Talking facts about annuals with Carol Scheffler

For today’s column, we are talking with Carol Scheffler, a sales assistant at Ron Clesen’s Ornamental Plants, Inc. RCOP is a wholesale grower of high quality annual flowers and plants.

Carol, thanks so much for allowing me to ask you a few questions about annual flower planting, care and maintenance as well as your growing facilities.

Can you please tell us a bit more about RCOP and the role they play in the beautification of our area?

RCOP is a wholesale greenhouse located in Maple Park. We supply annual plants for Landscapers, Municipalities and Independent Garden Centers throughout the Chicagoland area. Our sales staff works very close with our clients through the plant selection process, we want to make sure that they are provided the very best plant material for the areas that they are working with or for their retail space. Communication is our number one priority from the time of ordering to the time of delivery. We feel this sets us aside from other growers. The Quality of our plant material is crucial, therefore we seek out and purchase only top quality plugs, cuttings and seeds to ensure the best crops.  Our growing process has evolved these last few years incorporating Beneficial’s into our program, by doing so, we have cut our insecticide use by 90% and fungicide use by 60%. We wouldn’t be successful with any of this without our wonderful staff.

Are there any new annual flowers that you are particularly excited about?

Yes every year we include some new items that we find at various trial gardens, conferences, or pack trials. This year some of my favorites are Mime Stock, Nemesia SunGlow Yellow BiColor, Sprinkles Ranunculus, Sonic New Guinea Impatiens and Skyscraper Orange Salvia.

Fragrance is a wonderful attribute to not only lilacs but also to some annual flowers. What annual flowers do you think have a wonderful fragrance?

There are many flowers that have great fragrance, but there are also foliage plants that have a wonderful scent as well. A few of my favorite are Nemesia Opal Innocence, Stock, Agastache, Lobularia, Citronella Geranium, and Plectranthus.

I often forget to water my flowers. What flower might I want to plant in my containers this year?

There are many drought tolerant plants out there, that being said, they do need to be watered well when planted to get established. The following plants are great for busy people, Lantana, Portulaca, Scaevola, Setcreasea, Gomphrena, Agastache and Helenium. You could also mix in some water retaining crystals with the soil when planting that will help retain moisture.

Are there any annual flowers that you think do particularly well in hanging baskets?

A mix of flowers and foliage that trail will give you a great look. Some favorites that we include in our custom combination baskets are Petunias, Verbena, Calibrachoa, Lobelia, Whopper Begonias, Trailing Coleus, Bacopa, Ivy, and Dorotheanthus.

The north and east sides of the home can be pretty shady. What do you recommend for shady locations?

Remember to keep in mind flowers are not the only way to bring color in the shade; foliage plants in bright colors will lighten up a shady area as well. New Guinea Impatiens, Fuchsia, Begonias, Ivy, and certain Coleus will work well. Shadier areas are also great places for moon gardens. Moon gardens consist of white flowers and silver or variegated foliage that glows in the light of the moon.

If our readers wish to try to attract butterflies with flowers, what might be a good choice for that?

Butterflies require both nectar and host plants. Some great nectar plants include Lantana, Cosmos, Salvias, Verbena Bonariensis, Zinnias, and Pentas. Host plants consist mainly of native plants like Swamp Milk Weed, Common Milk Weed, and Butterfly Weed.

Unfortunately, rabbits often like to eat flowers. What, if any, annual flowers might rabbits be a little less likely to eat?

Yes those cute little bunnies that can wipe out a petunia patch in no time, they must eat too! If you would like to send them stalking the neighbor’s yard, rabbits tend to snub their noses at plants that have textured or fuzzy leaves or that are strongly scented. A few good choices would be Marigolds, Salvia, Verbena, Lantana, Wax Begonias and Calendulas

For flowers that are planted in a container, is there a particular type of soil that you recommend?

NOT STRAIGHT CLAY RIDDEN TOPSOIL! I once witnessed that and felt so bad for the plants that were trying to survive in it. For containers I would recommend a good light potting soil that contains a mix of Sphagnum Peat Moss, Perlite, Vermiculite, and Aged Bark Fines. Some potting soils will also contain wetting agents as well as a slow release fertilizer, which makes for easy maintenance.

After annuals are planted what type of care might they need?

Regular watering, deadheading, feeding and trimming are needed for all plants. Some people may like the look that hardwood mulch provides in their annual beds, but this is not recommended; the hardwood mulch will suck the nutrients away from the plants. If you do like the neatness of mulch in a planting bed, bark fines are the way to go. Bark fines break down naturally and provide nutrients to the soil and plants and you won’t find the mulch floating through the yard after a storm.

How often should homeowners water their flowers?

That is a hard question; it depends on the location, soil structure and plant. Some plants like their feet wet more than others and depending on whether they are planted in the ground or containers will make a difference. Containers will most likely require watering more often because they are planted in well-drained soil, for smaller containers daily, larger ones every other day. Plants in the ground will most likely require fewer applications of water as well as plants in shady areas. Testing the soil next to theplant 2-3” deep is the best way to tell. If the soil is dry its time to water. They do sell soil meters as well, which may be a little easier for the gardener and nicer on the manicure.

What about fertilizing?

If you didn’t use a slow release fertilizer while planting, put it on your calendar to feed every 14 days using a 10-10-10 fertilizer. Flowering plants require phosphorous and potassium to thrive, which are the last two numbers in the equation. Foliage plants benefit from the first number, which is nitrogen.

Is deadheading something that needs to be done to flowers?

Yes, it is necessary to prolong the blooming on the plant, as well as make it look fresh. There are flowers that need less deadheading, like Salvia, Lantana, Impatiens, Wax Begonias, Lobelia, Calibrachoa, and Petunias. With the latter three, a nice haircut does the plant good every now and then; they will bounce back in no time.

Do you have any other words of wisdom for our readers?

Yes, don’t be afraid! There isn’t a gardener that is successful at everything. Experiment and have fun with texture and color. Try plants in different places, you may think you have a shady area but it may be just enough sun for some plants. Most of all rely on your Garden Center Staff for help.

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