Every spring, I plant all of the colorful annuals I covet from the garden center, anticipating the perfect flower bed, border, or container garden. By July, even with regular deadheading (you are deadheading, aren’t you?), they look just like I do in the heat—frazzled and droopy. Let’s talk about some steps to revive leggy annuals in midsummer to bring on a second flush of beautiful blooms.
Trim The Plants
I feel sure you’ve faithfully deadheaded (removed spent flowers) from the annuals that are not self-cleaning. However, it’s time to trim the plants more aggressively. So, take a deep breath and use sharp, clean garden pruners to remove about one-third of the height of the plant. Yes, you will lose some blooms, and the annual may look a bit sad. But unlike that bad haircut you got last summer, the plants will rebound in about two weeks with new flowers on a thicker, healthier-looking plant.
It’s best to do the trimming in the morning before 9 a.m., if possible, when the plant is more hydrated and less stressed by the heat.
Tips
Petunias, zinnias, marigolds, salvias, and impatiens perform well until frost if given a midsummer haircut. Cutting them back encourages vigorous fresh foliage and a strong secondary bloom.
Fertilize For A Boost
To stimulate new growth, apply a well-balanced, water-soluble fertilizer. Select a product with NPK numbers showing a higher level of phosphorus than nitrogen to promote bud formation, root development, and larger blooms. Higher levels of nitrogen will give you more leaves and fewer blooms. This step is especially important for container-grown annuals because nutrients leach more quickly from the soil each time you water.
Water Deeply
Since the plants are undergoing the stress of pruning during the extreme temperatures of summer, be sure you are providing plenty of irrigation. Annuals vary in drought tolerance, but after trimming, they require at least 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water per week, with more required during periods of extreme heat. Water deeply every few days so the soil is wet at least 2 inches deep, rather than a quick sprinkle every day. The soil around container-grown annuals should be checked twice a day and water added as needed.
Add A Little Shade
After trimming leggy annuals in containers, it can be helpful to give them a break from the blazing sun with a bit of dappled shade until new growth begins. You can move them under a tree, another area of the porch, or tilt your patio umbrella their way.
Refresh Garden Mulch
Lend an objective eye to the mulch around your annuals. A layer of organic mulch that is at least 1 to 3 inches deep will help conserve soil moisture and block weeds that steal water and nutrients from the annuals. Add a bit more if the mulch has gotten washed away during a storm. Leave a gap of about 1 inch around the main stem of the plants to prevent stem rot.
Tips To Keep Your Midsummer Annuals Looking Their Best
It’s not too late, especially in the South with our long growing season, to add more annuals to the garden or containers in midsummer. By planting now, you can fill in gaps you missed, extend the blooming season, or even change your color scheme. Some quick-growing annual seeds such as zinnias, morning glories, marigolds, sweet peas, cosmos, and nasturtiums can even be direct-sown.
To help protect the annuals from late summer pests and disease problems, always remove plant debris and weeds. Regularly check the undersides of leaves and around the base of plants for signs of pests or diseases like powdery mildew.
Water wisely in the morning so annual foliage dries quickly to reduce the risk of foliar diseases.
Remove flowers from plants such as coleus that are grown for their foliage. Flower formation uses up the nutrients that keep those colorful leaves at their best.
Unless you are planning to collect seeds to sow next year, in addition to deadheading spent flowers, remove seed heads to send more energy to bloom production.
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