Summer Flowering Annuals (By Khabbab)

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Farhan Ahmed
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Summer Flowering Annuals (By Khabbab)

Post by Farhan Ahmed »

Seeds for summer flowering plants are sown in spring and plants bloom in summer. This time is specific for subtropical climates as that of lahore, karachi, peshawar, Rawalpindi and to an extent Islamabad as well. Morning glory vines is probably the one plant sown frequently for its colorful blooms in the summer. Zinnia is another one. so here goes the list.

Amaranthus. Local name laal saag

Balsam. Local name Gul-e-mehndi. Cultivars include Tom thumb with many colors

Capsicum, Ornamental pepper. Local name Araishi Mirch. Cultivars include Solanum Joker round, Dwarf early pylon red, Fips, Gion and hot mix. Then there is F1- Hybird with cultivar Treasure red F1

Catananche. Called cupid's dart. Most common species is catananche caerulea. Native to south africa a very beautiful flower. There is a white color variety called catananche caerulea alba. Seeds are not available here. The ones i grew from seeds will flower in summer of 2011. Will post pictures soon.

Cosmos Sulphureus, sulfur cosmos. Comes in color ranges of orange, yellow and red. No white and no blue. The other variety of cosmos is cosmos bipinnatus which is tall cosmos sown in fall for spring flowering. Cultivars of sulfur cosmos include dwarf ladybird ans sunset orange. It blooms from May to october.

Coleus. Mostly grown for its foliage. Cultivars include Rainbow mixture, superfine rainbow mixture and extra dwarf fairway mixture

Celosia. One variety is known as Cockscomb. Local name kalgha. Cultivars include Amigo, prestige, celosia plumosa century, dwarf kewpie, dwarf kimono, gloria mix and dwarf coral garden mixed.

Coreopsis. Also called tickseed. Many cultivars but none of them is available here. It has long blooming season. Mostly in shades of yellow. There is a rare pink color variety named coreopsis rosea. Another cultivar having pinkish color is Sweet dreams and there is another one called american dreams having pinkish color. Coreopsis bicolor is also called calliopsis with flowers in two tone.

Dahlia. Although it is included in winter plants but its seeds is sown in August and September for flowering in December till May. The ones grown from seeds are mostly Pakistani dahlia. While the ones grown from tubers are fully double flowers are called indian dahlia. Seeds cultivars include Garden pride mixed and figoro mixed

Datura. It is also called devil's trumpet. A toxic plant not suitable for growing in homes. Very fragrant flowers. Seeds easy to germinate. Some varieties are gone wild. Mostly in doubles and some triples. Blue and purple colors are most common. It is relative of Brugmansia which also has fragrant flowers and is also grown in lahore for evening fragrance. Both these plants might need protection in winters.

Echinacea. Another plant worth of being a perennial. Most popular species is Echinacea purpurea. It is also called purple cone flower which has purple cone shape flowers. There is another variety with white flowers and fragrant ones called echinacea purpurea white swan. One cultivar with very large flowers is called echinacea magus. There is also a double flowering variety in which another flower formed on the top of first flower. This is called echinacea double decker. No seeds of any variety are available here. My plants are due to bloom in summer of 2011 and will post pictures soon.

Egg Plant.Solanum melongena. Local name numaishi bengan. Ornamental squash. Cultivars include golden eggs.

Gaillardia. If there is one plant in lahore which can bloom whole year that is gaillardia. Blooming year round in lahore it is naturalized as perennial and not annual. Consider it as a permanent plant. It self sows easily and it is very easy to collect its seeds to grow more plants.Cultivars include double gaillardia, bicolor and lorenziana

Gerbera. Also called African Daisy. Grows in partial shade in lahore. Direct sun is not good for this plant. Many beautiful color combination exists with single and semi double and double flowers. Florist gerbera is the most beautiful of all and ideal as house plants. They grow well in pots. The plant does not like over watering and crown of the plant should be a little above soil so that water does not stay for long time.

