Annuals add splash of color to your landscape

Nothing says beauty or inspires as much as bursts of color in landscapes. What makes annuals so endearing and rewarding? It is because they grab your eye with their brilliant colors and leave lasting impressions in your mind.

Flowering annuals come in all colors and do well in our heat. Consider using ageratum, amaranthus, celosia, cosmos, four o'clocks, gaillardia, gomphrena, marigold, morning glory, ornamental pepper, periwinkle, portulaca, sunflower, verbena, vinca and zinnia. In most cases, these plants already are blooming so the show is ready to begin.

Yes, annuals bloom for only one season. This can be an advantage. It enables you to change colors and redesign each season. They exhibit some of the brightest colors in the plant kingdom.

Notice how versatile they are. Plant them in masses, edge your walks and driveways, fit them in with vegetables or under shrubs or accent other plants in your garden. A low-growing annual, such as sweet alyssum, makes an attractive pattern along your pathway.

They adapt well to containers. Plant them in containers on the patio or near a pool. Picture petunias tumbling from a hanging basket, blanketed in blooms, just above your hammock.

These flowers are perfect for smaller gardens or to liven up your patio. Their blooming cycle and low maintenance make them naturals for pots, window boxes and hanging baskets. All these plants need is a reliable supply of water, nutrients and pinching off those fading flowers for continuous blooming.

Be creative with your containers, too. Nurseries have clay and plastic pots, urns, aged whiskey barrels and old buckets. Just about anything that holds soil will do. Large containers hold more soil, which means less watering and allows you to develop different combinations of plants.

For ideal growing conditions in containers, use potting soil from your nursery. Forget your garden soil, because it drains poorly, is loaded with salts and becomes heavy when wet.

Annuals are labeled according to shade tolerance, so know the amount of sunlight each area receives. A light shaded area means three to four hours of shade per day. A partially shaded area will be without sun for about six hours. These are the places that get morning or afternoon sun. Many annuals flourish under these conditions. Deep shaded areas seldom see sun. Wax begonia puts forth its many-colored flowers under these conditions.

You can grow annuals under trees by thinning the trees out so sunlight filters through. Bring on the impatiens, which flower continuously in many colors, or coleus with its richly colored foliage.

Beds along west-facing walls get very hot, even though they are in the sun for only half the day. Choose full sun annuals such as verbena and vinca for these locations.

Here are some things you must do to ensure success with your annuals going into summer.

■ Check moisture often, because the soil dries out fast. Water is a must for annuals to flourish, so keep the moisture supply constant. Any hitches reduce the quantity and quality of blooms.

■ Fertilize often to bring on larger blooms and more of them. Phosphorous is the key ingredient for annuals. If you add too much nitrogen, it promotes green growth at the expense of blooms. Each bag of fertilizer tells you the amount to add, so follow the instructions.

■ Follow feedings with deep waterings to move nutrients to the roots.

■ Check for pests on a regular basis.

GARDENING IN SMALL PLACES

Do you have a small lot or balcony and want to grow your own vegetables, but don't think you can? Learn to "Garden in Small Places" during a class from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at Nevada Cooperative Extension, 8050 S. Paradise Road. Angela O'Callaghan of Cooperative Extension will cover the basics for those who haven't had much success. Following from 1 to 5 p.m., she will go more in depth for experienced gardeners wanting to hone their skills. The fee for each class is $15. You must register in advance for planning purposes by calling 257-5573.

Linn Mills writes a garden column each Sunday. You can reach him at linn.mills@springspreserve.org or call him at 822-7754.