I saved some seed if you want to try them, let me know.

dmac085,

You have Dmail ;-)

mg

mornin_gayle,

So do you :)

dmac

I'll have to agree with the general dissappointment of gazanias. These were planted as a groundcover, yet the rabbits love them! They eat the stems of the flowers and leave the heads to whither on the ground - it's so sad. The flowers that did get missed by the bunnies were pretty when the sun was out, but closed up on overcast days and in the evening which left kind of an ugly little plant. Lastly, they rot if overwatered when everything else flourishes and if you don't deadhead the flower they go to seed and make a horrible mess like dandilions (sp?). I'm having much better luck with zinias which are pretty night and day and the rabbits leave them alone!

Wow I can't believe a zone 3 is better for Gazanias! I have a wonderful show of these cheerfull flowers. Of course we have the longer sun in the summer(5 am to 11 pm) and I have them in a raised bed so drainage is not an issue. They do get nibbled on by the neighborhood bunny but he's got so much to choose from it isn't a big problem. They close up without the sun so coastal grey days wouldn't be good and I haven't had a problem with reseeding yet.
With what I can grown here I like these cheerfull flowers .
Thanks for sharing.
Ann

I love gazanias too. I had them in the part shade last year and they didn't bloom too much. So this spring, I moved them into the full sun and boy, are they happy now. I had one plant that got a lot of water and it just up and died. Yes, they do not like too much water, I have found. Kind of drought tolerant, I think.
Carol

Some of the flowers themselves are gorgeous! Such nice combinations of color. I wish I had better luck with them and that the bunnies didn't eat them as their nightly salad! :D Now I'm jealous of you both!

(took a little artistic license with this photo, haha)

very cute!
I see your flowers and bunnies are 'enmasse'!!
LOL
Ann

I planted someof the 'salmon ice' double impatiens and the tri color sweet potato vine. I was going for a monochromatic look in a mint greenish pot. Anyway, I pinched and I preened, but those stupid impatiens grew straight up, never branched. I got so mad one day I got my clippers and cut them all back to the nub. Then, they wouldn't grow tall again. They just bloomed in a flat little mass. The SPV stuck straight up on the sides. It looked horrid. My mom commented that it was 'interesting' which was the last straw. I'm sure it was my fault and not their's, but I can't stand to see them now. It's a shame because I used to love those little flowers. I struggled more with them than anything else I planted this year.

westocast73, I'm sorry for your pain, but I have to admit that I laughed out loud at your comments about the sunflower. I had seen those someplace and believed the hype, thanks for setting me straight!

Rachel

Isn't it amazing how a container combo can make or break our liking of a particular plant. I loved the Tricolor SPV last year at the nursery. I thought it would look great in a container that I had a Double Delight Tree Rose growing. For some reason, that SPV just didn't look good, the color was all wrong. So this year I stuck w/the green and the Black leaved varieties. I love them!

ooh I love the Blackie and Margarita (is that the green?) also! I ditched all of my glacier ivy and replaced with SPV and it is so much nicer. I got so many compliments on it.

You are right, container combos can definately put something on my blacklist. There are just too many pretties out there to replant something that rekindles bitter memories!

Rachel

Impatiens, just have seen way too many and had them too many years. I have grown tired of them.

I'm adding coreopsis. They can't seem to take our south Texas heat and humidity. Since they like sun I think it must be our humidity. They do fine in the early spring but they barely survive the summer. I've tried 2 varieties for 2 years.

I will not buy the 'Dolce' petunia series ever agian! What a disappointment they were.

I just read through this entire thread and was wondering if anyone would bring up the Dolce Petunia. There it is, the last entry.
Every year I try something new, this year one new plant was the Dolce Flambé. The seed were slow to sprout and I only got 50% at best. They did OK through July, then only hung on after that. Heavy rain destroys the flowers. The Wave was much better for me.
Here is my best pic of the Flambé.
Andy P

I just read through this entire thread and was wondering if anyone would bring up the Dolce Petunia as well. I will never again waste money and time on these. Color is TERRIBLE!

J

Andy, I love that Flambé!

That was 5 plants, together, at their best.
I put others in another bed and they didn't do as well.
There are so many nicer ones out there.
Andy P

Every year I put Margarita sweet potato vine in my window boxes. Last year I tried Ivory Jewel, a variegated type. The picture in Logee's catalog was so beautiful. I wonder how they got that plant to look so good! It grew hardly at all, the colors were gray and muddy looking, and it burned around th edges no matter what conditions it was in. Never again!

Cypress vine--a true "heirloom" plant down here. Means your heirs will be pulling it out of the garden for years!

from seed I would also say Gazania and Canterbury Bells, both didn't start flowering until a month before frost. Gerbera Daisy bought in a small pot I did not like either, it needed to be watered at least once a day to keep from wilting - I know they get some root disease that causes that, but I can live without them.
I think an alternate question to this one is "what annuals are worth buying - not from seed"

Bigcityal, sounds like a good idea for a new thread.
With all the new catalogs coming in I was thinking of starting a "What New annual seed will you try this year" thread but the title may be too long,lol.
Andy P