Annuals for a second year?

[Ian]

Last spring I planted perhaps 30 pots with annuals - begonias, fuschias and pelargoniums. About 2/3 of the plants have have survived (one or two are flowering...). Can I grow them up, and save buying more, or will they be weakened and not give a good show?

If I can re-use them, what do I have to do? I'm thinking of cutting off all of last years foliage (like pruning roses - that I CAN do) then giving them a good feed. ??

Thanks

[woolybanana]

Check for overwintering bugs and spray if necessary then tidy, trim, feed, wait for lovely flowers.

[Ian]

Thanks, woolybanana, that's what I'll do.

I had a terrible problem last year with insects (mealybugs, I think) and lost a lot of plants. Mainly perennial herbs, funnily enough. Tried every chemical known to man, ans still they fell. Even the replacements. So, I'll be very vigilant.

Cheers

[ukhostland]

At the risk of sounding pedantic, annuals are plants which grow, flower, set seed and die in a season.

None of the plants you list are annuals so if you can keep them alive over winter you can replant them the following year.

A light trim to tidy them up should be sufficient but as others have suggested, watch out for a treat beasties which may also have overwintered.

Add some nice organic general fertilizer to help them perform at their best this year.

Colin the Gardener

[Ian]

@ukhostland, you're right, they're perennials.

I've taken the advice - cleaned out all the old growth and blown-in leaves, gave them a good prune followed by a good feed, and they're FLOURISHING! Some in flower already.

Thanks, everyone.