Like Peanut Butter and Jelly

For some reason, many gardeners have annuals beds and a perennial garden but often the two never mix. I want to wholeheartedly BEG you to consider planting some one-season-sexies (my 2013 term for annuals) for full-on garden gorgeousness.

How I do it:

I wait until the first summer flush is over. My plants are coming up, my pots are planted (anyone who knows me knows my pots were finally planted up in August of 2013, but we're talking "ideally" here) and I take a look at where things aren't as full, or as colorful, as I want them to be. Last year it was an asparagus patch just planted that was unbelievable enhanced by planting only 3 Colorblaze^® Marooned^™ Coleus in front of them.

On the other side of the garden, my perennial Asters just looked like a fuzzy weed patch, until the addition of 5 Superbells^® Grape Punch Calibrachoa totally turned the beat around. It makes the bed look intentional and colorful until those Asters were ready to do their thing (the Calibrachoas laughed at the cold and partied with those Asters until it was too cold FOR ANYONE to party anymore!)

I have a shady spot where I planted some very small, but amazing, colored Hydrangeas that I got out of a trash can at work. I have NO IDEA how big they will be, or if they will work out at all, so I planted them like they may get to be 3'x3' someday and in the meantime I filled in with Rockapulco^® Coral Reef Impatiens. You couldn't even tell that is was a total test site.

Want to work a little one-season-sexy into your beds? Look for areas with young, slow growing perennials that haven't lived up to their potential yet, or fall bloomers that are a snooze in summer, or any empty spot that has you stumped in coming up with the right perennial. I have found that the *right* perennial is often an annual.