Gomphrena. Local name gul-e-makhmal or gul-e-tukhma. Colors include white red and purple. Cultivars include extra dwarf gnome

Ipomoea. Very fast growing vines. All are grown from seeds very easily. The variety most common is Ipomoea purpurea called morning glory. It is mostly in the shades of blue. If there is any climber which has so many color combination of flower then it is morning glory.It does not care about soil requirements, all it wants is full sun and water in hot summers, that's all. Another cultivar not common is milky way. Another variety is Ipomoea lobata also known as mina lobata.

Another variety which is very common is Ipomoea cairica called mile a minute. Another name is railway creeper. Its Local name is Ishq Pechan.
Only some of the varieties of ipomoea are fragrant. One of them is ipomoea alba called moon flower. It has fragrant white flowers very large which open in evening and close by dusk.

Kochia. Local name Jawari. Grown for foliage which turns red in winter. Cultivars include summer cypress.

Marigold. Local name genda. It is sown first from February to July then again July to November. Flowers are mostly in shades of yellow with mostly double flowers. Two kinds are very famous. First is african marigold and second is french marigold. Bonanza series is most common of all. There is also an off white color variety but it flowers late and flower size is not very large as well.

Mimosa. Local name choi moi. Another local name is Lajwanti. Flowers are mostly pink or purple color. Cultivars include pudica.

Mirabilis.Most common is mirabilis jalapa. Called marvel of peru. Local name is Gul-e-abbasi. Flowers are fragrant in evening. It is a medicinal plant. It does not like water retention so it is grown in soil just above soil surface.

Portulaca. Portulaca grandiflora also known as moss rose has largest flowers in the genus. Local name is Gul-e-dupeher. Its flowers open only in sunlight and close in shade. There are two types, the native portulaca also known as dupeher boti which is actually a perennial and is not removed easily, you can think of it as a weed. Flowers of this one are opened in afternoon and close by evening. Color is mostly pink in this kind. The second one are the modern hybirds which are annual. Most common is F1 sundial mixed. Colors are in all shades. They are single, semi double or full double. Flowers remain open for most of the day hence called full day portulaca. It is very heat tolerant plant and can be grown with little or no water.

Passiflora. These are vines from warm climates. The most common is passiflora caerulea. It is also called passion flower. Flowers are very beautiful. Other varities grown include passiflora edulis, passiflora foetida and passiflora incarnata which is also called Maypop. These vines do not like fertilizer else they will promote leaf growth but no flowers. They love full sun. Young plants need protection in winter. Another cultivar of passion flower is called 'Incense' which has very fragrant flowers. They are famous for late flowering hence potassium should be given to the plants. One method of doing it is to bury banana peel under the soil.

Rudbeckia. Also called black eyed susan. Although there are many varieties of this plant including the one with red colors, it is only available here in the common yellow color. Recently there has been some seeds of bicolor as well but not common. There is a magnus type with extra large flowers of rudbeckia.

Salvia. It is also included in spring and winter flowers. The most common color is red which is most heat tolerant. Red color is more suitable to southern plains. Seed is sown from july to november.

Sun flower. Local name Suraj mukhi. Although a wild plant here but some cultivars are worth growing. specially the dwarf teddy bear and the one with chocolate color. There is a red color variety as well and then there is a white color variety called moonwalker. The bicolor variety is called florenza red. Seeds are large and easy to germinate.

Sterilitzia. Bird of paradise. Its plants are widely grown in lawrence gardens lahore. Very large flowers not suitable for growing in pots.

Vinca. Also called periwinkle. Another plant gone wild. Local name sada bahar. It is also called ratan jot here. It is a medicinal plant as well. It flowers almost year round and one of the toughest plants i have come across. It is difficult to remove this plant. Newly introduced cultivars include vinca victory and then there is a hanging mix suitable for growing in hanging baskets. There is vine from this family Vinca major not common here.

Venidium. It is relative of arctotis. South african native plant so very heat tolerant. Flowers are daisy type and very pretty. It is a low growing plant. Seeds are easy to germinate.It does not grow well if sown in spring. Its best time is sown in fall but it flowers into the summer as well.

