You know annuals are great when they’re so cherished they’ve been around for generations. Here are five color-filled plants that you may want to pass down to your own kids!

PHOTO: © Neil Soderstrom

saving marigold seeds

Did you know that you could save seeds from this year’s marigolds for next year’s flowers? Marigold seeds ripen easily on the plant if you don’t deadhead all of the spent flowers. Once the heads turn brown, break a pod or two open. If the seeds are dark brown or black like the ones in the photo, they’re ready to harvest. Gather heads from several plants to get a good blend of colors. Plus, it’s insurance in case one plant’s seeds are not viable.

Lay the pods in a dry place to continue to dry out — it could take two weeks. If the seeds are too moist, they’ll rot during storage. When they’re dry, break the heads open and gather the seeds. Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dark place until spring.

If you only grow one cultivar of marigold in your garden, it probably won’t change much from the parent. Pollen from other marigolds in the area can create your own “hybrids.” The color can change from the original, as can the height and spread. However, if you prefer a row of marigolds that all match perfectly, it’s best to buy seeds each year.

Click on the photo for this container plan.

deck railing
razzle-dazzle

Here’s a deck planting that really makes a great first impression. Garden Gate reader, Jennifer VanWagner, sent us photos of her deck railing container and we made it one of the featured designs in this year’s Container Challenge.

Tough and reliable annuals, such as geranium, licorice plant, lantana and calibrachoa, mean this exuberant planting doesn’t need any fuss. Click on the photo for the plan and plant list.

A self-watering container helps keep it looking good, too. Once the reservoir is full, plants have easy access to water for several days, which cuts down on garden chores. But you may still need to water daily during particularly long hot spells. The container on the railing is 9 in. wide and 39 in. long and is watered through a fill tube. You can get your own from a local garden center or from Gardener’s Supply at 888-833-1412.

Have a great container design? Take a photo and enter our Container Challenge!

Check out the four bonus container plans from the current issue at lower right.

Reseeding annuals are not only beautiful, they’re great buys. Plant them once and for years after you get new plants for free! Check out a few of the best reseeders around.

problem solver

Black nightshade
Solanum nigrum

IDENTIFICATION — This rambling, 1- to 2-ft.-tall annual weed blooms all summer with clusters of star-shaped white flowers with yellow centers. Large quantities of berries turn dull black when ripe and are toxic to humans and animals but are eaten by birds. Each berry contains up to 60 seeds.

FAVORITE CONDITIONS — Black nightshade grows in sun or shade almost anywhere but prefers rich, moist soil.

CONTROL — Before it sets seed, pull and remove all parts of the plant. Even small stem pieces dropped on the ground can root and regrow. A pre-emergent herbicide, such as Dacthal, can be applied in the spring to prevent seed from germinating.

gerbera daisy
gerbera jamesonii

Who doesn’t love a daisy? Gerberas produce flowers up to 4 in. in diameter atop single, unbranched stems, making them excellent for cutting. They’re also perfect in containers, as you see here.

Make sure to plant them high, so water won’t collect in the crowns and rot them. Water and then let the soil dry out on the surface before watering again. But don’t let the foliage wilt, or you’ll have fewer flowers. To keep them blooming their best, feed gerberas once a season with slow-release 14-14-14 fertilizer.

Let your eyes be your guide when shopping — gerbera daisies come in a wide variety of colors, but aren’t usually sold as named varieties. You can also start gerberas from seed indoors in fall or spring. Seedlings need warmth, so keep them at 55 to 65 degrees until you move them outside.

TYPE Annual/tender perennial SIZE 18 in. tall and wide BLOOM All colors but blue in summer LIGHT Sun to part shade SOIL Well-drained, fertile PESTS Crown rot HARDINESS Cold: USDA zones 8 to 12; Heat: AHS zones 12 to 1

saving sweet potato tubers

Instead of buying new sweet potato vines every year, try saving the tubers. Carefully dig the tubers, as the skins of freshly harvested sweet potatoes are delicate. To toughen their skins, lay them between layers of newspaper in a warm, dry area, like the top of the refrigerator, for two weeks. Then, store them in an open box, with a layer of dry sawdust or sphagnum moss on top, in a cool (55 to 60 degrees), dry, dark place. A heated garage or basement works well. Check the tubers periodically and remove any that become soft and mushy. Tubers can be stored for several months.

In spring, propagate new vines by burying three-fourths of the potato, pointed end down, in a pot of moist sand. Put the pot under fluorescent lights on a heat mat set at 75 to 80 degrees. Sprouts will develop; when they reach about 5 in. long, pinch them off the tuber and pot them up in potting soil. Grow the sprouts under the same lights until the threat of frost has passed, then move the small plants outside.

using containers in borders

Containers aren’t just for porches, patios and decks — you can also put them in your perennial borders. Here are some tips to help you decide where to place the containers.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX — The soil often dictates which plants you grow in your garden, but if you want to grow something that doesn’t work, try a container. For example, you can plant a container of succulents and place it among moisture-loving plants. You can also move houseplants outside in summer and place them among perennials.

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT — In narrow areas, like along the side of a driveway, sidewalk or side of the house, hang baskets of colorful annuals to add height to a planting that might otherwise be too low. Place several shepherd’s hooks in the bed — the repetition will give the bed a sense of unity.

nasturtiums in salads

Not only are nasturtiums beautiful garden flowers, they’re edible! Add leaves and flowers to salads and summer pizzas for a spicy, peppery taste. They’re also high in vitamin C. The bright flower color will surely add a punch to your cooking.

