Annuals

Annuals are a horticultural group that includes annual, biennial and short-lived perennial plants. All annuals have the same cultivation process and use, they differ only in propagation. Generatively propagated plants (i.e. propagated by seeds) are used in flower beds. Vegetatively propagated plants (i.e. from cuttings) are used as potted plants. 

Seed-propagated annuals appear on the central flowerbed every year from the second half of May. In summer months, they liven up the centre of the Ornamental Garden with fantastic colours and shapes. In early spring, nearly 25,000 seedlings must be grown from seeds, so they can be planted on the 700m² flowerbed. Almost one fifth of the 500 displayed species and varieties are indigenous wild species. We obtained them by collecting, by exchange with other botanical gardens or by the purchase of seeds collected at original locations. The collection introduces mostly cultivated varieties. Most striking amongst them are less-known species, such as ornamental forms of vegetables - chard with coloured leafstalks, artichoke with silver rosettes and cabbages with curly or cut leaves on high stems or with neat heads. Other interesting plants include annual grasses or now nearly unknown weeds growing amongst grain - corncockle, larkspur, pheasant's eye, Bupleurum and nigella.

During the warmer part of the year, annuals propagated from cuttings are used in our gabion wall and unobtrusive ceramic containers placed at attractive locations of the Ornamental Garden. In addition to traditional potted plants, the collection includes about fifty varieties of African nettles (Solenostemon) and the same number of warmth-loving sages. Such a collection is unique in the Czech Republic. Due to low tolerance for frost, sages like S. patens, S. microphylla, S. greggii or S. guaranitica can only be used as part of mobile greenery. For this reason, despite their undeniable beauty, we have not widely used them yet. The other half of our potted plants consists of two hundred original and modern pelargonium hybrids. Together with one hundred wild species grown in the facilities, they form one of the most numerous genera in the collections of our botanical garden.

Fleuroselect

Fleuroselect is an independent international organization that tests new seed-propagated varieties of flowers. The best of them are awarded a gold medal. In 1999, our botanical garden became the exposition garden of Fleuroselect. Award-winning varieties are displayed in the entrance area near the southern ticket office. They are marked with special white name tags with the Fleuroselect logo.

Begonia semperflorens 'Senator Rose Bicolor', golden-beard penstemon Penstemon barbatus 'Twizzle Scarlet' and the first dwarf lupin Lupinus polyphyllus 'Mini Gallery Pure Blue' used in containers became champions amongst annuals and perennials in 2017. In 2018, they were joined by Lewisia cotyledon 'Elise Ruby Red', Petunia x hybrida 'My Love Orange' and Zinnia x hybrida 'Profusion Red‘. In 2019, we introduced for the first time Begonia semperflorens 'Fiona Red', marigold Calendula officinalis 'Calexis Orange‘, Petunia x hybrida 'Success! HD Rose Star‘ and Zinnia elegans 'Que Queeny Lime Orange‘ with attractive green colour in the centre of its flower heads.