Planting Annuals Late

Last year, I planted Cosmos in the middle of July, so that toward the end of the season, I had gorgeous Cosmos flowers in the prime of their bloom!

It was very nice to have such beautiful fresh flowers when so many other annuals were looking frayed and dowdy.

This year I am doing it again---started a little earlier---that is, last week, I planted, Cosmos, Zinnias, Pinks, Poppies and Snap Dragons in my garden---and expect they'll all be nicely in bloom by early August!

I planted them in ROWS---definitely ROWS! One year I just scattered annual seeds in my garden, and I could NOT WEED for fear of destroying the flowers! Won't make THAT mistake again! LOL!

;+>)

This message was edited Jun 18, 2006 10:46 PM

What zone are you in, goober? I've been trying to figure out what I could plant this late in Zone 5 and still have time for them to come up and bloom.

Hey there, McGlory!~

Looks like I am in more or less of a 5b to 6a.

But last year I planted Cosmos from seed very late, and they bloomed quickly.

I think Batchelor's Buttons and Zinnias ought to also give you some bloom.

You know, at this time of the season, with seeds so very much on sale, you might throw in some Cosmos, zinnias, batchelor's buttons and some other things that are supposed to bloom quickly and see what happens. Your investment will be under 5 bucks, I should think, no matter what you plant.

Be SURE to plant in ROWS, so you can get rid of the WEEDS with no problem, and be generous when it comes to thinning the seedlings---that is, take out MORE rather than LESS, so as to give the remaining ones the best chance of getting to bloom stage before cold weather sets in.

Another cosmos planter here! I plopped some out on Sunday morning and went out back Wed. to see if anything need some water and I've got about 25 seedlings started with a couple of little first leaves on each. I wasn't expecting anything to show so quickly. I kinda got behind/lazy this year and focused on the bulbs and forgot to get any seeds going so I got out there a bit late too. Good to know it can work.