Gardening: Planting Annuals with a New Soil
When it comes to planting annuals, these two drought resistant flower types always thrive in my flower beds each summer.
One of the best things about living in the south is that the outdoor gardening season begins earlier than it did when I lived in Pennsylvania. Back in PA, I used to have to wait until after Mother’s Day to plant annuals every year.
Here is South Carolina, the nurseries and road side flower sellers have been overflowing for the last few weeks with colorful annuals, perennials, veggies, herbs and more.
My house is 40 + years old with plenty of mature and thriving green shrubs and bushes all around. It is missing something that I like to see though, it lacks pops of color in the way of flowers.
I do have one hydrangea that has pink blooms on the lake side of the house and another in the side yard, but I like to see colorful flowers all around and in bed and planters. Making sure they are low maintenance is also a big factor when I choose what type of flowers I plant.
I knew from last year that if I wanted to get the type and color of annuals I like to see around my yard, I better buy them as soon as I see them, otherwise they will be gone.
The easiest annuals for me to grow all summer long, both when living in Pennsylvania and now here is South Carolina are what I call the two “V’s”… Vinca and Verbena. They come in a variety of colors, purple, lavender, red, white, and pink. I always plant pink, purple, or lavender.
I know what I like, and I also know that I don’t have a green thumb. I do what works for me and plant what the rabbits won’t eat. :-) Vinca goes in the beds, Verbena in the pots on the deck. Rabbits like Verbena, but never touch the Vinca.
I don’t risk trying new types of flowers. I stick to my tried and true annuals that are both easy to care for and do not need constant watering. I also have always use Miracle Gro products to help it look like I have a green thumb. :-)
This year, Miracle Gro has a new garden soil that can be used not only for flowers, but for veggies, plants, succulents and more. It is called Expand N’ Gro Concentrated Planting Mix that makes your soil lighter and creates more air space to give your plants the room they need to thrive.
It is so lightweight that it can be delivered to your door though Amazon. Most soils cannot be mailed due to weight. The small bag and unique lightweight formula makes it easy to carry, ship and store.
I gathered my flower gardening tools and set to work.
Most of the time when you plant flowers, you just put the the soil straight from the bag into a pot or planter or mix it into the ground. Using Expand N’ Gro is different. Part of the lightweight features is that it expands when water is added so you don’t need as much to fill pots and flower beds. Compared to basic potting soil – it covers 3X as much.
3x bigger flowers and plants compared to native soil and will be fed for six months. Hello… I can’t wait to try you out this weekend.
Once I get all my Verbena and Vinca planted using Expand N’ Gro I will do a follow up post showing you the results.
Do you plant flowers in beds or planters around your house? Do you plant the same flowers every year or do you change it up from year to year?
The weather forecast says it is going to be 91 degrees here today and over the weekend! Yikes…I better get planting. :-)
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