Publication Date: Friday Apr 17, 1998

Eye-catching annuals

QI am searching for some interesting tall annuals to plant against the front of our house this spring. So far the nurseries I have visited only seem to carry low-growing annuals such as pansies, petunias and the like. Are there other options or are my expectations unrealistic?

AGenerally, the annuals I see used in gardens are rarely in keeping with the plantings and structures they surround. It is refreshing to hear that you are interested in searching for the annual plant varieties which are best suited to your garden rather than the generic varieties we see scattered throughout most neighborhood gardens. I will suggest a number of tall annual varieties I have grown successfully in local gardens. Amaranth is a useful annual addition to the garden during the warmer months. I say useful, in that it is classified as both an herb and a vegetable, and it is also quite stunning in appearance due to its spectacular form and color range.

The red-purple stems and flower heads of the Amaranthus variety, Hopi Red Dye, will grow up to 5 feet in height. This plant was originally used by the Hopi Indians as a ceremonial dye plant. Brightly colored edible leaves provide a wonderful lettuce substitute later in the summer when most other greens are tending to bolt due to the increased heat and the decrease in available ground water. The black seeds produced after flowering are also edible.

Amaranthus gangeticus Joseph's Coat is the selection for the adventurous gardener who enjoys gaudy leaf variegations in bright and bold colors. The plant grows up to 4 feet in height with sub-tropical foliage in a seventies "retro" mix of colors including red, green and yellow. This variety dares gardeners to create bold combinations.

"Love lies bleeding" (A. caudatus) is perhaps the most commonly grown ornamental amaranth. The red-burgundy tassel-like flowers are pendulous in habit and like no other flower in form. All varieties of the genus amaranth present gardeners with a temporal opportunity to experiment with color combinations, knowing full well that the display will be removed by the winter and replaced the following spring.

Year by year we make increasingly educated judgments in what works in our own gardens. Previously, I have attempted a planting of the Hopi Red Dye Amaranth with a foreground of green globe artichokes. These two provided the appropriate structure and I inter-planted with a group of purple-leafed fennel and the bulbous ornamental onion, Allium sphaerocephalon.

Sunflowers are often admired in vase arrangements but, sadly, rarely used as annual plantings within gardens. Helianthus annuus (sunflower) varieties will grow anywhere from 1 to 15 feet in height and in colors ranging from white through mahogany.

Of the taller growing varieties, I would recommend either Moonwalker or Russian Mammoth. I have planted both varieties as temporary screening plants for the growing season, protecting the brittle stems of climbing beans, sweet peas and tomatoes in open areas. To my surprise, Russian Mammoth reached up to 15 feet in just six months within a well-composted kitchen garden I designed.

Of the medium-sized sunflowers (4 to 8 feet), Velvet Queen and Prado Red will attract plenty of attention. Both of these varieties will make eye-catching partners among the amaranth and artichokes mentioned previously. Prado Red is as it sounds; carrying bright red flowers with great lasting capacity. The sunflower Velvet Queen, has been popular among flower arrangers the past few seasons mainly due to its unusual color shades of mahogany, burgundy, chestnut-red and bronze. I enjoy this sunflower in combination with the late summer/early autumn sage, Salvia confertiflora, and perhaps a backdrop of the annual climber Mina lobata.

If you are feeling adventurous, throw in the Josephs Coat Amaranth as a ground cover among this lot and you will have a startling display which goes far beyond the neighborhood petunias and pansies.

Cleome hassleriana is another group of tall annuals (4 to 6 feet) worth considering. The flowers attract hummingbirds and will range in color from white through violet. Spider flower, as it is commonly known, lives up to its name with long spidery petals and stamens making up the large flower trusses on the sturdy, erect stems. This is another favorite among creative flower arrangers. The flowering period lasts from mid-summer all the way through autumn.

The Gamble Garden had a wonderful display of Cleome within a long, sunny garden border last summer. Keep an eye out for the annual plantings they create this spring as they are known to experiment with unusual plant varieties.

As for sourcing seed or plant material for your own garden, I would suggest that you contact either Common Ground in Palo Alto, or Roger Reynold nursery in Menlo Park. Bernard Trainor is design director for the Palo Alto landscape design company Botanika. Send questions to Trainor care of Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302.



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