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A North American Annual Border
Plants & Gardens News Volume 22, Number 2 | Spring 2007
by Nancy Seaton
- Agave attenuata
- Amaranthus 'Hopi Red Dye' (red amaranth)
- Bouvardia ternifolia (scarlet trompetilla)
- Cuphea llavea 'Batface'
- Dahlia 'Spartacus'
- Euphorbia cotinifolia (Mexican shrubby spurge)
- Salvia chiapensis (Chiapas sage)
- Salvia leucantha 'Midnight' (Mexican bush sage)
Where in the world do annuals come from? Almost everywhere, though most of the plants we use as annuals in our gardens are native to warm climates in far-off places. The ubiquitous Impatiens walleriana hails from Africa; petunias (Petunia species) come from South America; coleus (Solenostemon scuttelerioides) is indigenous to Asia. The story behind how these plants came to be in our gardens is complex and often tied to the long and turbulent history of Western exploration and conquest around the globe.
In 2007, the plants in the Annual Border at Brooklyn Botanic Garden were organized according to the continents from which they originated. The display was primarily designed for aesthetic appeal, but it was also intended to evoke the political and social backdrop to the cultivation of some of our favorite ornamentals. This summer-blooming border also offered an object lesson in plant geography and what it can teach us about the cultural conditions needed to make these plants thrive away from home.
Along with collections of plants from Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, and South America, the border featured a display of North American annuals. (Sorry, the subtle flora of Antarctica—mainly mosses and liverworts—was not represented!) We have a dearth of showy native annuals in the eastern U.S., so most of the native plants featured were from the southern states and Mexico. Some were tender perennials in Brooklyn (USDA Zone 7), rather than true annuals. All the plants were planted in moderately fertile, well-drained soil and full sun.
The drawing above is an artist's rendering of the North American section of the Annual Border in late summer. Consider growing some of these plants in your garden.
Nancy Seaton is curator of Magnolia Plaza and Lily Pool Terrace at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Illustration by Paul Harwood