Plant some nasturtiums in a container by the kitchen for easy access. Grow them in full sun in moist, well-drained average soil. Of course, if you’re going to eat the flowers or leaves, don’t use pesticides or chemical fertilizer on or near the plants.

‘victoria’ mealycup sage
salvia farinacea

What could be better in a summer border than a lush mass of blue flowers? ‘Victoria’ is one of the best sages for massing, and the flowers and foliage are more dense than many other species. Besides, it’s easy to start from seed, or you can pick it up by the flat at almost any garden center.

If you keep ‘Victoria’ moist and well fed, it’ll bloom happily even without any deadheading. But it’s a good idea to remove the spent flower spikes to keep the plant looking neater. As the summer progresses, it gets bigger and better. And, if you live where ‘Victoria’ is not hardy, it’ll be one of the last annuals to be knocked down by frost.

HABIT Upright, well-branched SIZE 24 in. tall and 10 in. wide BLOOM Summer into autumn LIGHT Full sun SOIL Moist, well-drained PESTS None serious HARDINESS Cold: USDA zones 8 to 11; Heat: AHS zones 12 to 1

designing with marigolds

Marigolds are some of the most versatile annuals you can grow. They will blend with almost any color in your garden and have a variety of heights. Since marigolds are heat- and drought-tolerant, they’re excellent subjects for containers, where the soil sometimes dries out between waterings. Unless you are planting a big container (more than 3 ft. in diameter), the French, triploid or signet marigolds will work best. They’re shorter and have smaller flowers that are in proportion with the container size.

Be bold — plant marigolds in between your vegetable plants. They’ll dress up the garden. Anywhere you put marigolds, plant them in large groups. Later in the season, they will grow into a tight mass. When you’re massing annuals like this, plant the seedlings a couple of inches closer than the packet tells you. You’ll get a fuller effect earlier than if you set them farther apart.

Combine vivid and pale-yellow marigolds with shades of blue or lavender. Orange and coppery selections look dramatic with dark burgundy or purple-bronze.

‘gift’ zinnia
zinnia elegans

This heirloom zinnia is the perfect addition to any garden, regardless of age. This all-red variety hails from Russia, but has been grown in North America for a long time. To grow ‘Gift’ zinnias in your garden, you can direct-sow the seeds after the last frost. Sow seeds about 1/8 in. deep. After they have sprouted, thin seedlings so plants are 6 to 12 in. apart.

If you’d like a bushy plant, pinch out the center growing tip when there are three or four sets of leaves. This will produce a shorter plant with more flowers. For larger flowers, remove some of the side shoots so the plant focuses its energy on the remaining flower buds.

Unfortunately, powdery mildew is a problem with ‘Gift’ and most other zinnias. Spray plants with a mixture of 1 tablespoon baking soda and liquid dish soap to 1 gallon of water every 10 to 14 days from spring through flowering. The extra effort is worth it to grow this heirloom zinnia.

TYPE Annual SIZE 3 to 4 ft. tall, 1 ft. wide BLOOM Summer to fall LIGHT Full sun SOIL Well-drained PESTS Powdery mildew HARDINESS Annual; Heat: AHS zones 12 to 1

plants deer avoid

While there’s no such thing as a deer-proof plant, there are definitely ones that deer don’t crave. Generally, they shun plants with fuzzy, tomentose foliage or ones with lemon, sage or spicy flavors. The plants below are some of deer’s least favorites.

Bulbs
Allium Allium spp.
Autumn crocus Colchicum spp.
Daffodil Narcissus spp.
Fritillaria Fritillaria spp.
Grape hyacinth Muscari spp.
Squill Scilla spp.

Perennials
Adam’s needle Yucca filamentosa
Agastache Agastache spp.
Blue cardinal flower Lobelia siphilitica
Catmint Nepeta xfaassenii
Foxglove Digitalis spp.
Speedwell Veronica spp.

Annuals
Angel’s trumpet Brugmansia spp.
Canna Canna spp.
Forget-me-not Myosotis spp.
Firecracker plant Cuphea ignea
Heliotrope Heliotropium arborescens
Larkspur Consolida ajacis

Trees, shrubs and vines
Butterfly bush Buddleja davidii
Clematis Clematis paniculata
Dwarf Norway spruce Picea abies
European white birch Betula pendula
Holly Ilex spp. (except thornless varieties)
Honeysuckle Lonicera spp.

starflower
pentas lanceolata

Once starflower starts to bloom, nothing stops it until frost. Like many butterfly plants, this one prefers, in fact needs, heat to bloom its best. So there’s no point setting it out into your garden until all danger of frost is past.

If you have limited space for your butterfly garden, maybe only room for a container or two, plant starflower in those containers. Prune it back if it starts to get too big — it’ll bloom again in just a few weeks. You won’t need to worry about keeping this plant tidy. The spent flowers turn green rather than brown so you may not even notice them against the foliage. And later the heads drop off all by themselves.

TYPE Annual SIZE 15 to 18 in. tall by 18 in. wide BLOOM Pink, red or white in summer LIGHT Full sun SOIL Well drained PESTS Occasional aphids and spider mites HARDINESS Cold: USDA zone 12 (treat as an annual elsewhere) Heat: AHS zones 12 to 1