Shade Tolerant Annuals

Most annuals need full sun for survival and good flowering. Some annuals, however, will tolerate considerable shade. You should select these for shady borders under trees, along walls that block the sun, and on shady city terraces.

Start shade-tolerant annuals from seeds indoors or buy them as bedding plants in the spring. If you start them from seeds, check the seed packet for information on starting dates.

Three common shade-tolerant annuals are wax begonias, impatiens, and coleus. Wax begonias are short plants with glossy bronze or green foliage, and pink, red, or white single or double flowers. They are excellent edging plants. Impatiens, or patient Lucy, can add sparkling color to beds, containers, or borders in shady areas. Coleus is noted for its remarkable foliage patterns in striking colors.

Two shorter annuals, which thrive in shade, are the wishbone flower, a native of Vietnam with purple or lilac flowers, and the brilliant monkey flower. The delicate lobelia is a purple or blue edging annual that is shade-tolerant.

Browallia's velvety blue trumpets are suited to window boxes, containers, or borders. The primrose does well in moist, fertile soil, while the periwinkle will tolerate drier sites.

The three following shade-tolerant annuals are quite fragrant. Flowering tobacco has a wide range of flower colors and has long stems for cutting. Mignonette is a favorite of honeybees. People add its non-showy flowers to bouquets for their sweet perfume. The pastel spikes of evening stock will fill the air with a unique spicy fragrance in the spring.

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