Zinnia. Most popular summer flowering plant. Famous cultivars include super yoga, elegans, F dreamland, F1 profusion, Magellan F1, swizzle bicolors, lilliput and persian carpet. My personal favorite is the one i am unable to get seeds of. It is called zahara starlight rose.Zinnia cactus are also very beautiful having cactus type flowers.
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Re: Summer Flowering Annuals (By Khabbab)

Post by jdashraf »

Excellent and very informative article. I was looking for this. Thx Farhan..
I have already grown Mirabilis, Portulaca, cosmos,Morning Glory, Zinnia, Sunflower, Vinca , Amaranthus and Coleus from seeds and all of them are doing well. Just one question, can we grow rest of the plants in the list from Jul till Sep to flower in Sep till December? and also are these seeds available from Awan Seeds Rwp?
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Re: Summer Flowering Annuals (By Khabbab)

Post by Munir »

Very useful information, Farhan. It would be easier to understand for those not familiar with these,if pictures could be added with each write up.
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Re: Summer Flowering Annuals (By Khabbab)

Post by Mustansir Billah »

It will help the readers for planting and buying the plant according to there local weather and it will also help in getting information about a particular plant. ;)
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Re: Summer Flowering Annuals (By Khabbab)

Post by farah fayyaz »

@ Farhan.Very informative .JazakaAllah.I sowed seeds of mimosa plant two times(bought last time from awan seed rwp) but failed.Please tell me what is the right time to sow its seeds.I always think to sow imported seeds of some plants but then i think i will fail again.So i buy seedlings from nursery.And there we get local variety.My mali says it's better to buy seedlings rather than seeds.Please guide me.
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Re: Summer Flowering Annuals (By Khabbab)

Post by Farhan Ahmed »

Correct time would be Spring. (Mar-Apr).
You can try sowing mimosa Post Monsoon also...though season left will be less.
What sowing method & Media are you using?
Farhan Ahmed
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Re: Summer Flowering Annuals (By Khabbab)

Post by Farhan Ahmed »

jdashraf wrote:Excellent and very informative article. I was looking for this. Thx Farhan..
I have already grown Mirabilis, Portulaca, cosmos,Morning Glory, Zinnia, Sunflower, Vinca , Amaranthus and Coleus from seeds and all of them are doing well. Just one question, can we grow rest of the plants in the list from Jul till Sep to flower in Sep till December? and also are these seeds available from Awan Seeds Rwp?
Post Monsoon...That is August, you can attempt Celosia, Cosmos, Gomphrena and Marigolds. They perform very well in fall and last till frost.
Some perennials such as Rudbeckias, Coneflowers, Gaillardia, Gerbera and Bachelors' Button should always be sown in Fall(Oct-Nov) for flowering following Spring-Summer.
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Re: Summer Flowering Annuals (By Khabbab)

Post by Farhan Ahmed »

Very important aspect is that in West(Lets Say UK)..they never get the temperature higher than what we have in Spring...Yet they still grow our summer annuals in comparatively shorter growing season.....that is achieved by starting summer annuals indoors (maybe Heat Mats) and planted out when temperatures get better.

This spring i am going to try Celosia Definitely and Zinnias Maybe as Spring annuals.....I am quite certain that this is achievable.
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Re: Summer Flowering Annuals (By Khabbab)

Post by Hamad Ahmed Kisana »

no sir zinnia is not achievable,,i have tried in previous fall they started very well but in severe cold they stopped their growth and formed one bud and only one small flower and plant died.i tried them in pot and ground.plant achieved maximum height of 5 inches ,so in my experience they are complete failure in cold winters.but i am waiting for your experience that will be better than mine, :mrgreen:
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Re: Summer Flowering Annuals (By Khabbab)

Post by Farhan Ahmed »

Fall is too early....it should be late winter. January like. For April flowering
Ofcourse germination temperatures are to be given special attention in this case
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