DENVER — Annuals and container plants are grabbing our attention right now. It's planting time!
If you grew flowers and vegetables from seed indoors, they're probably reaching planting size.
Some of mine are lagging behind. I'm spraying them with a very weak solution of water-soluble plant food. They can take up nutrients through the leaves. A weak solution makes sure I don't burn them.
Some plants are best if bought from the garden center. Take petunias. Seed-grown petunias need pinching to make them branch, and they need to be deadheaded frequently. Nowadays, many petunias are propagated from cuttings. In terms of care and performance, they're not all the same.
I mainly grow the "supertunias." The Vista line is sterile. These petunias don't set seed, meaning they devote all of their energy to flower production. Deadheading isn't needed. There are a number of varieties in the Vista line. I grow "Bubblegum," "Bahama Beach" and "Fuchsia." These are all great performers and bloom well into the fall when other petunias have faded.
It's probably safe to plant most annuals, with some exceptions. I'd still hold off on the heat lovers such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, coleus, sweet potato vine, basil, beans, corn, squash and melons.
Once it gets hot, they'll grow like weeds. So it's best to wait a bit longer, until night temperatures are staying reliably above 50 degrees.
It's also time to get dormant canna and dahlia bulbs outside. Mine have been sitting in a cool, dark basement room all winter. Now they've got to get planted.
Although time is precious, I like to pause and enjoy parts of my garden. The "flowery mead" on the east side of my house is quite pretty now. It features brunnera, lamium, Soloman's seal, and silver dollar plant. They weave a planting that reminds me of the famous medieval tapestry "The Unicorn in Captivity."
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