Most of us were taught to value plants that last, so annuals and ruderals get dismissed as temporary or weedy.
But in nature, they’re the first responders. They show up after a disturbance, cover bare ground, feed pollinators, and set the stage for everything that follows. In your garden, they can do the same work while bringing a little surprise every year, since you never know exactly where they’ll turn up next.
Designing with Short-Lived Plants hosted live on November 16 at 6:00 PM Central for hands-on property owners, designers, and landscapers who want color and cover while their perennials mature and who want to welcome self-sowers without letting them take over.
You’ll learn...
🌱 To use annuals and ruderals as nurse plants, gap fillers, and seasonal color instead of dismissing them as temporary or weedy.
🌱 How a planting shifts over time, with short-lived plants filling in early and fading as perennials mature, so you stop waiting years for a planting to fill in.
🌱 To manage self-sowing (sowing times, recognizing seedlings, editing, and which plants to watch out for) instead of letting them take over.
Plus a few of my favorites, with notes on how and where I use them.