Around the end of April here in the Midwest, we are busy planning what annuals we will purchase. Visits to our favorite nurseries transform adult gardeners into the equivalent of children in candy stores.
I continue to be astounded at all of the ways annuals can be displayed. For example, if you are handy, you can secure round planters on wood columns. Secure the pot on top of a wood column and put a spike in the base of the column to hold it firmly in the earth. Once the plant in the pot matures atop the post, the whole thing looks like a small flowering tree or standard. I had no idea until recently that annual plants, singly or in multiples, could be displayed in this way.
There is also hardware available commercially for gardeners to convert large pots into 2 level floral displays for patios, porches, and decks. A steel base ring goes under a large pot and a threaded bolt pokes up through the pot's drainage hole. Then a steel column screws down onto a spacer/washer on the bolt. A nine-inch disc is then attached with gripping clips. A basket with a liner and filled with annual flowers goes on top.
Lamppost planters can also be crafted from half-round hayrack planters that clamp together to encircle a lamp post. There are even "Down Under Pots" that allow flowers to grow underneath hanging baskets. So many options for displaying annuals, and I usually just stick them in a pot!
Note: Kinsman Company is the source for many of these ideas.
