by Elizabeth Shaheen
In Bahrain, we are very limited as to the varieties of annual seeds available to us and even more disadvantaged when it comes to the selection of mature, annual plants for a quick-fix-look.
There is truly nothing more thrilling, than to nurture a seed from such unpromising beginnings to a plant, whose seed-packet-picture had caused you to desire it in the first place.
Should you feel that you want to experiment with species that are not available here, then you can order from seed companies, who will happily send you their seed catalogue.
Examples are E W King & Co Ltd, Monks Farm, Kelvedon, Colchester, Essex, England, or Thompson & Morgan (UK), Poplar Lane, Ipswich, England IP8 3BU.
Al Bader Garden Nursery on Janabiya Highway carries a variety of annual and vegetable seeds, but they could be somewhat more adventurous.
Jawads Supermarket, Budaiya Road has some, which are excellent for beginners.
Jassim’s, Budaiya Road, has a fairly good selection of annual seeds and you will find “Fothergill’s seeds” there, which are always a great success.
Janusan Exotics, off Budaiya, Road carry seeds from a company called The Exotic Seed Collection, which includes seeds of annuals, perennials, climbers, trees and shrubs from the tropics and subtropics.
Here I shall continue telling you of some of the varieties of annual seeds I plan to sow early next month for spring, into early summer glory.
I bought all of them in England and have tried, tested and enjoyed them over the years. For a truly golden glow to the front of a border or to flounce over a wall, I have chosen Saxatile compactum commonly called “golden alyssum”. This versatile plant is equally happy when grown in a rockery.
Clouds of gold are produced from Achillea filipendulina “Cloth of gold”. This is such a stately plant and is a cottage garden favourite in England.
The flowers are long-lasting and they look just as beautiful when cut for a vase and can also be dried for “everlasting” arrangements.
As it attains a height of 48 inches tall with a spread of just 18-ins, use it to punctuate a border or as a backdrop.
Another golden glory is Coreopsis “Early Sunrise”. Golden baubles are set atop 18ins stems. This is a half-hardy perennia, and ours is still going from spring, having foiled our oppressive summer heat. It is moderately generous in its self-sowing habit.
Weird, blood-red flowers with ink-black eyes appear as if they have landed from outer-space when it comes to Clianthus formosus, known as the “glory pea”. This creeper is truly one for poor soils, although it is a perennial, it behaves as an annual.
Make sure that you collect the multitude of dried seedpods after it has finished its performance.
Nemesia “Tapestry” promises a tapestry of blooms, each with impish-looking trumpets, in opulent colours with their lower lips flattering and contrasting with their upper petals, in an exceptionally wide-range of hues including shades of blue and cool white, some of which are dizzily freckled.
This bushy upright plant turns out a superb radiant 10-inch-thick carpet, when planted to the fore of the border.
Nemesia “Paint-box” gives non-stop, late spring colour, in sumptuous bicolour shades. In the same way as tapestry, it needs full sun and attains a height of 12ins.
Nemesia St George requires the same and is a beautiful choice for any garden.
Each plant presents a throng of small flowers each with wine-red upper lips complimented by milk-white lower lips.
It will look magical grown alongside “golden alyssum”.
Now imagine a flower that is coconut scented. Well, if you sow Nemesia cheiranthus “shooting stars”, that is what you will enjoy. This displays extraordinary blooms reminiscent of something from the heavens.
The upper part of each flower is pristine white as if with four rays, splotched pinkish-mauve at their bases; while the fan-shaped lower lip, is a magical, golden orange. The sprays of flowers are 12ins in height. I can just imagine it flirting with Nemesia St George.
Flowers
For blue tones, I have chosen Salvia farinacea “Victoria”, which is an excellent border plant and blooms over an extensive period.
It displays fine-looking 18ins spikes, which brings sophistication to a border. The flowers cut well for vase display.
Cerinthe major purpurascens lords it in the border and is extremely versatile, with extraordinary, blue-green foliage mottled in white.
The sea-blue bracts atop the spiralling foliage have purple nodding bells peeking out. This plant provides a hole in the wall cafŽ for passing bees. It looks great when planted in hanging baskets or containers.
The daisy-like flowers of Iberidifolia Mixed, or more commonly known as brachycome, or “swan river daisy” display cool blues, mauves and crisp white hues over a long period. At 12ins high, they are made for the fore of a border, or for hanging baskets and containers in full sun.
For a long-lasting cut flower in cool blues, hot pinks, mauves and ice-white, the Michaelmas Daisy, might just fit your bill. These gay daisies are ideal container plants and look stunning when used to punctuate a border in full sun.
A selection of easy-to-grow annuals for a child’s garden would be a beginners’ pack from Thompson & Morgan, which includes Larkspur Improved, Californian Poppy Mixed, Cornflower Polka Dot Mixed and Candytuft Dwarf Fairy Mixed. Zinnias, tagetes, marigolds, morning glory, allysum, sunflowers, radish, carrots, runner beans and lettuce are also good choices for the child’s garden. I will convey some more ideas for annual spring plantings in next week’s feature.
Many of the above species feature in my book Exotic Perennials & Annuals For Pots and Gardens in Bahrain.