Hardy annuals

Question 1

Lathyrus odoratus (sweet pea)

Answer 1

Hardy annual

Leaves formed of two leaflets combine with tendrils on winged stems.

Pretty, pea-like flowers come in shades of white, pink, coral, red, violet and blue, some combining two colours. Often strongly fragrant.

Sweet peas are generally climbing to 2m (6½ft), but some are short and bushy to 45cm (18in).

Cut flower, city/courtyard garden, cottage/informal garden, flower border

grow in any fertile soil that drains easily, in full sun.

Question 2

Calendula officinalis (pot marigold)

Answer 2

fast growing annual or biennial with aromatic leaves

heads of vivid orange daisy-like flowers, borne in long succession in the summer and autumn until the first hard frosts

Wildlife garden, cottage/informal garden, garden edging

h 0.1 - 0.5m, s 0.1 -0.5m

light, poor, free-draining soil in full sun or partial shade.

Question 3

Nigella damascena (Love-in-a-mist)

Answer 3

upright, bushy annual to 50cm, with feathery foliage.

Pale blue flowers 4cm across are borne in summer followed by decorative, inflated seed capsules

Cottage/informal garden, flower borders, coastal

h 0.1 - 0.5m, s 0.1 - 0.5m

any well-drained soil in full sun

Question 4

Tropaeolum majus (nasturtium)

Answer 4

Annual climber which will scramble over the ground or up a support.

Circular, wavy-edged leaves are supported, parasol-like, by a central stalk. The long-spurred flowers, in shades of red, yellow and orange, appear in summer and autumn.

Cottage/informal garden, patio/container plant, banks and slopes, flower border

h 1.5 - 2.5m, s 1.5 - 2.5m

poor, well-drained soil in full sun

Question 5

Limnanthes douglasii (poached egg plant)

Answer 5

spreading bushy annual to 15cm in height

finely divided leaves and open bowl-shaped yellow flowers with white-tipped petals, in summer and autumn

Wildlife garden, cottage garden, garden edging, flower border

h 0.1 - 0.5m, s 0.1 - 0.5m

any moist but well-drained soil in full sun

Question 6

Ammi majus

Answer 6

upright annual with 2 to 3-pinnate leaves and compound umbels of small white flowers in summer

Wildflower meadow, cottage/informal garden, flower border

h 0.5 - 1.0m, s 0.1 - 0.5m

any well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade

Question 7

Centaurea cyanus (cornflower)

Answer 7

upright annual to 75cm, with simple or slightly lobed leaves and solitary deep blue flower-heads 3-4cm across in late spring and summer

Wildlife garden, wildflower meadow, cut flowers, flower border

h 0.5 - 1.0m, s 0.1 - 0.5m

well-drained soil in full sun

Question 8

Helianthus annuus (common sunflower)

Answer 8

tall, fast-growing annual with broad, oval to heart-shaped, roughly hairy leaves 10-40cm long.

In summer it bears huge flowers up to 30cm across with bright yellow petals and dark brownish or purplish centres. The flowers attract bees and the seeds that follow provide food for birds

Wildlife garden, cut flowers, flower border, cottage/informal garden

h 2.5 - 4m, s 0.5 - 1.0m

moderately fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil in full sun

Question 9

Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’

Answer 9

upright annual to 60cm, with blue-green leaves and tubular yellow and purple flowers with conspicuous purple bracts in summer

flower border, city/courtyard garden, cottage/informal garden,

h 0.5 - 1.0m, s 0.1 - 0.5m

well-drained, fertile soil in a sheltered position in full sun

Question 10

Eschscholzia californica (California poppy)

Answer 10

vigorous bushy, spreading annual to 30cm, with finely divided blue-green leaves and orange, yellow or red flowers to 7cm across in summer

Good for exposed or coastal areas, rock/gravel garden, flower border

h 0.1 - 0.5m, s 0.1 - 0.5 m

poor, well-drained soil but they need full sun for the flowers to open. Can be grown as a drought-tolerant pot plant.