Annual Plants at Dry Creek

Although we specialize in hardy perennials, we do have an interesting selection of annuals, many you won't easily find at the giant stores. Come in and see our eclectic collection.

A partial list of the annuals we sometimes offer (Supply is limited):

• African Daisy (Arctotis)
• African Marigold (Tagetes erecta)
• Ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum)
• Amaranthus (Amaranthus)
• Angelonia (Angelonia)
• Annual Statice (Limonium)
• Annual Vinca (Catharanthus roseus)
• Baby Blue-eyes (Nemophilia)
• Bachelor's Button (Centaurea cyanus)
• Bacopa (Sutera)
• Begonia (Begonia)
• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)
• Black-eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia)
• Blood Flower (Asclepias curassavica)
• Blue Lobelia (Lobelia)
• Borage (Borago officinalis)
• Browallia (Browallia)
• Bush Morning Glory (Convolvulus tricolor)
• Calendula (Calendula)
• Calibrachoa (Calibrachoa)
• California Poppy (Eschschoizia californica)
• Calliopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria)
• Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)
• China Aster (Callistephus)
• Coleus (Solenostemon)
• Cosmos (Cosmos)
• Creeping Zinnia (Sanvitalia procumbens)
• Dusty Miller (Senecio cineraria)
• Evolvulus (Evolvulus)
• Flowering Kale (Brassica oleracea)
• French Marigold (Tagetes patula)
• Gazania (Gazania)
• Geranium (Pelargonium)
• Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera)
• Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena globosa)
• Heliotrope (Heliotropium)
• Honeywort (Cerinthe major)
• Impatiens (Impatiens)
• Joesph's Coat (Alternanthera)
• Lantana (Lantana)
• Larkspur (Consolida ajacis)
• Lavatera (Lavatera)
• Licorice Plant (Helichrysum)
• Marguerite Daisy (Argyranthemum)
• Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia)
• Moonflower (Ipomoea alba)
• Morning Glory (Ipomoea)
• Moss Rose (Portulaca)
• Nasturtium (Tropaeolum)
• Nierembergia (Nierembergia)
• Nigella (Nigella)
• Nolana (Nolana)
• Oxalis (Oxalis)
• Pansy (Viola)
• Petunia (Petunia)
• Poppy (Papaver spp.)
• Signet Marigold (Tagetes tenuifolia)
• Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)
• Solanum (Solanum)
• Spider Flower (Cleome hassleriana)
• Spurge (Euphorbia)
• Stock (Matthiola)
• Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
• Swan River Daisy (Brachyscome)
• Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
• Sweet Pea (Lathyrus)
• Tuberous Begonia (Begonia x tuberhybrida)
• Verbena (Verbena)
• Wallflower (Erysimum)

Note: In our climate zone, some plant varieties usually thought of as "annuals" will exhibit perennial characteristics, such as Snapdragons, Wallflower and certain Euphorbias. Others will reseed themselves, such as Sunflower and Sweet Alyssum. If you have questions about which annuals will return next year, come in and talk to us.

There are several native Nevada annuals that are sometimes used for landscaping:

• Baileya multiradiata (desert marigold)
• Collomia grandiflora (collomia)
• Eriogonum inflatum (desert trumpet)
• Erysimum capitatum (western wallflower, prairie rocket)
• Gaillardia arizonica (Arizona blanket flower)
• Helianthus petiolaris (plains sunflower)
• Hymenoxys cooperi (Cooper's goldflower)
• Ipomopsis aggregata (sky rocket, scarlet gilia)
• Lupinus concinnus (annual lupine, bajada lupine)
• Mentzelia laevicaulis (blazing star, evening star, stick leaf)
• Mimulus guttatus (golden monkey flower)
• Nemophila breviflora (Great Basin nemophila)
• Oenothera albicaulis (pale evening primrose)
• Oenothera deltoides (fragrant primrose, desert evening primrose)
• Oenothera elata ssp. hooked (giant evening primrose)
• Salvia columbariae (chia)
• Townsendia exscapa (Easter daisy)

Many interesting, beautiful and desired perennial plants love our summer climate, but just can't take the winter cold. This is especially evident with many cacti, euphorbia and succulents offered at the local big box stores. Newcomers to our area are often surprised, saddened and maddened to see their new collection of hothouse plants wither and die come their first killing frost. For those who can't resist all those exotic plants that look as though they should live in the desert, but die a nasty death come autumn, you can always plant them in containers and bring them inside before the cold weather arrives. Or you can use them as annuals.

There are also certain perennial evergreen plants that local gardeners love to grow with root systems that survive the winters here, but their foliage -- evergreen in other climate zones -- can't take the cold. Thus, they die off each year, only to begin again each spring. Certain palm trees and hedge plants popular in California's coastal and central regions are of this sort.

We do carry some interesting and popular plants that are considered perennials, but we sell them as annuals because we know they will not survive the winter. The difference is: we tell you this up front. So you'll know. So you won't be surprised and saddened and maddened when the killing frost arrives.