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Perrenial PDFs FCID.indd 250 11/28/12 4:50 PM 240 00------------------------------------------7 Compamon Plant§ tor the Perenmui211 Garden ---------------------------------------~ P~rennials and old garden roses are rhe most likely candidates for the herbaceous border or conage garden, but reseeding annuals. small flowering trees, flowering shrubs, and vines were historically present and arc ,>eill well worth considering. Each of these three categories of plants will be briefly discussed in chis section . Also included will be suggestions of a few sample species from each group. RESEEDING ANNUALS Annuals char reseed and rerurn year after year can be as valuable as ~rennials to rhe garden. There is someching s~cial about chese plams chac like your garden so well they choose co come back each year for anoeher visit. In addition to convenience and economy. reseeding annuals add an informal, spontaneous charm [Q the garden, since they frequently come up in places where we have nor planted them. Since seed was a valuable commodiry and money sometimes scarce, early Southern gardeners ofren saved seeds offavorite annuals from year to year rather than gamble on the generosity of Mother Nature. Trading seed was a popular custom among friends, and families often handed down particular annuals, vegetables, and herbs from one generation to another. Seed can be saved just as successfully today, to be sown in potS or trays indoors or in the greenhouse, so that seedlings may be later set out when and where desired in the garden. Whether seed is collected and stored or allowed (Q fall and naturally germinate in the garden, it is imporrant to remember that modern hybrid varieties often do nOt come true from seed. Since they are not openpollinated by commercialgtowers, seed saved from many of these modern types may produce flowers that bear little resemblance [Q the parent. Large and double flowers may return as smaller single types, and once-bright colors may be more muted. If you hope for your annuals (Q propagate in this manner, you muse Icc the plants mature their seed. Obviously , ehis cannoe occur if you pick the seed before it ripens or, worse yec, if you destroy the plants before they have had a chance co complete their growing and fruiting Perrenial PDFs FCID.indd 251 11/28/12 4:50 PM cycles. Sometimes this will mean tolerating plants for several weeks after they have passed their peak and are slipping into an unattractive senility. Most seed keeps well in storage ifallowed to dry for a few days, packed in airtight jars or self-sealing plastic bags, and placed in the lower part of the refrigerator (where the temperatures should range from about 40- 45 degrees F.). Be sure to label the seed, since it may nOt be recognizable several months later when the time comes to plant it. If the seed is nqr to be stored but rather allowed to germinate naturally in the garden, it is helpful to shake the seed pods or the entire plant upon picking to make sure the seed is properly scanered and nor thrown into the compost along with the dead plant. Since most annuals tequire cultivation and fertilization to thrive, it may be necessary to work the soil and add organic material and fertilizer after the seed has fallen. This cultivation process may destroy some of the seeds by planting them tOO deeply, but usually a sufficient number remain ro provide plenty ofplants for the next season. A frequent problem with reseeding annuals is overgermination . The seedlings may sprout up in such numbers and so close rogether that the plants cannot grow or flower properly. To combat this requires careful observation on the part of the gardener, regular checks of the young seedlings so that when they reach a size large enough they may be transplanted or thinned. Most young seedlings may be successfully transplanted when they put on their second set of leaves. Some annuals such as poppies and larkspur are difficult to transplant, Viola trirolo.-- Johnny-Jump·Ups COMPANION PLANTS FOR THE PERENNIAL. GARDEN 241 however. Their seedlings should be thinned but the remainder allowed to mature where they germinated. Young seedlings of flowering annuals may be difficult ro distinguish from weeds because often they bear little resemblance to the mature plants. Distinguishing one from the other requires practice and patience, until the young seedlings ofdesired annuals become familiar. This also prohibits the use ofmOSt pre-emergent herbicides and heavy mulches in areas where reseeding annuals are desired. The mulches...

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