06/07/2026
An article by Betty Hendriks, President of the Goderich and District Horticultural Society
Petunias, geraniums and marigolds are very popular choices for annual flowers because they produce splendid floral shows and are relatively easy to grow and care for. They can be grown in containers and in your garden.
The petunia is one of the most popular annual flowers because it is fast growing and blooms in a vast range of flower sizes and colours until the first heavy frost in the fall. Petunias can grow as either a spreading or cascading plant. Choose stocky plants with dark green leaves when purchasing petunias as bedding plants. Petunias are often already in bloom when they are in the cell-packs. This will help you mix or match the colours that you are looking for. Petunia plants can be transplanted into your garden or container once the risk of frost is over, spacing them 8 to 12 inches apart. Petunias do best in areas that are sunny to partially shaded.
The geranium should be transplanted into your garden or container after the risk of frost has past, and like the petunia, it will produce flowers until the first heavy frost. Both flowers should be dead headed, meaning dead blooms should be removed so that the plant will remain healthy and attractive. You can either pinch the dead blooms off with your fingers or use a pair of scissors to do this. Like the petunia, the geranium should be planted in a sunny spot, making them great plants to plant together.
The marigold comes in many varieties. They can be tall or short, and colours can be yellow, orange or red or any combination of these colours. Marigolds tend to be low maintenance; they stand up to heat, rain and windy conditions, and can grow in poor soil. The marigold will also bloom continuously until late fall. Marigolds are believed to repel insects. For this reason, some people like to grow a border of these plants in their vegetable garden, or add a few plants around the bases of tomato and pepper plants.
